After a full year of living almost entirely in my own neighborhood, with my only "travel" being scattered visits to other essential destinations within a ten-mile radius (occasional check-ins at my workplace, a few doctor appointments, quarterly haircuts), I recently spent a warm April afternoon in Manhattan just for fun. My outing included my first in-person fragrance shopping since January 2019, including a well-timed trip to Sephora.
Jo Malone's Summer 2021 limited edition "The Brits: Marmalade Collection" was on my to-sniff list, so I was happy to spot testers of all five fragrances on Sephora's fragrance wall. The collection includes two relaunches, Blackberry & Bay and Elderflower Cordial, and three new fragrances: Rose Blush, Orange Peel and Tangy Rhubarb. Rose Blush is a forgettable, "pink"-smelling lychee-and-rose thing. I somehow forgot to smell Orange Peel. But I fell for Tangy Rhubarb and Elderflower Cordial, and ended up purchasing a bottle of each; partly because the annual "Beauty Insider" sale was happening, mostly because I wanted to celebrate my return to real-life fragrance-shopping on such a beautiful day.
My favorite of the new Marmalade scents is Tangy Rhubarb, inspired by "unruly rhubarb plucked from the overgrown garden." It was developed by perfumer Nicolas Bonneville, with a composition of rhubarb, orange, clary sage and cedar notes. I look forward to rhubarb every summer, when I can buy a few stalks or, better yet, a strawberry-rhubarb pie at the farmers market. This scent is both tart and sweet, like rhubarb flavored with some orange zest and sugar — enough sugar to temper its edges, but not enough to totally eliminate the "hint of bitterness" that Jo Malone mentions. It's a fairly linear fragrance that remains bright and cheerful on my skin, with some very sheer musk emerging more in the base. I've long enjoyed quick spritzes of Eau de Rhubarb Écarlate whenever I've passed an Hermès counter but I've never quite been able to justify buying a bottle; Tangy Rhubarb's similar effect, with a lower price and better longevity (on me, at least), won me over.
My second choice from the collection is Elderflower Cordial, a relaunch of Elderflower & Gooseberry from the 2013 "Sugar & Spice" collection. It was designed by Christine Nagel to evoke "delicate elderflower buds harvested from the hedgerows on a cloudless morning...complemented by hawthorn and mixed with the tartness of summer-green gooseberries," with a base of additional "dried fruit" notes.
When this perfume was originally launched as Elderflower & Gooseberry, the brand described it as "a voluptuous gooseberry fool." (A fool is a chilled dessert involving puréed or stewed fruit folded into sweetened heavy cream.) This earlier messaging is truer to the fragrance. Elderflower Cordial is more of a fruity-dessert scent than a fruity-beverage scent — and, in case you were wondering about any possible likeness to St. Germain, I took a few sips from the bottle in my cupboard (in the interest of research!) and didn't find a strong correspondence to that drink, either.
Instead, Elderflower Cordial opens with an intriguing bitter green note that reminds me of angelica before the powdery white blossoms of the elderflower are conjured up for us. The flowers stay, and the fruit notes appear in a juxtaposition of tartness and sweetness, just like ripe berries layered in whipped cream and vanilla custard. Elderflower Cordial is definitely more sweet than sparkling, with a further dry down that recalls almond milk. I like it a lot, for its fresh-yet-cozy feeling, even through it's not quite what's being advertised.
One last reason I couldn't resist picking up a bottle (or two) from this collection during my first post-vaccination shopping spree? The packaging: small bottles with retro lettering that are modeled after vintage milk-glass marmalade jars (I found an example for comparison here) but also remind me of toiletries that might have been available from brands like Yardley in the 1960s. We can all use a little nostalgia nowadays (or anytime), as well as a feeling of a fresh start, and I found both moods in these two perfumes. I guess I really needed a day out!
The Jo Malone Marmalade Collection fragrances, including Tangy Rhubarb and Elderflower Cordial, are available in 30 ml Cologne, $74 each.
