Jo Malone created these perfumes for Zara, and they smell *seriously* expensive

Ask anyone who knows anything about fragrance and they'll agree that Jo Malone CBE is one of the greatest perfumers in history. She created some of the most iconic and defining perfumes of our time while heading up her namesake brand, Jo Malone London, and has since gone on to create equally as beautiful scents at Jo Loves (the brand Malone created after leaving Estée Lauder-owned Jo Malone London). 

Malone's fragrances are luxe in both scent and price tag. But I'm about to let you in on a little secret—Jo Malone CBE is behind one particularly special line of fragrances at Zara. Yep, she has lent her nose and several decades of fragrance clout to high-street fashion giant Zara to create the Zara Emotions Collection and Zara Olfactive Collection.

And if you're asking me, not enough people know about this collection. As a beauty editor with a special love for fragrance, trust me when I say the Jo Malone CBE X Zara perfumes are some of the best around. And no, I don't just mean the best on the high street, I mean the best perfume, full stop. In fact, the Zara Fleur D'Oranger perfume in particular is one of my most complimented fresh perfumes ever. 

And the best bit? To banish any preconceptions you may have of sickly cheap perfume, each fragrance in the Zara Emotions Collection has got Malone's recognisable signature wafting through it. Each one smells wonderfully expensive. Oh, and a 90ml bottle will only set you back £25.99. 

I know.

And it's not just me that thinks these perfumes deserve extra love. In fact, the entire team at Marie Claire UK are equally as in love with them as I am. Below are the Jo Malone CBE Zara perfumes we can't get enough of.

This is one of my favourite perfumes of all time. And considering I own nearly 100 perfumes (most of which have eye-watering price tags), is quite something. It's citrusy and orange-led, sure, but it's also warm and sun-like without any of the typical sickly sweetness that goes hand in hand with citrus scents. It's sunny, inviting and beautifully fresh.

When I spoke to Malone back in 2020, she told me that this fragrance holds a special place in her heart. It's rich and woody but has a depth that doesn't swirl around your head for hours. It's light enough to be totally wearable for daily spritzes but rich enough to smell wonderfully expensive.

Amalfi Sunray has everything that Fleur D'Oranger has, just with added warmth and stickiness. It's like sitting out on a balcony while vacationing in Positano—you've got a Spritz in one hand and your skin is shimmering with sun cream and sunshine. Capture that moment, take a deep breath in and your nose will land at Amalfi Sunray.

Malone's personal favourite? Bohemian Bluebells. "I have never made a scent quite like this," she says of her lavender, sandalwood and musk creation. In fact, she claims it to be "unlike anything you’ve ever smelt before." To me, it smells like the sort of picnic you dream of in early spring—like fresh bluebell and lavender fields.

If you like fresh, clean scents then this one will be for you. With vetiver, it's earthy and skin-like, while grapefruit and mandarin give it a zesty burst of freshness you just can't beat. Malone refers to it as though it's a "crisp white cotton shirt layered with citrus cologne—an everyday accessory for me". And she's hit the nail on the head.

For the Olfactive collection, Malone captured the beauty and vibrancy of various cities around the world. Fabulously London is light, fresh and undeniably rosy. But forget those powdered sorts of rose perfumes that make you turn your nose up—this is energetic and beautifully wearable.

I'm not sure there's anyone out there who would dislike this scent, particularly if you're fan of deep, Middle-Eastern fragrances. What's so beautiful about Magnificently Dubai, though, is that it has that spicy, woody depth we all know and love but without any of the lingering headiness that can put so many people off. It's magic.