Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone

 

I thought about a stronger come-back after the summer holidays, but as I looked down at a continuously growing collection of perfume samples I figured maybe I should just pick at random.

A little glass vial with grey font fell out of my fist full of samples. It was Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone. I was excited, because I have yet to find a salt perfume where I can actually smell the salt.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed yet again.

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Wood Sage & Sea Salt opens as a quite masculine cologne fragrance. It smells green and fresh with a hint of citrus. It is light, airy and a little bit aquatic. The notes are quite indistinguishable and I am really missing the characteristic note of sage. To my dismay, I do not smell sea salt either.

This fragrance has a soap characteristic that I do not like. It lingers, and reminds me of scented candles labeled as 'sea breeze' more than a perfume. 
Dare I even say that this is more of a bathroom spray fragrance? I think I do.

After oxidation, I smell a faint hint of sage. The fragrance becomes more woody, but this is by no means an oud fragrance. When looking up the notes, I was quite surprised.

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Sea salt, sage, grapefruit, ambrette and seaweed. Really?
The lack of sage and sea salt does not have to be discussed further. The charismatic smell of grapefruit is nowhere to be found other than a generic smell of undisclosed citrus. A faint whiff of ambrette is not enough to give this fragrance depth, which it so dearly needs. Being an avid lover of seaweed, not only nori, but dulse, kombu, irish moss and more, I am craving more from Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone rather than an aquatic scented candle fragrance.

On paper, rather than skin, Wood Sage & Sea Salt promises more with its fresher, more realistic grapefruit scent. However, the longevity is poor on both skin and paper. 

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Believe it or not, this was my first experience with Jo Malone.
I have heard about this fragrance house many times and I was interested in smelling some of their fragrances, but I had never had the chance.
I will not end the acquaintance here, but I am hoping for something much better next time. This is a pass for me.