Thus summer collection has me giddy with excitement. Can’t wait to try it. Love Christine Nagel…she makes some good scents. Rhubarb is a love of mine…so sampling this one is a no brainer for me!
Super excited for these new releases.
I hope you’ll get a chance to try them soon! I usually enjoy one or two things from the summer collections.
I hadn’t bought a full size fragrance in over a year and I treated myself to a three of these. I got Tangy Rhubarb, Elderflower Cordial, and Orange Peel. They are unique and natural smelling and I am enjoying them. I also like Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate and the price of the JM one is much more tolerable. I like the vintage look to them. I got them all for 15% off at Sephora and Nordstrom. They are still on sale for 15% off right now at Nordstrom and Macy’s.
Any insights on the orange peel? That one and the rhubarb interest me.
I wore Orange Peel yesterday. It smells like straight-up orange for 2 hours with my 8 sprays. It has similarities to Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine but with less complexity and no development except for its denouement.
Oh thanks! Sounds a little less interesting than I was hoping for. Lemming squashed!
Usually I’m an enabler. I may have to start a disenabler crown ?.
Ah, that’s a good sales tip! Thank you, Tea Thyme!
The packaging here is too similar to Comme de Garcons Rhubarb, even the lettering screams rip-off. That said, I want it! Thanks to Tea Thyme for the sales tip.
https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Comme-des-Garcons/Comme-des-Garcons-Series-5-Sherbet-Rhubarb-4375.html
Oh no, a Fragrantica link!? 😉
I did love that old CdG line. I don’t remember the Rhubarb very well…but I think this scent feels livelier that that one did.
Yay! The bottles are beautiful and feel great while spraying. I got Rhubarb, Orange Peel and Elderflower. I’ve tried the first 2, with preference to Rhubarb. I will wear Elderflower tomorrow. I also got mine at Sephora albeit online – there were no testers available near me.
I was surprised to see the testers! There were no blotters, though — an SA brought them out and did the spritzing for me, which was fine. I also noticed that not too many bottles were left on the shelves, so I’m guessing this LE collection will go quickly, as they often do.
These bottles are similar to the CdG sherbet series, but I love the reminder of Yardley from the 60s/70s. In about ’72, I saved all my money and bought the Yardley Glimmerick eyeshadow palette from that I dearly loved. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389983648959141689/
I love that and I’d be tempted to buy it even now! Yardley’s visuals were so fun, so mod, so Swinging London. There’s a Slicker Dolly lip color commercial on the internet that just makes me so happy when I view it.
Yes, I loved the mod swinging London thing. I was from such a small town and it was so big city appealing. Off to look at the Slicker Dolly commercial!
I love those Art Deco St Germain bottles. Art Deco needs to make a comeback!!
I could not agree more!! Maybe the timing is right…since the style originated in the wake of a pandemic, etc. a century ago!
Thank you Jessica, you make these two fragrances very tempting, being in the UK I usually wait for JM bottles to show on ebay.uk where they can be had for very reasonable prices except for long discontinued scents.
You’re welcome! Keep an eye (and a nose) out for them!
Jessica, how is the lasting power for these? I think Blackberry&Bay is lovely but it lasts maybe ten minutes on me.
It’s not major staying power, since they’re still “colognes” and it’s still Jo Malone, lol…but they last longer on me than B&B or Wood Sage & Sea Salt or Nectarine Blossom & Honey! The Elderflower lasts a bit longer than the Rhubarb. The Rhubarb also lasts longer on me than Hermès’s Rhubarb or Rose Amazone.
I have a decant of the Jo x Zara rhubarb cologne, I wonder how similar they are? I like the one I have, should try this one, too!
I haven’t tried that one yet! or anything from that line! I can’t remember the last time I was inside a Zara, and I find their website really hard to use, unfortunately…
You’re killing me here. I was already lemming the rhubarb from The Candy Perfume Boy review. But I just complained to my husband about his spending of late….
Did he like it? I haven’t read his review. I’ve definitely spent too much on perfume lately…after not buying much for a while!
He did. Liked it a great deal.