Bath & Body Works recently released the Midnight Pomegranate line of products as an addition to its Signature Collection. This new fragrance, as described by the company, includes top notes of pomegranate, sparkling citrus, dewberry, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg; heart notes of cassis, blackberry, iris, jasmine, raspberry; and base notes of musk, sandalwood, vanilla, tobacco, patchouli.
This list of notes led me to hope that Midnight Pomegranate body products would layer well with Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Cologne, whose pomegranate rests on a spicy base of frankincense and patchouli, or with Calvin Klein Euphoria, which pairs pomegranate with exotic florals, amber and mahogany. The name Midnight Pomegranate itself, I thought, might be an indirect reference to Pomegranate Noir; Bath & Body Works has been, shall we say, inspired by niche perfumes and bath products in the past. I should also add that I normally avoid this company because of the harsh ingredients in its body products (mineral oil in the lotions, alcohol in the body splashes), but I was willing to make an exception for one of my favorite fruit notes.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the scent of the Midnight Pomegranate shower gel and body lotion. I could only smell an unsubtle blend of orange and raspberry, reminiscent of powdered fruit-punch beverage. There were no discernable spices or floral notes, to my nose, and no warmth or depth. The advertising tagline for Midnight Pomegranate reads, “Enticing. Fiery. Seductive.” However, a better triad of adjectives might be “Juicy. Bright. Playful.” There’s nothing particularly wrong with this kind of scent, in itself, as long as it isn’t disguised as something else. Despite their marketing and the dark, dramatic graphics on their labels, this shower gel and lotion would probably combine better with an upbeat fruity fragrance such as J Lo Live or one of the Escada limited editions, rather than the more mysterious Pomegranate Noir. I haven’t tried the Midnight Pomegranate Eau de Toilette; perhaps the scent is more complex in that formulation.
Ancient mythology connected with the pomegranate is as fertile as the fruit itself: the pomegranate plays a key part in the story of Persephone and Demeter, and in the Garden of Eden, according to some interpretations, it may have been the forbidden fruit that brought about the downfall of Adam and Eve. More recent widespread promotion of the pomegranate has stressed its health value as a source of antioxidants, and now it appears as an ingredient in everything from tea blends to facial moisturizer. I myself have occasionally been tempted by pomegranate martinis (although I can’t kid myself that they provided any significant health benefits), but I’m willing to pass up Bath & Body Works’ rendering of this fruit.
Midnight Pomegranate products are available at bathandbodyworks and at Bath & Body Works stores nationwide. The Body Lotion and Shower Gel are $9.50 each, and currently available as part of the Buy 3 Get 1 Free Signature Collection promotion.
I didn't like this one either…It's really simple and not what I was expecting. I wanted a dark, rich, or spicy pomegranate. The only thing I smell is some common fruits. It's “safe” I suppose for some women, and maybe that's what they wanted. If it was done better I'd buy it, and they debuted this at an odd time of year.
The name and the description are misleading, aren't they? I'm glad you agree. I thought at first that I was missing something. Jo Malone and Santa Maria Novella both make much more interesting pomegranate-inspired body products. (More expensive, too, but maybe we do get what we pay for in this case!)
You know, I can never get that excited by the thought of pomegranates in scent – what I like about the fruit is the strange texture more that the taste or smell. (LOL, perhaps we get lousy imported, immature pomegranates here in the UK?) It seems quite a sophisticated idea for B&BW – not that we have that chain here, but I think the Body Shop is much the same? Seems much more appropriate for Jo Malone and the like.
Hi Vanilla! I'm not a B&BW expert, but I've noticed a new sophistication in some of their recent scents, such as Japanese Cherry Blossom (which followed a trend set by Fresh) and Sensual Amber (which received lots of favorable reactions from perfume-lovers who tried it). That's why I expected a little something “more” from Midnight Pomegranate… alas!
You know, something called 'Sensual Amber' would have the money leaping from my purse! LOL, they couldn't put two words together that woud seduce me more… MInd you, that's probably why I have so many 'budget' ambers that I never wear.
Not sure if you're aware, but Bath & Body released a pomegranate scent around Christmas time in '06 – called 'Very Festive Pomegranate'. I bought the hand soap (reminded me of cranberries more than pomegranate…).
Wonder if Midnight Pomegranate isn't just a reformulated VFP?
Mike, I think I must have missed that one during the holidays! It's interesting to know that they tried a pomegranate fragrance before this one. It's possible that one led to the other!
I LOVE Midnight Pomegranate! The lotion for it is fabulous, in my opinion.
Actually, the Very Festive Pom was very good too, but completely different.
Now I'm getting curious about this Festive Pomegranate!
How was it similar or different, in your opinion?
i smelled this one when i was in there about a week ago. its ok, just not the type of scent that i normally go after. I prefer “fresh” scent alot of times. the brown sugar and fig one is lovely. its a little sweet at first, but soon after it calms into a coconut smell, very relaxing scent if you ask me. and all of the cherry blossoms are lovely. for the past month ive been visiting this site. every time i get ready to go buy a fragarence, i turn to this site to see what the reviews are and how others react to them. great site!!
I think my own favorite B&BW fragrance is Sandalwood & Rose, from their Aromatherapy line. Thank you so much for your comment!
have you tried the black currant vanilla? the lotion smells sooooo good. realxing yet it doesnt make you want to sleep. that one is good. has anyone tried the tranquil mint yet? if so let me know how it is…
Well, franky, Very Festive Pomegranate actually smelled like actual pomengranates. Like, when you cut one open and eat it, that's how Very Festive Pomegranatewas… and perhaps it also had a little bit of orange and cranberry in the background. Midnight Pomegranate, in contrast, is obviously enhaned. I've never experienced a real pomegranate like that. It's darker, and “fierier” than any regular pomegranate would be, which is quite contrasting to Very Festive Pomegranate. I like both!
Yes, that's exactly what the combination of “Midnight” and “Pomegranate” did to me!
Yes, that's exactly what the combination of “Midnight” and “Pomegranate” did to me!
Interesting! I'm not always a regular visitor to B&BW, so I completely missed the Festive one. I hope they'll bring it back next holiday season.
Whoops, that was me above, responding under my other screen name. Anyway, yes, I'm glad you enjoyed this review! I haven't tried the mint fragrance yet, since I'm not a complete expert on B&BW, but I will definitely keep it in mind for my next visit.
They probably will… I think they usually do for their Holiday fragrances. In fact, I think the Very Festive Pomegranate may very well have been in it's second year… not 100% sure on that one, but I know at least one of 2006's Holiday fragrances was on a return trip.