Enter the world of Jo Malone and you'll discover a wealth of unique and innovative fragrance and beauty collections.

For over 20 years, Jo Malone has been revolutionising the fragrance industry. The Jo Malone story began when she designed a unique facial treatment for a group of clients incorporating a massage technique using the most natural resource of all - her hands. Her clients appreciated her personal touch and the hand mixed products, tailored specifically for their individual skin. Word of mouth about this extraordinary woman and her personal technique spread quickly and before long there were over 2000 clients vying for the facial appointments and skincare secrets.

Malone began to introduce ingredients into her fragrances that had never been used before such as cacao mixed with blue agava and even basil, which she blended with mandarin. She challenged people's concept of fragrance, believing there was beauty in a variety of scents, not just the common ones.

Then Malone did something even more risqué. She said it was okay to wear more than one fragrance at a time, giving birth to the concept of fragrance combining which she later trade marked. Sometimes she would spray one fragrance on her front and another on her back. Who could be less forgettable than the person who came smelling one way and left smelling another? She also layered fragrances, one on top of the other, such as her Honeysuckle and Jasmine layered with her Lime Basil and Mandarin or Red Roses Cologne with Amber and Lavender.

The Red Roses Cologne is a stunning classic floral consisting of seven different rose oils from around the world. Jo Also started combing the Red Roses cologne with Orange Blossom Cologne to create a really romantic fragrance. This combination is perfect for the bride.

Malone's real strength was her ability to encourage people to smell as unique as they felt; and to match their fragrance to specific occasions. She can be likened to a conductor of the fragrance orchestra, with the fragrance wearer being the muscician playing the fragrance melody. This was something Malone felt very strongly about.

Malone has now stepped down from the company but has left behind a legacy, which will allow the company to flourish and grow.

Debbie Wild, who worked under Malone for some time, has taken the helm and says the transition has been trouble-free. Debbie spent many years at Estée Lauder where she honed her business and training skills. She now guides all aspects of Jo Malone from fragrance selection through to the business side.

I caught up with Wild between trips and quizzed her about the florals in fragrances. I wanted to know all about them - why they are so important and why they have formed the base of so many fragrances throughout history.

According to Wild, perfumers use floral notes to provide the heart of a fragrance. They appear after the more volatile top notes fade and provide the second long lasting phase of a perfume's fragrance journey. Jo Malone fragrances combine both classical and modern floral notes, which are blended together to create her signature fragrances. Some of Jo Malone's favourite floral notes include Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Linden Blossom, French lavender, Jasmine, Lilac, Hyacinth, Honeysuckle, Tuberose, Iris Gardenia, Clementine Flower and Lily of the Valley. When Malone decided to mix her Blue Agava and Cacao it was a fragrant way of interpreting the movement and music of Flamengo, Tango and Salsa; an olfactory experience with an instinctual pace and tempo that dances on the skin while taking your senses through an irresistible journey.
The power of smell cannot be underestimated.

Psychologists often use aromas to retrieve forgotten memories, especially floral aromas, because the sense of smell is one of our strongest triggers says Wild. Many of us can remember, as children, making scented water using crushed rose petals from the garden.

According to research that Wild has sourced, aromas such as lavender, violet and rose can alleviate nervousness while Jasmine, a powerful honey like floral, can help lift depression.

Some fragrances too beautiful to forget:

French Lime Blossom Cologne by Jo Malone
Stella Sheer Eau de Toilette by Stella McCartney
Hypnose Sheer Fragrance by Lancôme
Miss Dior Cherie eau de toilette by Dior
Vera Wang Truly Pink eau de parfum by Vera Wang
Opium Eau d'Orient Limited edition by YSL
Kylie Minogue Darling eau de toilette by Kylie Minogue
Euphoria Blossom eau de toilette by Calvin Klein

Bella Beauty Magazine #7