Molton Brown is a line of products I'm not terribly familiar with, although my sense is that they are generally quite good, if not outrageously wonderful. I occasionally come across them in the bathrooms of upscale hotels, or when I sneak into a business class bathroom on an overseas flight. I love the English look and feel about them, a sort of steady and reassuring quality, unflappable with a stiff upper lip.
Several years ago I came across their Naran Ji Liquid Hand Wash and Soothing Hand Lotion in the ladies room in the lobby of the Peninsula hotel in New York. I used it with great interest and enjoyment, and my lingering recollection is an experience of quite tenacious orange blossom that softly cocooned my hands in a subtle silken luxury. When I received a sample of Naran Ji Air (their room spray), I expected it to be a variation on the same theme, but in fact the only common theme between the hand wash, lotion, and air spray is some version of orange. Only the lotion contains neroli. According to their website, Naran Ji Air contains orange, Egyptian basil, Russian carvi, thyme and black currant. In case anyone is wondering — as I was — what Russian carvi is, carum carvi is caraway, but Russian caraway usually refers to the seeds of the nigella sativa plant, also known as "black cumin" or "black caraway".
The first impression after spraying it was heavily reminiscent of Eau de Cologne. In fact, both the Eau Fraiche and the Eau Forte of the Eaux de Caron unexpectedly came to mind — probably the combination of citrus and sharp basil of the Fraiche, as well as the rounder orange and black currant of the Forte. But Naran Ji Air offers only a nod in that direction — overall it is a much lighter, airier, and more pungently herbaceous scent. The citrus and herbal accords are prominent in the opening, and recede only slightly to share the stage with a rather spicy note which I could not identify (probably the Russian carvi), followed by a sweet fruity note that reminded me of holiday scented candles. I imagine the fruit to be the black currant, but it lacks the lush purple black tart and depth of the real fruit, offering instead a more generic 'winter berry' scent.
When I returned to the room 10 minutes later, the fruit met me outside in the hallway but when I opened the door I found only citrus and herbs. After another 15 minutes had passed, I stepped in the room to unexpectedly encounter a light but very smoky, almost leathery note, something I had not anticipated from the initial evolution.
Overall, I found Naran Ji to be pleasant enough and mostly unisex, although the smoky arrival at the end made it just a bit too masculine for my own taste. I can imagine it working quite well in corporate settings (insofar as they allow scent), or even in the restrooms at restaurants and bars, where its zest would be refreshing. It could make a fabulous house warming gift for someone who likes Molton Brown, especially if you combine it with the other Naran Ji products, but overall it didn't create enough ambience to tempt me for home use, and like other Molton Brown home products, this one is not cheap. At $37 for 100 ml, you would probably find me sneaking over to the Diptyque counter instead, to indulge in one of their fabulous sprays for the same price.
For buying information, see the listing for Molton Brown under Perfume Houses.
Oh I love Molton Brown, their body washes are unbeatable, sounds like an interesting room spray too, I like that the scent would somehow develop (for I've no luck with room sprays so far…) am not too sure if I would like this particular scent, but will definitely check out their other options in store. Great review, thanks!
Hi Pia,
I love black cumin,and always thought it would be wonderful in a perfume; its bitter “sweat” would probably deepen and warm many notes. Please let us know if you know of any other fragrance with it in. This one doesn't sound like what I'm looking for.
Love your writing.
noa
Thanks bittergrass, glad you enjoyed it!
Now you've got me curious about their bodywashes….I do think their handwashes and hand lotions are also very nice, but quite pricey! Do check back in and let me know wha you think if you try any of their other home fragnraces!
Thanks for the kind words noa! I am only just getting acquainted with this 'black cumin', but will keep an eye out for it in other products. If anyone else knows of fragrances with that note, please do comment!
The products I like best from Molton Brown are makeup, bizarrely enough! They make beautifully milled, subtle eyeshadows and blusher. I like the shower gels (especially the black pepper one), but I'm not so keen on the lotions and other toiletries. I'm not sure I've ever bothered to sniff the room sprays, but I'll make a point of it now. They have to be really superb to tempt me, and I'd be right beside you, Pia, on your trip to the Diptyque counter! (My John Galliano candle was a fab investment buy.)
