Jovoy Parfums Ha Long Bay

On paper, the latest perfume from the Parisian house of Jovoy might seem like a little bit of a sidestep, a bit of a fruit forward novelty or at least, something of a new direction for the brand. But, inspired as it is by a Vietnamese sand mango – one locally referred to as Xoài Cát – it dives deep to explore both the full 360 degrees of the revered genus of the fruit whilst also pondering the scent memories of the brand’s founder, Francois Henin, who spent his early career distilling leaves, barks and spices all around Vietnam.

Francois Henin in Vietnam in the 90s courtesy of Instagram

By its very nature, the smell of a mango is vivid and juicy and a little over-ripe. There are dark, grainy, sulphuric facets that are just as important to its characteristic aroma as much as the sweet parts are. It’s when they’re balanced and presented in tandem that they offer the true tenacity and DNA of the fruit. Which is (for me at least) precisely why this mango proves to be a very interesting muse for a house like Jovoy – one renowned more for heavy, bold, uncompromising compositions – to explore.

Jovoy Paris founder Francois Henin with perfumer Véronique Nyberg at the Jovoy Parfums Ha Long Bay launch party in Cannes, September 2025 via Instagram.

Working with perfumer Véronique Nyberg and MANE’s patented Jungle Essence technology, the true essence of the taste and aroma of the Xoài Cát was extracted and extrapolated, providing the starting point for the fragrance. So, naturally, Jovoy Parfums Ha Long Bay opens with a hyper realistic, salivating impression of this treasured mango which is full of sticky, ice cool, sorbet nuances. But the perfume’s evolution turns more toward a plump, butter leather, which sits confidently next to a creamy cedarwood and the hint of patchouli used in the heart.

Jovoy Parfums Ha Long Bay was named for the emerald waters and thousands of rainforests that topped towering limestone islands of Ha Long Bay in northeast Vietnam via Unsplash

Here, where these two aromatic axes meet, when the gratifying intensity of the fruit starts to settle and the dry, enriched leather blossoms, is the best part of Ha Long Bay. The resulting contrast compliments both parties, driving a smoothness underneath the coarser edges of the mango whilst also offering a bed for those more mineral elements to wrap themselves up in. It all coalesces into something you just know was worked and worked on, repeatedly tweaked and fine-tuned for exact effect.

Henin tells me that his team and Nyberg have been working on this project for three years and there’s certainly a precision of balance evident in the transition and intermeshing of the fruit aspects to the leather that reflects that time scale. Ha Long Bay retains the same ferocity and depth that Jovoy’s perfumes are famous for, they’ve simply applied the same science and rigour to a fruit forward composition that intentionally starts bright and juicy and ends up sultry and classy.

Jovoy Parfum Ha Long Bay is launched in the handsome new style, 75ml flacons from Jovoy Parfums shot by Oli.

Notes: Vietnamese mango, cardamom, black pepper, leather, cypriol, cedarwood, orcanox, amberwood, patchouli

Disclaimer: samples of Ha Long Bay were provided by Jovoy Mayfair.

–Oli Marlow, Senior Contributor

All images used courtesy of the brand unless otherwise noted.
Intrigued? Check out Ha Long Bay at the Jovoy Paris webstore

Follow us on Instagram: @cafleurebonofficial @olimarlowsmells @younoseit @jovoyparfums @francoisheninjovoy @veroniquenyberg_official

This is our Privacy Policy

Like our Facebook page: Çafleurebon and use our blog feed for new updates and articles.