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Richard E Grant / Jack by Jack Perfumes ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 10 February 2017 21 Comments

Richard E Grant for Jack by Jack Perfumes

I don't review as many celebrity perfumes here as I used to, mostly because there aren't so many of them anymore. For years, articles appeared regularly in the beauty press talking about how celebrity perfumes were over, but it took a good long while for the reality to catch up to the warnings. Even now, they're not exactly over, but big name celebrities can no longer count on a deal with Coty, much less counter space at Macy's, and names that used to inspire a rush to the local mall — Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, etc. — now mostly debut in discount box stores like Kohls.1

At any rate, the backlash, if that's what it is, against celebrity perfumes doesn't much interest me. I've always said celebrity perfumes weren't much different, either in quality or in terms of how they are made, from designer perfumes. Some designers have input into the licensed products issued under their names, some don't, and it's about the same with celebrities — if you wanted to make an educated guess about whether or not you could be bothered to try an upcoming perfume, knowing the company who held the license (and the target market) might tell you as much as the brand name. The truth is, there are fewer celebrity perfumes these days not because fewer people are interested in celebrities (witness the mad frenzy over Angelina Jolie's deal to front the upcoming Mon Guerlain) but because right now, mid-priced mainstream fragrances are not where the money is.

What about celebrities who really care about fragrance? That doesn't always work out so well either: just look at Sarah Jessica Parker and her 10+ year wait to release the perfume she really wanted.2 Which brings us to Richard E Grant. That he cares about smells and scent is clear, but rather than licensing his name to a product, he has leveraged his connections to do exactly the sort of fragrance he wants, on his own terms, and notably, his brand isn't even called Richard E Grant, but Jack Perfumes, so named for the Union Jack. The story of how he came to launch the debut fragrance, Jack, which you can read in five parts on the Jack Perfumes website,3 is full of twists, turns, lawsuits, and plenty of advice from experts and otherwise, like "Avoid the Giants. The corporate Goliaths will gobble you up and spit you out" — advice he could have taken from Sarah Jessica Parker, presumably — and "Dare to be bold with your perfume. Go for the ‘Marmite’ factor".4 He perseveres, with help along the way from various figures in the perfume world (Lyn Harris and Roja Dove both make appearances). Eventually he meets up with perfumer Aliénor Massenet:

Sharp of feature, eye and mind, she wryly smiles when I de-pocket my favourite ingredients onto the table – lime, marijuana, jasmine, gardenia, mandarin, pepper and a perfume oil sample. It’s an undiluted pleasure listening to her professional interpretation of my amateur passions, concluding with the compliment that she would like to work together ‘as you have a very clear ‘idea’ of what the perfume should smell like’.5

When Jack finally launches, it's not at Macy's or Kohls (or Boots, rather) but at the upscale British department store Liberty London. That was back in 2014, and he's since launched two more fragrances. Now that the trio is at Luckyscent in the US, I'm finally trying them.

So, did he go for the Marmite factor? Well, close enough. Jack is hardly the most outré fragrance I've ever smelled, not even close, but it's not Eau de Gaga6 or Grace by Grace Coddington either. It's easy to wear, yet just quirky enough to inspire love-it-or-hate-it reactions. It starts with a hefty dose of lime-ish citrus, with likewise hefty peppery spices; it smells like a cocktail you can surely buy in some Brooklyn bar, and that I need to get the recipe for. Early on, it also veers slightly into man-aftershave smell, but it doesn't go too far in that direction, and that phase doesn't last long anyway. Eventually there is an herbal undertone that is just swampy enough to recall the promised marijuana, although I don't think anybody will smell it and right away think oh, pot! The base is woody and mostly dry, and like the opening, wears crisp and light, almost like a summer cologne — the frankincense, oud, tobacco absolute and vetiver are just warm and resinous enough to make it stand up to chilly weather, no more. If any of Grant's favorite flowers made it into the final formula, they are lost on me.

The lasting power is good but not fantastic.

Verdict: I like Richard E Grant, who doesn't? Jack's creation narrative is refreshing, as is the way Grant is always smiling broadly in promotional appearances for Jack, as though the whole thing is a riot. And I like Jack too. It's not outrageous (and it's almost certainly tamer than Stash SJP, which I still have not smelled), but it's got some spunk, and it was a pleasure to wear. Very much worth a try. 

Jack by Jack Perfumes features notes of lime, marijuana, mandarin, pepper, clove, nutmeg, frankincense, oud, tobacco absolute, vetiver and white musk. It is $135 / £95 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum at Luckyscent or Liberty London. There is also a matching candle.

1. And Kohls, like Ulta, is not a perfumista paradise, for the simple reason that testers in some stores are awfully hard to come by, and samples are nearly as rare as unicorns.

2. Her debut perfume, Lovely, launched in 2005; read One Nosy Dame in The New York Times for an explanation of how Coty took Parker's original ideas and turned them into something more commercial. Follow that with Sarah Jessica Parker launches her second fragrance Stash SJP at the Los Angeles Times, which notes "The celebrity trend has been replaced by an influx of niche and indie brands, which are quickly creeping into many retailers’ bestselling scents. This could be an asset to Parker, who said she was unable to bring Stash to market more than a decade ago because she was told it wasn’t commercial enough."

