This Unexpected Perfume Just Became My Signature 2025 Scent

It can be tricky to accurately communicate exactly what a perfume smells like without actually sniffing it. But, I’ve had good practise. As a beauty editor with a not-so-secret fragrance obsession, I’ve been writing about the scents that set off the happy receptors in my brain for years. There’s everything from sultry extraits that require one spritz and one spritz only to delicate, fresh fragrances I keep on hand as soon as we relinquish our winter jackets.

Now, I want to introduce you to a fragrance that I’d somehow not crossed paths with before: Jo Malone’s Cypress & Grapevine Cologne. It caught me by surprise and left a lasting impression. This traditionally ‘masculine’ scent (whatever that really means!) could be just the thing to imbue my new year with direction and freshness. Allow me to introduce you, too.

Why You Should Consider A Cologne:

Gone are the days of colognes being for men and perfumes and eau de toilettes being for women. Cologne simply refers to the oil concentration of a fragrance. So, if an extrait has around 40% concentration, a perfume has 20% to 25% and a toilette around 10% – a cologne has between 2% and 5%. The low concentration of oils feels surprising, especially considering most colognes have a bold, strong scent when sprayed. This is usually down to the types of scents chosen for colognes. Traditionally colognes were marketed towards men and contained notes of wood, smoke, leather, herbs and citrus more frequently than conventionally feminine notes of fruits, rose and gourmand notes like vanilla, caramel or chocolate. This can make colognes feel stronger than their perfume counterparts even though the oil concentration is lower.

What Does Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense Smell Like?

So, where does Cypress & Grapevine sit on that scale? It’s a big scent but it doesn’t sit close to you. Ever sprayed a scent rich in vanilla or rose and felt the way that it immediately clung to your hair, clothes or the inside of your nose? This isn’t that. The immediate hit is of a clean, soapy wood that projects outwards, the way clean hair does after a hot shower. It emanates rather than adheres. If you’ve ever been in an old-fashioned barbershop and inhaled the warm lather of shaving foam, the dark, worn wood of the chairs and the overall sense of bone-deep cleanliness, then you’ll like this cologne. A lot. Many colognes are aquatic meaning they champion watery, marine, ozonic and solar notes. This is the antithesis. It’s warm, thanks to an amber base note but also intensely earthy. Cypress (in the name but also a top note), is a dry, warm wood with a distinctive aromatic quality. Paired with heart notes of cedarwood, vetiver and grapevine, the fragrance dries down to something dry, woody and fresh.

What Should You Layer With Jo Malone Cypress And Grapevine?

Scent layering is an easy way to dodge fragrance fatigue. For Cypress & Grapevine, try it with Jo Malone English Oak & Hazelnut English Oak & Hazelnut.

Shop Jo Malone English Oak & Hazelnut English Oak & Hazelnut:

This fragrance has been described as the ‘serene outdoors’ – a green, woody, nutty cologne that lends itself to thoughts of brisk winter mornings and the heavenly rustle of nature. Both English Oak & Hazelnut and Cypress & Grapevine contain cedarwood heart notes.

Shop Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine:

Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense:

Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense (small)

Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine Body & Hand Wash