Perfumer Jo Malone is coming to Manila
The entrepreneur, who pioneered in niche fragrances and their subsequent sale to multinationals, is blitzing through Manila for an overnight visit.
Joanne Lesley Malone, CBE, founder of her eponymous brand, Jo Malone London (now owned by Estée Lauder), and her current independent brand, Jo Loves, will grace the meet-and-greet session on the afternoon of May 8 at her shop at Glorietta 4, Makati City.
The Manila leg is part of her Southeast Asia and Australia tour which includes Sydney, Thailand and Malaysia. Prestige Brand Philippines, distributor of luxury fragrances, introduced Jo Loves last December. Pegged between the P9,000 and P11,000 bracket, Jo Loves is considered an affordable luxury compared to the range of ultra-niche brands, which start at P13,000.
Malone’s mission is to make Jo Loves a favorite among the Gen Z worldwide. Its scents are described as honest but with an element of surprise from the unusual mix of notes such as truffle with fig and pine and culinary herbs such as green orange with coriander.
In the Philippines, the full-bodied Jo by Jo Loves and the fresh Pomelo are the most popular scents. Its gender-neutral fragrances such as Amber, Lime & Bergamot, Smoked Plum & Leather and Pink Vetiver are likewise very sellable.
The brand is known for such innovations as the paintbrush that comes with a tube of fragrance gel. The paintbrush spreads the foamy lotion onto the skin like paint that is applied on a canvas.
In shops, the Jo Loves corner includes the J-shaped “tapas bar,” for customers to try out the scents like a tasting menu.
Courage and grit
Despite being diagnosed as dyslexic, Malone became successful through courage and grit. She started concocting masks from natural ingredients during her childhood. Despite her lack of formal training in the cosmetics field, she found her niche as a facialist in London. From her bathroom, she formulated aromatic body lotions and oils for her loyal clients. This became the impetus for Jo Malone London.
She has likewise been diagnosed with synesthesia, a neurological condition wherein the sense of smell can overpower or overlap with other senses. Not only does she perceive the world through her nose, but it has given her the uncanny ability to sense what is not visible to the eyes.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, she revealed that she detected her husband’s illness from the change of his scent. He was then diagnosed with a condition that affected his adrenal glands and was subsequently treated. The strange scent disappeared.
This unusual power has opened the doors to her mission: developing unique fragrances.Malone ventured into perfumery in 1990 and sold Jo Malone London to Estée Lauder in 1999, becoming its creative director.
In the early aughts, she was diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer. Malone underwent aggressive treatments that hampered her sense of smell.
After being cleared of cancer, she realized she couldn’t work properly without her olfactory sense. She resigned in 2006 under the condition of a five-year lockout of noncompetition. Though the five-year transition was challenging in getting her groove back, she kept reimagining her perfume. She slowly regained her sense of smell as the lockout period ended.
With the help of her husband, Gary Willcox, she produced the second baby, Jo Loves, in 2011. The fragrances are based on narratives or Malone’s sensorial impressions from her experiences and travels. In 2016, she launched her autobiography, “Jo Malone: My Story” (Simon & Schuster), which has a page scented with Pomelo, the first product from Jo Loves. Two years later, she was conferred CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for her contribution to the British economy and the Great Britain campaign which promotes British creativity on the international arena.
At age 60, Malone’s olfactory gift is more intense. She says in interviews that a new chapter in her life is just beginning.
