Jo Malone London Redefines Gourmand With the New Veggie Collection

Veggies for summer? Groundbreaking. In this month’s edition of Beauty Insiders, find everything you need to know about Jo Malone London’s all-new fragrance collection.

When one thinks of gourmand scents, a few images likely come to mind—think smooth, creamy caramel drops, frosted vanilla cupcakes, and fruit gummies galore! “Gourmand” has become synonymous with a sugar high, steeped in honey and wrapped in candy floss. It’s a scent class that is decidedly feminine, and unapologetically so. It’s addictive by design, and formulated to turn heads. Yet, too much of a good thing, and these scents grow cloying as the day goes on. It’s certainly not a scent for all sensibilities; that’s for sure. 

That’s where sweet gourmand’s cooler, more mature cousin comes in—the savoury gourmand. Rather than pulling from the bakery aisle’s greatest hits, she turns your expectations of gourmand on its head. She’s the star of Jo Malone London’s latest Veggies collection, leaning into the earthy sweetness of the veggie garden to create a dazzling concoction that is comforting, colourful and perfectly ripe for the picking. 

Ahead, we speak with Celine Roux, Jo Malone London’s Head of Fragrance, to learn more about the latest collection:

Veggies are an unusual choice for fragrance—could you walk us through the inspiration for this scent collection? 

CR: A few years ago I thought, “Enough of the fruits; let’s have fun with vegetables!” I wanted something quite raw, coming straight from the soil. In this collection, I wanted to have richness, earthiness and authenticity, and this happened at the beginning of the lockdown when everyone around me in the city started to have this obsession about vegetable patches, and it reinforced my conviction that vegetables were the right way to go. 

It was non-negotiable to balance the ingredients with sophistication, which is part of the DNA of the brand. And that was part of the development and finding the right balance of the vegetable idea with elegant notes with a lot of natural elements. To ensure a nod to the soil, we played with patchouli—it gives an earthiness but without taking away the freshness. We pushed the boundaries, played with nuance and built in that vital element of the unexpected. 

Scarlet Beetroot is vibrant, opening with a bright, juicy burst of blackcurrant that then settles into a soft, earthy sweetness from the beetroot. Carrot Blossom is a fresh floral scent with a touch of fennel that brings a luminosity without being overpowering. Orange flower lends it a dewy brightness, while white musk keeps it airy and contemporary. Velvety Butternut is very creamy, warm, comforting, and a touch nutty. A spark of ginger at the top gives it a little lift before sinking into the tonka bean and patchouli to ground it. It took a long time to finalise because it was very hard to get the right level of warmth, sophistication and woodiness. But it was definitely worth it.

What feelings and sensations are you trying to evoke or subvert with the collection?

CR: For this collection, I took Mathilde Bijou, the perfumer of Scarlet Beetroot and Velvety Butternut, to Sissinghurst, and we just wanted to smell everything and be inspired by the smells of the gardens as well as the different soils. Fragrances are so often born from a lab, but with us they’re born from the outside. It’s so British, so authentic, so unexpected—it cannot be more Jo Malone London. 

I just love that people, even in the middle of cities like London, can grow their own beetroots and herbs—the fact that everyone wants to have a grasp on nature from wherever they are. That’s what this collection captures: the everyday, but elevated; the familiar, but seen through a more refined yet playful lens. They invite you in, and as a global brand, I will always think of the scents and how they must resonate everywhere.  

What comes to mind when you think of the British countryside? 

CR: The British countryside is quite magical. Over each season, nature offers us something different, and I love this. Each spring I wait for the wild bluebells, peonies in bucolic gardens and now, as we approach summer, we are expecting all the vegetables to grow. 

England is a playground for me, with unlimited new things, stories, and ingredients to explore, and sometimes you can create newness by going back to places that have inspired us in the past.  

What are your personal favourites within the collection?

CR: It would be Scarlet Beetroot and Green Tomato Vine. Scarlet Beetroot is unexpectedly joyful. The bright, juicy blackcurrant and soft, earthy beetroot somehow feel both vivid and wearable; energetic and almost effervescent. 

With Green Tomato Vine, it has that unmistakable green snap of tomato leaves, the crispness of the vine, the earthy freshness of the garden after rain. It’s like throwing open the kitchen windows on the first warm morning of the year. Housed in a glossy green vessel, the candle in particular is as decorative as it is fragrant;  the kind of thing you will happily leave out and reuse. 

How do you hope the Veggies collection will fit into every fragrance ritual?

CR: I think this collection naturally leans more conventionally unisex and androgynous in its appeal. Vegetables bring a different kind of freshness, something more grounded, less overtly sweet and more textural. At Jo Malone London, we’ve always created fragrances without boundaries, and this collection continues that philosophy. 

Are there any layering combinations you would recommend for this new collection?

CR: Layering is at the heart of Jo Malone London, and this collection is very playful in that way. Personally, I love Scarlet Beetroot with Pomegranate Noir Cologne; it becomes more sensual, quite sexy for the evening. Carrot Blossom with English Oak & Hazelnut Cologne brings a beautiful, elegant woodiness. And Velvety Butternut with Poppy & Barley Cologne is incredibly comforting, a soft, cocooning, almost addictive. It really allows you to create your own mood. 

The new collection comes with a limited-edition look—could you take us through the inspiration behind the new bottles?

CR: When the fragrances are developed, our creative team always has fun with the packaging when it’s limited edition. The packaging reflects the spirit of the fragrances—playful and colourful. It’s actually a bottle we’ve never used before and fits the story. 

The colours echo the ingredients: the vivid red of beetroot, the soft orange of carrot, the creamy tone of butternut. It’s almost like seeing the vegetables themselves, but translated into a refined, modern Jo Malone London object. For the Green Tomato Vine candle, we have housed it in a glossy green vessel, so it’s particularly decorative as it is fragrant, the kind of thing you will happily leave out and reuse. 

Gourmand has been a steady favourite in the fragrance community as of recent. How do you see fragrance trends evolving over the next year?

CR: I think it is becoming less about “status” and more about how it makes you feel when you wear it. And also, a sense of naturality in fragrances. A return to nature. At Jo Malone London, we call our fragrances by their ingredients, so nature has always been a source of inspiration, and the Veggies collection is exactly that. It is like walking barefoot on grass, this feeling of being more connected to earth. 

The Veggies collection will be available in-store from 19 June 2026.

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