Now I'm really curious about their bodywashes! I will have to test their makeup as well next time I'm near a store. I'm glad you are enjoying your Galliano candle–I really do love the diptyque products…will do my best to review of one of their sprays soon as well!
Idole de Lubin and PG Querelle both have black cumin notes.
Funny, before I read your comment, I assumed Molton Brown was a men's line! I guess the name and packaging came across to me as masculine marketing!
Thanks! Will investigte those….
You know, I think I used to assume that as well. In fact, my brother is the one who first introduced me to the line. A lot of their products look fairly unisex to me, and they do seem to have quite a nice men's line as well.
Molton Brown's name comes from South Molton Street – a tiny pedestrian street off Oxford Street (near New Bond Street station), where the original hair salon was, and still is situated, and Browns, the fashion shop, also situated in that street, above which apparently the first products were concocted (see this page on their website: http://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/about-us.html)
In the early '80s I worked for several years around the corner from South Molton Street. A favourite pastime was people watching from a pavement café: that's how you found out what was in fashion at the time. It had some of the most expensive jewellery and accessories too. The day they closed down the post office, which was indispensable to all the offices around, and turned it into another clothing store, was the day the street stopped being a proper 'living' street and became just a 'shop window' – in aspic. I'm glad I wasn't working there any longer by then.
I haven't tried Naran Ji but Rosé Granati hand lotion is a favourite of mine.
Thanks for the background Bela!
Brings back very fond and vivid memories of London.
I actually was given the Rose Granati handwash and lotion some time ago, but have yet to open them–now I am very tempted!
i have only tried on of their body washes, it's the gingerlily one, and I do find it smells heavenly.I went to MUA and was surprised that the reviews were very bad there…I agree it was very much overpriced (I don't think any body wash should cost that much really), but I still love the fragrance.
am very tempted to make a trip there, but it's a bit threatening cos everything is so expensive!
You're welcome, Pia. For me, it brings back five years of very enjoyable work in a publishing company, right in the heart of London; lunch hours spent shopping in Selfridges (*before* it became for the super-rich) and New Bond Street.
Do try the Rosé Granati lotion: it's got a very subtle fragrance and it's lovely and soft (it was one of my Best of 2005 products).
They are indeed pricey….but I do remember briefly sniffing a sample of the gingerlily scent and thinking it was quite nice. I found myself tempted by the Davana flower line (and the beautiful pictures of India), but that one is almost double the cost of the others!
Those sound like wonderful memories. I lived in London for about 2.5 year as well, and still miss it!
super! thank you, keeter.
Molton Brown provides the bodywash, shampoo and conditioner at my athletic club. As I'm always there to swim, I only use them when I'm thoroughly chlorinated and I always find that I still reek of chlorine the next day. I haven't determined whether it's the products or the softness of the water that don't do much about the chlorine–It's probably not fair to blame Molton Brown when there's a brisk market in specifically anti-chlorine products.
The hair wash at the club is Naran Ji, and I find it to be a fairly masculine scent but pleasant enough, and I very much like the scents of the Indian Cress conditioner and Vitamin C bodywash.
I can imagine they may not stand up to chlorinated water. In my limited experience with high end hair washes that are more about scent than 'hair care', they rarely do much for my hair other than scent it pleasantly (except when competing with chlorine, lol!).
Sounds as though the Naran Ji hair wash may be closer in tone to the room spray than to the hand lotion I tried. Seems as though the neroli makes all the difference!
I love Molton Brown!! I use their Naran Ji hand cream and it's wonderful…smells like the beach to me (after a day of sun, sweat, and suntan lotion!). I also use their hairwash and body wash…it's nice stuff!
What an intriguing description! I would definitely like to try the Naran Ji hand lotion again–looks like I have a full list of items to investigate next time I walk by one of their stores!