Pomegranate Noir is the latest fragrance release from Jo Malone, the British perfumer who started out mixing fragrance oils in her kitchen and now heads the Jo Malone division under the ownership of Estee Lauder. It has notes of pomegranate, pink pepper, raspberry, plum, opopanax, frankincense, patchouli, musk, and spicy woods.
Pomegranate Noir starts with very dry, very peppery fruit. The pomegranate adds a nicely tart undertone, but for the most part it remains just that: an undertone, and the pepper likewise subsides as it settles into a lightly smoky blend of incense, earthy notes and woods. It has a nice but indistinct spicy buzz, and while the patchouli contributes to the Noir of the title, it is a very light, dry, earthy patchouli.
Like the other fragrances in the Jo Malone line, it is of cologne strength. Although it is relatively sheer and soft — it is not the deep, rich oriental you might expect from the name and the notes — the lasting power is excellent. If Black Vetyver Café could only be made to last this long, I would buy it by the vat.
Pomegranate Noir is very nicely done, in fact I would say it is one of the nicer releases from this line, but I have worn it several times since it was released and have not felt moved to buy. It does, as advertised, layer beautifully with Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia, a fragrance I called "lightly sweet" back in April but has since struck me as sweeter than that, and possibly sweeter than I like. A spritz of Pomegranate Noir tones down the sweetness and emphasizes Vintage Gardenia's very light incense note, while lending a floral brightness to the otherwise dusky Pomegranate Noir.
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir is available in 30 and 100 ml bottles, and in matching body products and home fragrance. For buying information, see the listing for Jo Malone under Perfume Houses.
My precioussss…I love Pom Noir, a lot. It does last a long time for a Malone scent, doesn't it.
I really like PN, but on my skin it comes off as being very similar to CdG's Harissa. Thought it was interesting that she said in that article in the Independent yesterday that she was inspired to create PN after seeing someone in a red dress at a party. To me Harissa is *the* most vibrant red of the CdG red series. Am definitely going to have to try layering PN w/ the Vintage Gardenia.
Hi Robin! Hope you are well. It is rather nice but I do not love it and therefore not FBW. I agree that it is one of the nicer ones from JM.
M, I knew you liked it but didn't know you were *that* adoring! I still like Black Vetyver Cafe better, but it lasts minutes on me.
I have a sample of the Harissa but haven't tried it yet…now I'm intrigued.
On the layering: what I'm actually liking best is 2 sprays of PN, 1 spray of VG. The VG is a much stronger scent (to my nose, anyway) and if you do one of each, the VG wins.
Hello N! Always happy to find another non-FBW
On my skin I never get past the peppery part… I have the same problem with the JM Orange Blossom! The only JM I really love is the French Lime Blossom, probably because I don't have anything else in the ol' fragrance wardrobe that smells remotely like it.
M, very different on me…the pepper really dies down after 15 or 20 minutes. Have you tried the Black Vetyver Cafe?
R, I don´t know many JM fragrances because the newer ones aren´t available here.
The ones I tested (Lime, Basil & Mandarine, Nutmeg & Ginger, Amber Lavender, Grapefruit, Vetiver, 154) didn´t impress me very much, I was rather disappointed. I found them to be rather simply composed & a bit harsh/strong smelling.
The only one I like is Nectarine Blossom & Honey, but I don´t know if it´s special enough to me to purchase it.
Anyway, layering VG with PN sounds interesting. Usually gardenia or tuberose scents get very strong/sweet on me, so having something to turn down the sweetness is a good option.
I like French Lime Blossom, too. Much as I love perfume, lots of it has a same old, same old feel. FLB doesn't. I love the idea of JM because there's something clean about the line that appeals, but I can't find many individuals ones to love. Like Robin, I do love Black Vetyver Cafe, and I find that it improves some of the others with layering.
R, I did not like this one very much. It smelled very astringent on me. Good thing, too: I saved my money.