3. Or, get a much abridged version in this video.

4. Quotes via Diary of a Perfume Ponce at Jack Perfumes.

5. Ibid.

6. And Eau de Gaga, back in 2014, is actually the last celebrity perfume I personally reviewed.

Possibly of interest

Richard E Grant Jack Richmond ~ new fragrance
Richard E Grant / Jack Piccadilly ’69 ~ quick fragrance review & even quicker poll
Richard E Grant / Jack Covent Garden ~ quick fragrance review

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: alienor massenet, celebrity perfumes, richard e grant

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21 Comments

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  1. Coumarin says:
    10 February 2017 at 3:37 pm

    I picked up a bottle of Eau de Gaga on deep discount at TJ Maxx. Harmless fun though it kind of reminded me of a mid-tier face wash.

    I’d love too try this one. I love smelling like cocktails, sans the alcohol.

    I’m in disbelief that you haven’t tried Stash.

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    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 3:42 pm

      Eau de Gaga is fine, but so NOT going for the marmite factor. And still a bit surprised at how basic Grace by Grace Coddington was.

      And yes — it is a testament to my deep dislike for Ulta!! Plus, Kevin promised to send me some, then probably forgot.

      If you try this one, you’ll have to tell me if it reminds you of a cocktail. Apropos of nothing, apparently Richard E Grant does not drink at all.

      Log in to Reply
      • austenfan says:
        10 February 2017 at 3:44 pm

        He doesn’t, apparently he has a problem digesting alcohol.

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      • Coumarin says:
        10 February 2017 at 4:13 pm

        I also dislike Ulta but I live directly across from one. I do wish stash could be found elsewhere.

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        • Robin says:
          10 February 2017 at 4:19 pm

          Oh, hey, I would be willing to walk across the street ;-)

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  2. hemabelle says:
    10 February 2017 at 3:46 pm

    How fun! I definitely want to sample this one, I love your description of that cocktail opening. Elizabeth and James Bourbon Rose had a similar boozy-to-pleasant theme, and I’m hoping Jack will be just as interesting on me.

    Thanks for the review!

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    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 4:08 pm

      I should clarify — it is not boozy in any traditional sense, it just reminds me of a cocktail. Might just be that the lime smells like Rose’s Lime Juice, and then add in the “regular” alcohol smell you get from any perfume.

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  3. nathanthomas50 says:
    10 February 2017 at 4:19 pm

    I have to admire his commitment and sheer enthusiasm ! One several occasions last year I saw him in Selfridges in London, manning the Jack stand from 9am to 6pm and he was unfailingly pleasant to everyone who showed an interest. I spent a happy 10 minutes with him while he talked about the fragrance , the ingredients and just chatted generally.
    Not many celebrities would do a 9 hour shift in a busy department store even if they did have personal involvement in the fragrance they’re putting their name to!

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    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 4:27 pm

      Exactly! He just seems like a really nice guy, and not like someone out to cash in on his name just because he can.

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  4. Aparatchick says:
    10 February 2017 at 4:24 pm

    There are a few celeb scents I’ve liked a lot: Queen Latifah had a nice, boozy one, and Alan Cumming’s was good. I adore Richard E. Grant (and if you haven’t yet read “With Nails, The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant, you’re in for a real treat), but that hint of aftershave will probably make this a no-go for me.

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    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 4:32 pm

      Queen is a great scent, and so is Cumming (or I guess it’s now 2nd Cumming) — there are lots of great celebrity scents! But not so many have marmite factor, although I’d include Cumming in that small group. Of course, not so many designer fragrances have marmite factor either, and these days, it’s not a given in niche either.

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  5. Bear says:
    10 February 2017 at 6:16 pm

    LOL
    Robin, I feel like you, had to Google him, had no idea who he was.
    And I’ve even seen one of his movies, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
    LOL
    ;)

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 7:43 pm

      Ha!

      It is true. I don’t think he would want a deal with Coty, but even in the heyday of celebrity fragrances, he almost certainly wouldn’t have gotten a deal with Coty. I probably should not have assumed that people would get that point!

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    • Coumarin says:
      11 February 2017 at 10:14 am

      Just realized that he’s the bizarre agent in Spice World: The Spice Girls Movie, a genuinely enjoyable campy movie that’s all the better for a bottle of wine. I need to find my copy!

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  6. austenfan says:
    10 February 2017 at 6:29 pm

    I’ve always been a fan of Richard E.Grant and I’m very glad that the fragrance is good. He was a lot of fun in Gosford Park, but I would still love to see him in a really good film about Roald Dahl, he looks a lot like him.

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    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 7:46 pm

      I was just thinking recently that I need to watch Gosford Park again! And of course he was in Downton Abbey:

      http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_Bricker

      Log in to Reply
      • austenfan says:
        11 February 2017 at 10:13 am

        I’ve never really followed Downtown so I missed him in that. He is a good actor, with a great voice, as so many British actors seem to have.

        Log in to Reply
  7. CobraRose says:
    10 February 2017 at 7:34 pm

    “SJP launches second celebrity fragrance–Stash”? Poor Covet.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 7:44 pm

      Plus, she had SJP NYC and several other flankers & whatnot. Don’t know what they meant.

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  8. ajellyfish says:
    10 February 2017 at 7:35 pm

    I noticed you were wearing Jack in a SOTD a few days ago, and wondered if we’d get a review! Glad we did, and glad that the perfume is nice.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      10 February 2017 at 7:44 pm

      And will review the other 2, maybe next week.

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