Jo Malone Hemlock & Bergamot Cologne is a floral green fragrance created by Yann Vasnier and Louise Turner that launched in 2019 as part of the Wild Flower & Weeds Collection. This was recently purchased at Selfridges in the UK so I'm not sure if it has been re-released exclusively to them because it is not available anywhere else and it is not on Jo Malone's website.
Jo Malone casts aside the usual flowers for this cologne. An unsual choice for perfume, Conium Maculatum is an herbaceous plant that smells as inviting as it is striking – and its light and powdery leaves are complemented by sweet bergamot in this carefully blended fragrance. Brightened by golden mimosa and floral heliotrope, it’s a sparkling fresh scent that encapsulates summer. Hemlock & Bergamot is a cologne.
Fragrantica: This is lovely. Very much a green / floral mix. I get kind of a musty opening, kind of like when you pick fresh weeds and they're green and wet (is that the hemlock, maybe?). Then it mellows out to a softer floral and the mimosa element comes in – powdery but not in a fake powdery way. It comes across as very natural. It ends on a soft sort of vanilla note that is lovely. Overall, the musty element is what makes this so beautiful to me – a unique green floral that will likely still appeal to traditional tastes.
Basenotes: The opening blast is a fresh green mix, with the cucumber soon peeling off the mix to move into the foreground - but temporarily only. After a while the bergamot makes more of an appearance. The heart notes are an interesting blend. A musty bitterness is bright along by the hemlock, whilst a cassie impression contributes a cinnamon-honey background, with a nigh-iris-like powderiness being present too. Brief floral blips - a mimosa here, a whiff of oleander there - provide additional variety. A slight heliotrope-derived spiciness is the hallmark of the base, but it is rather discreet and blending in well with what is left from the earlier phases. I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and nine hours of longevity on my skin.