I have not taken time to seek out Black Vetyver Cafe, so the only JM that I have ever loved was French Lime Blossom. I wore a lot of it several years ago and think it is a lovely, lovely fragrance for summer.
What does Nectarine Blossom and Honey smell like. It certainly sounds intriguing.
Hugs!
S, The line does tend towards a simple but rather brash style — I tend to think of it as a British style, but that might not really be accurate. I do not care for any of the ones you named either. Sounds like I need to try Nectarine Blossom, but I don't think it comes to the US until the spring.
J, do tell me what you layer Black Vetyver Cafe with? One of these days I may cave & buy a small bottle.
Nectarine Blossom & Honey is somewhat sweet & a bit soapy. I must admit that I haven´t had an idea how nectarine blossoms would smell, but what I get is a peach/mango smell, not too sweet nor too soar, the honey gives warmth to the fragrance.
I´d call it a comfort-scent, nothing stunning, but not too plain either.
Sorry, I cannot describe it better!
R, The BVC doesn't last, or at least, the part that I like doesn't last. I haven't smelled the Nectarine yet, and think it is not due here until Spring. There is now a description in the comments above though!
Oops, meant in the comments below.
R, we won´t get it before next spring, too. I was lucky to get a sample from a friend, that´s why I already know it.
I think you may like NB & H, it reminds me a bit of PdN Eau Exotique though they don´t smell similar. (I´d prefer PdN, but I generally go for French perfume houses…)
S, that is a perfect description…I can sort of smell it in my mind. Last time I was at the Jo Malone counter, the SA had never heard of it.
Ooh, soapy and sweet! I like that.
Thank you for your great description! Now, that's a JM I look forward to testing.
S, will be very surprised if I don't end up with a bottle of Eau Exotique in the spring. Really, really liked it.
We are quite lucky to have a JM boutique in Leeds and I was in there within days of this scent's release. I had read the description and it sounded fantastic.
When I tested it, I decided to push the nozzle and luxuriate in 2 sprays of it knowing that JM's colognes are very minimal in their lasting power. The first minute was great with the pomegranite note smelling beautiful. After that I just didn't like the drydown. Did it fade? Not one bit, it hung around on my hand and I hated it.
Why is it always the ones that we don't like that seem to last an eternity on the skin? This is the 1st JM that I have sniffed that lasted ages.
Vetiver is generally a scent that I love in a bottle and not on my skin — becomes turpentine-ish. Can't imagine it with coffee?! Enlighten me… just spritzed on some Lime Blossom to ward off the sleet outside. Very cheering! PS I bought the Jicky; it's ALL YOUR FAULT
I don't own any of them, but have a good sample supply from a kindly SA at N-M and I have tried it with FLB…good…and I think with Nutmeg & Ginger which I don't know why I would like that one, but I recall that I did. It improved Pomegranate and Orange Blossom, too. Ultimately I thought, why try to fix something that I don;t like enough. There are beauties to be found.
By the way, I like, and own, Omnia. Looking forward to your review.
Oh dear, this one was just awful on me. Like Barry, I spritzed liberally, expecting to luxuriate in a fleeting but lovely scent. Unfortunately, it was an astringent BO smell I was enveloped in, and required immediate and thorough washing to remove. Such a pity. I much prefer BVC.
B, I think of it as the “Angel Law”: the less you like it, the longer it will last.
Does your boutique have the Nectarine Blossom, and if so, what did you think of it?
J, Thanks, will have to try it with orange blossom. I reviewed Omnia on April 11 so you can find it in the archives via the right hand column — just happened to be what I was wearing the day I didn't finish another review.
T, oh no, a scrubber! I didn't get the BO thing, thankfully.
M, vetiver is one of my very favorite notes. If you don't like it, really doubt you will like the BVC! But if you want to try a good “ease into vetiver” scent, try Guerlain Vetiver.
Hope you love the Jicky then!
