Sarah Brightman©

“We wanted to create a contrast between roses, fresh with morning dew in an English garden, and the heat of the Arabian desert.”  – Céline Roux, Head of Fragrance Development for Jo Malone

Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Cologne Absolu

East meets west in the new Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Cologne Absolu (which is the first Absolu for the House). Over the years Jo Malone has offered many beautiful rose perfumes, Red Roses, Velvet Rose & Oud and Rose Water & Vanilla, to name but a few. With Rose & White Musk, Céline Roux, Head of Fragrance Development for Jo Malone, and master perfumer Anne Flipo bring us a perfume that not only contrasts freshness and heat but also creates a rosy fusion of Middle Eastern and Occidental styles.

persiankitchon.com©

My first taste of Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Cologne Absolu carries the cool, wet sweetness of an English rose garden and the rich warmth and exoticism of the Middle East.  In fact, my impressions of Rose & White Musk are an instantaneous and a vivid reminder of my absolutely favorite confection on the face of the earth – Bastani-e gol-o bolbol – Persian Rose and Saffron Ice Cream.  The recipe for this traditional treat may well go back some 2000 years.  The name, "Bastani-e gol-o bolbol" refers to the motifs of the rose (gol) and the nightingale (bolbol), so important in Persian literature, art and mystical poetry.  Perhaps it seems a bit incongruous to compare a rose perfume to a frozen dessert, but then again, maybe not!

Damask Rose from Gail's Garden

Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Cologne Absolu opens with a very delicate hint of rosewater, suggesting the natural blush of velvety petals – airy, fragile and mildly spiced and the cool, smooth, green texture of wet rosebuds. The dewy freshness unfolds after about 10m minutes as the buds open into a creamy humid roseate aura grounded in what I can only describe as a sensation of mellow fruit mingling with the scent of discrete, flowery oud, rose leaves and the luscious Bastani-e gol-o bolbol.  Even though the perfume notes do not include saffron, I detect a nuance of the dusty, slightly bitter qualities of the spice.  It is interesting to note here that  Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Cologne AbsoluRose & White Musk Cologne Absolu was created with three different extractions of rose – rose water, rose essence and rose absolute. Anne Flipos's innovative approach eliminates the tops notes, intensifying the heart of the fragrance.

Dried Rosebuds by Gail©

At about 45 minutes, incense begins to color the roses with a darker hue, resulting in a scent reminiscent of the dried rosebuds I use from time to time in cooking. It is here that Rose & Musk Cologne Absolu completes its transformation from the translucent, dewy, domesticated English garden rose to that ancient and revered Damask, the "Rose d'Isfahan", growing wild in the dry hills of Iran.  After about five hours this richly indulgent bouquet of roses and incense gradually fades into a comforting and sensual base of soft, glowing amber veiled in white, powdery musk.

Gail's Rose and Nightingale laquer box (detail)© "Bastani-e gol-o bolbol"

"East is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet  …" – Rudyard Kipling from The Ballad of East and West.

Times have changed a lot since 1889 when Rudyard Kipling first penned his oft quoted poem. Instantaneous global communication and fast travel have integrated what was once considered the exotic into the fabric of everyday life.  Shared music, clothing, perfumes and foods from around the world bring us together as one human family. Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Cologne Absolu is a fragrance that crosses cultural divides and spans both distance and time, offering the very essence of what it means to be a rose.

Notes:  Three different extractions of rose – Damask rose water, essence and absolute – as well as oud, amber and white musk.

Disclaimer:  I would like to thank Jo Malone for my sample of  Jo Malone Rose & White Musk Absolu.  My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Art Direction – Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Editor's Note:Available exclusively at Bergorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus as well as Jo Malone London.com 100 ml/$290 June 2018