FRAGRANCE | The Jo Malone Lavenderland Collection: Is it any good?

Jo Malone has a penchant for regularly coming up with limited edition releases. Last year we got a couple of bottles from their Wild Flowers & Weeds Collection and I was quite happy with them, especially with Cade & Cedarwood. This year they're inviting us to Lavenderland. We managed to get all three colognes from the collection and here's what I think of each one.

Lavender & Coriander
I'm not a fan of coriander per se but its use in perfumery is something else, and pairing it with lavender sounded interesting enough to me. But then I sprayed Jo Malone's Lavender & Coriander and I am immediately overwhelmed by this unpleasantly sharp spiciness that pierced my sinuses and caused me a headache. At first I attributed it to alcohol burn but the sharpness persisted, so it must be the coriander.

The poor lavender, while already there in the opening, is just overrun by the sharpness, its tiny petals shredded to near oblivion. There's also something salty, like sweat, which seems out of place in the composition. It quickly mellows, however. Within an hour the sharpness from the coriander also relaxes but it takes the lavender along with it. It just insists on raining on the lavender's parade and so it never really gets to shine. Performance is so-so, so there's practically nothing much to like about this imbalanced concoction.

Silver Birch & Lavender
Silver Birch & Lavender greets you with an affable, sweet citrus, with no annoying sharpness at all. A clean, soapy lavender follows shortly, its entrance slow and graceful. The interplay between the two is smooth and never forced. Before long they dissolve into a slightly sweet and creamy blend, the acidity of the citrus muted even further but with the soapiness of the flower still lingering overhead. While not necessarily the same, the resulting accord reminds me of ScentSmith Perfumery's Grapefruit Amber.

The scent basically stays like this except that its light woody base becomes a little more apparent later in the drydown. It lasts from morning till afternoon—longer than the other two in this collection—but after projecting moderately for approximately two hours, it sits mostly close to the skin. It's relatively simple but nonetheless nice.

Wisteria & Lavender
In Wisteria & Lavender, the lavender is instantly recognizable right from the start. That distinct smell of dried lavender is unmistakable, here briefly supported by a mild zest. I have no idea how wisteria smells like but there's a second floral note that appears just a few minutes in. It's fresh and airy. And after quickly introducing herself, she hastily joins the lavender and their respective identities are now blurred.

What I get next is a scent that's close to pencil shavings although it's not as pronounced as that of Diptyque Tam Dao. Far from it actually. I usually catch this scent from either sandalwood or cedar but I don't know if either note is actually here or it's simply a result of the marriage between the dried lavender and that other floral I presume is wisteria. There's also a very mild sweetness that gives it an added flavor.

Wisteria & Lavender isn't a particularly complex scent but it's easily likable because of it's inoffensive nature. It projects moderately for maybe an hour or two before gradually dying down. Longevity is about average, which is typical of most Jo Malones.

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In hindsight, Jo Malone's Lavenderland is another nice and uncomplicated collection overall. Although lavender is a key ingredient in all three fragrances, it isn't always successfully highlighted. However, I appreciate the direction of pairing it with notes that might not be normally associated with this purple flower. With the exception of Lavender & Coriander, they're nice to have and they merit a try. But if they do sell out and you miss the boat, I honestly don't think you'll be missing a lot.