Jo Malone has released their annual limited-edition Brit collection for 2023. Entitled "The Highlands", this collection is inspired by the untamed beauty of the Scottish Highlands and features four scents that explore vivid landscapes of rugged highlands, misty moors, crumbling castles and mysterious lochs. Celine Roux, global director of fragrance of Jo Malone, stated that often when we think of the British countryside, we think of something that’s a bit more orderly, a bit more groomed. But with the Scottish Highlands, nature runs wild in such a dramatic way. Jo Malone really wanted to embrace this with their collection and the idea that however much you may try to control nature, when left to its own devices, it just takes over.
Melancholy Thistle is a bold, bright and melacholy cologne. Perfumer Anne Flipo describes the fragrance as a celebration of the raw nature of the Highlands, where the elements run wild, and where ivy and honeysuckle grow in the cracks of castle walls. A thistle accord was combined with various natural elements to create that sense of wildness: creating a woody, green effect, with aqueous facets to capture the idea of wildflowers growing among wet stones. Headspace technology was targeted to capture the natural scent of English ivy, which lends leafy green herbal notes, added natural patchouli for elegance and a special molecule called Coolwood to replicate the smell of moss on wet stone. Natural broom, a flower that grows in abundance in Scotland, adds a honey-like touch.
Bold and bright Melancholy Thistles guard a long-abandoned castle in the Scottish Highlands. Entwined with a green freshness, this woody aromatic scent is underpinned by Coolwood to summon the ivy-covered stone walls inside a majestic relic. Melancholy Thistle is a cologne.
JO MALONE MELANCHOLY THISTLE REVIEWS
Jo Malone: Another win from Jo Malone. There's a note in here somewhere that reminds me a bit of English Oak and Redcurrant - a favorite of mine...alas, discontinued. Anyway, this is beautiful, unique, and possibly magical. Although, upon a few spritzes, I was not transported back to the 18th century and into the arms of a handsome, kilted Scotsman, like I had hoped. I am optimistic, though, and will give it some time.
Sephora: Wow. I don’t have anything like this in my collection. It’s got that grassy bite from the ivy but mellowed out so smoothly by the woodsy notes. I love this for a cooler summer night. Could definitely be a unisex scent without leaning one way or the other too heavily.