Yup, tried the Guerlain Vetiver, doesn't work for me, and you know what a devoted Guerlain slave I am… it's okay, one less thing I have to buy!
does anyone get a bit of “Vicks Vapor Rub” with this scent… noce scent but the memory of that scent comes out when i smell PN
Interesting, I don't get anything like that at all. Perhaps it is something about the incense?
On me, this was just wicked bad. Went on lovely, but the drydown was just unbearable. Quickly swapped it away to someone else who has loved it and cared for it. Odd that, I usually get along with most JM scents, even though their lasting power is minimal.
Sounds like you are not alone, several people found PM to be a scrubber!
I tried Pomegranate Noir on a tester card, but not on my skin. It didn't impress me enough to want to try on – and I normally like the tartness of pomegranates.
I own two Jo Malone's which I enjoy: Orange Blossom, and Verbenas de Provence. Lime Blossom would have made it a citrus triumverate for me, but unfortunately it becomes cloyingly sweet on my skin.
Haven't found anything else in her line that I like very much, but am interested to try the Nectarine Blossom when it comes out.
This is the only Jo Malone that I ever felt moved to buy and for 2 reasons – 1 because the lasting power justified the price tag and 2 because I absolutely LOVE it. I bought it last month and it's one of the few I purchased this year and the only one I've purchased in the past 4 months. I am going to get the grapefruit cologne because that really layers with all of the other fragrances beautifully. I'm slowly getting into this line, maybe after grapefruit will come Amber and Lavender but thats where I'll draw the line. But Pom Noir is Fantastic – it's very sparkling too, like a nice pomegranate spritzer.
R, the boutique has the full range of JM products but I have never tried the Nectarine. Can't say that I have actually looked for it though. I'm not too big on scents that are too citrussy so it probably never picqued my interest.
Eau Exotique is on my wish-list for spring, too!
Hate tester cards, but I use them too, and in this case, you aren't going to get any more “tartness of pomegranate” on your skin than you did on the card.
Well, looks like Pomegranate Noir is close to qualifying as a love-it-or-hate-it kind of scent.
4 months and only 1 bottle! I envy your restraint.
Thanks B!
As a corollary to your “Angel Law” I offer the “Borneo Principle:” no matter how weird a fragrance seems, there is always someone (several someones, judging by your posts!) for whom it is absolutely perfect. (Maybe I should have called this the MdeB Principle?!) Which prompts me to ask: in all your sniffing, have you ever fallen in love with a fragrance that you're aware a lot of people find distasteful? And do you think this has more to do with personal tastes, or with skin chemistry, or something else? Thanks.
Well, as you've noted, Miel de Bois would certainly be the prime candidate, since 95% of the people who have tried it hate it, and apparently even the Serge Lutens SAs think it is horrible! I think it is mostly personal taste.
Thanks for the tip – I have VG and plan to buy PN. I'm not as wowed as I was with VG alone. Buying PN and layering will make a difference. I loved my Bloomies spritz of PN – uplifting and fairly long lasting (for just on the wrist).
Hope it works for you
I would like to recommend the PN Bath Oil to everyone! The sillage is incredible and it is softer and more decadent on the skin than the cologne. And, if you're not familiar with the scent, it's a terrific and less costly way to try it out.
Thanks — I'd never tried it!
I wasn’t taken by Pomegranate Noir when it first came out, but in the last month I have caught wafts of it on two different women and it had a completely different smell on each of them (a promising sign I would say). On one there was a woody note,on the other a more musky accent. I am intrigued enough to want to try it again.
Curious why that would be a promising sign?
Pomegranate Noir makes it sound better
but it’s just black pomegranate lol
I got a sample of Pomegranate Noir last weekend at Neiman Marcus when I bought a travel-size bottle of 154. I’m not crazy about PN. The pomegranate note just smells kind of sour and artificial-fruity to me. I get a bit of wood underneath it, but it’s not enough to really help much.
I’ve found that PM pairs very well with oud-y frags (on my skin at least). Tried it first with dregs of Tom Ford’s Oud Wood. When the TF ran out, i started pairing PM with Boss Bottled Oud.