Jo Malone – Wood Sage & Sea Salt – Saline clean. 7/10.
Wood Sage & Sea Salt is one of my favourites from Jo Malone. Save for a few from their “Cologne Intense” range in the black bottles, it’s a house I’ve struggled to gel with.
Wood Sage & Sea Salt evokes the scent of windswept coastlines and salty sea spray. However, these coastline waters are remarkably clear, pristine, and untouched. The overall effect is clean, with nothing gunky or seaweedy in sight. A seaweed note is listed, but I don’t detect anything dirty within the composition. Indeed, if I were to swim in these seas, I wouldn’t be worried about pollution or grime. Instead, the showcased sea salt note is more akin to stepping out of the transparent blue waters of a secluded inlet with the lingering scent of those salt waters on the skin and in the air.
There’s an almost crystalline, mineral-like facet to Wood Sage & Sea Salt, not unlike the sight of the waves of the ocean glistening from the rays of the early morning sun poking through the clouds—the heralding of a new day. Christine Nagel uses the tang of grapefruit to usher in the wave of oceanic glimmer in Wood Sage & Sea Salt. Perhaps she sprinkles her breakfast grapefruit with salt instead of sugar. The shimmer of citric freshness from grapefruit at the outset soon gives way to a clean skin accord. Nagel achieves this effect through the use of musky ambrette seed.
Before long (maybe 5-10 minutes), the sage and sea salt come to the fore, joining the omnipresent ambrette musks to dominate the composition for the remaining 3-4 hours of longevity. Interestingly, the herbal component of clary sage specifically made me think of Hermes H24. That one is more metallic and glassy, but it’s fascinating I thought of that, as both perfumes are by Nagel. Of course, it is most likely because they share clary sage as part of their note structure. But it can’t be denied both H24 and this Jo Malone have somewhat of a sharp gilt-edged sheen punctuating their developments.
Unlike some other warm weather-specific scents, don’t expect Wood Sage & Sea Salt to whisk you away to tropical shores. Certainly, I don’t think of mojitos or palm trees when I’m wearing this one. Rather, it’s more rocky outcrops and driftwood-covered beaches. However, despite conjuring up such rugged images, Wood Sage & Sea Salt remains a linear, non-demanding scent. To be sure, one that is extremely safe, gentle, and unlikely to offend. Those in the market for more challenging marine fragrances may opt for Hermes Epice Marine or Heeley Sel Marin. Wood Sage & Sea Salt is more akin to Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue for Women, and like that scent, a perfect companion piece for casual situations or, indeed, trips to the Sunshine Coast.
Speaking of which, here are a few more photos from the Sunshine Coast.
