Jo Malone came from humble beginnings but has shown the world that determination and dedication can change all that.
Jo Malone had no education to speak of and was severely dyslexic. At the age of 13 she left school to look after her mother after she had a stroke.
Her mother was a facialist and her father an artist.
From an early age Jo tried to create her own fragrances by using flowers from the garden and grated soap. She had a passion for all things fragrant and by helping her mother with facials, her knowledge of mixing and blending grew.
Working as a florist by day and working as a beautician doing facials at night, her business took off when the nutmeg and ginger bath oil she produced as a thank you gift for her clients proved to be so popular and led to re-orders
The business sense of Jo Malone came from helping her father sell his paintings at a market stall.
In 1994 Jo Malone opened her first boutique in London offering fragrances, skin care and home scents. Following this in 1999 a flagship boutique was opened on London’s famed Sloane Street
The business sense of Jo Malone came from helping her father sell his paintings at a market stall.
As an early advocate for the concept of combining fragrances Jo Malone kept her fragrances simple but effective.
Her unisex scents often focused on a single note or a combination of two or three essences.
The scents were designed to be worn alone or with other scents in the collection, allowing the wearer to create their own combination of scents by layering the different scents on the skin.
Packaging
The packaging of the different fragrances was also kept simple but elegant with cream-coloured boxes with black trim, perfectly surrounding the tasteful and often subtle and dignified scents in the line.
The success of Jo Malone caught the attention of one of the beauty industry giants, Estee Lauder, who wanted to buy the brand.
Eventually Jo Malone did sell her brand to Estee Lauder for an undisclosed sum of money and Jo remained with the company as its chairwoman and creative director until 2006.
Estee Lauder Companies continues to operate and produce new fragrances under the Jo Malone brand and has expanded its distribution to numerous countries around the world.
Jo Malone London fragrances are divided into six families:
Citrus
Refreshing, energising and enlivening. The crisp, zesty character of a citrus scent has an instantly uplifting appeal. With mixtures of lime, basil and mandarin or grapefruit, earl grey and cucumber, basil and neroli, assam and grapefruit and verbenas of Provence.
Fruity
Juicy, luscious and enticing. Fruity fragrances burst with a mouth-watering juiciness and delectable sweetness. With mixtures of English pear and freesia, blackberry and bay or nectarine blossom and honey.
Light Floral
Delicate and exquisite. Gathering together armfuls of the world’s most enchanting flowers, light floral celebrate their romanticism with a modern twist. Wild bluebell, red roses, poppy and barley, white jasmine and mint, French lime blossom and fig and lotus flower.
Floral
Heady, exotic and intoxicating. Rich, full-bodied florals are the essence of femininity. Sometimes provocative, sometimes sensual. To name but a few peony and blush suede, honeysuckle and davana, mimosa and cardamom, orange blossom and velvet rose and oud.
Spicy
Aromatic and fresh. From warm and sensual spices to cool and vibrant. Spicy fragrances that are magnetic. English oak and hazelnut, amber and lavender, vanilla and anise, nutmeg and ginger and black vetiver café.
Woody
Earthy, aromatic and grounding. Woody scents have intriguing individualistic characters, celebrating notes such as vetiver and cedarwood. Elegant and embracing. Pomegranate noir, wood sage and sea salt, myrrh and tonka, oud and bergamot and dark amber and ginger lily.
2011 Saw the launch of 'Jo Loves'
In November 2011 Jo Malone returned to the fragrance industry with the formation of a new brand, Jo Loves, which includes perfumes and ancillary products like scented candles and aromatic body moisturisers.
Although Jo Malone was the founder of Jo Malone London the two fragrances could not be mistaken for one another.
The original brand now includes thirty-two fragrances and is available worldwide, while Jo Loves sells twelve Eau de Toilette scents and other items in limited distribution.
They do however share some distinguishing traits: sleek and simple bottles with unisex appeal; deliberately direct fragrance names and scents that are straight forward but often unexpected, with a combination of notes that may not seem, on the first whiff, obviously perfumy.
Jo Malone’s new venture is growing. In July Net-a-Porter began carrying a concise collection of Jo Loves items and Emirates airline added the Pomelo scent to its duty-free selection. The brand also has a boutique on Elizabeth Street in the Belgravia section of London.
Unlike many other perfumers, Jo Malone had no formal training, but she had a passion for fragrance and as she had no direction from anyone else, she was open-minded, flexible and creative. She was able to build her own empire and although her name today is highly recognisable to perfume lovers, she remains not all that different from the little girl who helped bring in customers to her father’s outdoor booth on cold British mornings.
Jo Loves products include:
New Fig Trees Diffuser
Inspired by Jo’s family holidays in Italy. Fig trees captures the fresh green scent of ripe figs alongside delicately sweet cassis and the warmth of amber to create an indulgent home scent.
Sicilian Sorbet Shot Candle
Sicilian Sorbet bursts of fresh citrus steam laced with a hint of smoky caramel, thinly sliced mango and limes ascend into an explosion of sunshine.
Pomelo
This mouth-watering grapefruit-infused fragrance is like no other citrus scent.
Mango Thai Lime Travel Collection
Mango Thai lime in a 50ml fragrance, bath and shower gel and body lotion all conveniently packed in an exclusive Jo Loves bag.
Rose Petal Eau de Toilette
A cleansing fragrance which blends a selection of rose notes to produce an entirely original experience. Developed to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Jo Malone’s time in the world of fragrance.
White Rose and Lemon Leaves
Enriched with honey, lemon peel and white rose. This fragrance contains both floral and warming elements. The top and heart notes include pink pepper, rose oil and amber along with cedarwood and petitgrain to provide complexity and rose absolute and patchouli as a refined base.
Grapefruit A Fragrance Body Spray
A fragrance body spray that mists on a blend of fruity and floral notes, which are balanced by a sharper pink grapefruit, green vetiver and intense cedarwood.
Jo Malone is an eminent British entrepreneur who has carved a place for herself in British business history.
Creativity, entrepreneurship and above all passion have enabled Jo to reach the illustrious status she holds today.
Jo is also a business speaker on a corporate wide and individual level.
Her talks are inspiring as she motivates others with her career story of building a business from the ground up and elaborates on the highs and lows of that journey. Offering implementable advice to audiences wishing to build their own global brands she is truly a captivating speaker.
In 2018 she was awarded a CBE for her contributions to the industry, and she remains one of the biggest names in British business.
