Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka is my most complimented scent

Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka — (Image credit: Lucy Abbersteen)

Fragrance enthusiasts usually have at least one of the best Jo Malone London perfumes in their collection, and I’m no exception. More specifically, several of those that I’m most drawn to come from the Cologne Intense range.

These scents tend to be deeper and richer with more luxurious ingredients. Velvet Rose and Oud is one is of my favourite scented candles and a lovely woody floral. A gift of anything Dark Amber and Ginger Lily always goes down a treat in my mum’s house. But the fragrance that I always go back to is Myrrh & Tonka—which is actually one of my most complimented perfumes of all time.

Jo Malone London Myrrh and Tonka Cologne Intense

“Most of the scents we create find inspiration in British landscapes, traditions and ingredients, but with Cologne Intense, we allow ourselves to find inspiration from further afield,” Céline Roux, the brand’s Global Head of Fragrance, said in a press release on the collection earlier this year. “Cologne Intense fragrances offer warmth, depth and volume, but still retain the clarity and naturality that Jo Malone London is known for.”

The bottles had a redesign at the start of 2023 (you’ll notice that my Myrrh & Tonka Cologne bottle features the old black-and-silver design), but they are still strikingly different to the core collection in deep jewel tones.

Myrrh and Tonka was actually the first fragrance from the Cologne Intense range that I tried and, while some fragrances grow on me with time, I was hooked on it pretty instantly. The myrrh gives it that warming, ambery feel underpinned by the subtle gourmand quality of tonka bean—a little sweet but not as much as, say, vanilla perfumes.

Handheld bottle of Jo Malone London Myrrh and Tonka Cologne Intense

I also find that it’s one of the best long-lasting perfumes, plus its projection and sillage are excellent—so if you like your scents to waft around you as you go about your day or evening it’ll definitely be your thing, too. I've worn it on many an evening out and any time I do, it gets the attention of others.

Seriously, the number of compliments I've received on this perfume is very impressive—and it will forever be in my rotation as a result.

Lucy is a freelance beauty editor and contributor at Marie Claire, and has also written for titles including Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, Glamour and woman&home. She was previously Marie Claire’s junior beauty editor. During her career, she’s covered everything from backstage beauty at fashion week to interviews with famous faces like Drag Race royalty and Little Mix. As for her beauty ethos, she’s a big advocate for not having to spend a fortune on beauty products to get good results. When she’s not got beauty on the brain you’ll probably find her reading or Netflix-ing.