The Trend of Vegetable Notes in Luxury Perfumery: Jo Malone London Uses Carrot and Beetroot
Jo Malone London surprises the market by launching a fragrance line with notes of carrot, butternut squash, and beetroot ('Carrot, Butternut & Beetroot Notes'). This demonstrates niche perfumery's move toward unexpected, 'edible' but not sweet, rather vegetable and plant-based accords.
Analytical article based on provided data and requirements.
Analytical Review: Smelling Like a Salad
How Jo Malone London Reinvents Beetroot and Why This Is the Funeral of Citrus Summer
Introduction: When Fruits Get Boring and Vegetables Take Over
Mid-June 2026 will be remembered as the moment when the 'edible perfume' category entered a new dimension. British perfume house Jo Malone London, known for its minimalist compositions, released The Veggies Collection, dedicated to... the garden. Scarlet Beetroot, Velvety Butternut, and Carrot Blossom — three fragrances that smell like beetroot, pumpkin, and carrot respectively.
At first glance, this looks like marketing madness. On second thought, it's a genius strategy to capture a new segment. Because Jo Malone didn't just 'release strange fragrances.' They bet on Gen Z's fatigue with gourmand sweetness and a return to authenticity in its most unexpected form.
What's truly interesting for an analyst: the collection took four years to create. Four years! In an industry where the fragrance creation cycle is typically 12-18 months, Jo Malone spent time ensuring that the trend for vegetable notes is no joke but a long-term cultural shift. The idea was born when global head of perfumery Céline Roux said, 'Enough fruit — let's have fun with vegetables!' This phrase will enter marketing textbooks as the moment when perfumery stopped being about 'sweetness' and became about 'earth.'
[The Core]: What's Really Happening
From a perfumery chemistry perspective, the Veggies collection is a masterclass in working with 'difficult' accords traditionally considered unsuitable for commercial perfumery. Beetroot, carrot, pumpkin — these are notes with low volatility and a strong 'earthy' undertone, usually masked by citrus or flowers.
Let's break down the three compositions.
Carrot Blossom Cologne is built around a floral-vegetable carrot accord. Top notes: spicy fennel. Heart: orange blossom, white musk, and carrot seeds (the fragrance specifically mentions 'Carrot Blossom' — carrot flower, which smells delicate and sweet, unlike the root vegetable). Base: patchouli. This is the most 'wearable' fragrance in the collection, close to classic floral compositions but with a recognizable 'garden' nuance.
Scarlet Beetroot Cologne is the boldest. Top notes: blackcurrant (provides fruity tartness masking the earthiness). Heart: beetroot — a sweet-earthy, almost 'dirty' accord rarely found in perfumery. Base: patchouli. According to Daily Mail, the fragrance is 'earthy but fresh.' This is a challenge: will consumers accept the smell of beetroot as part of their image?
Velvety Butternut Cologne is the warmest, gourmand. Top notes: spicy ginger. Heart: butternut squash — a note with creamy, nutty sweetness. Base: tonka bean and patchouli. This is for those who love sweet but not cloying compositions — more 'pumpkin pie without sugar' than dessert.
Non-obvious insight (not in press releases): The entire collection is built on the same base accord — patchouli. It's in all three fragrances. This is no coincidence. Patchouli is the 'glue' that connects earthy vegetable notes to the skin, creating a sense of 'naturalness.' But it's also a trap for asthmatics and allergy sufferers. Patchouli is one of the strongest allergens in perfumery. In high concentrations, it can cause headaches and skin reactions. Jo Malone knowingly takes this risk because without patchouli, the 'garden' aesthetic simply won't stick.
Timeline and Context: Four Years in the Garden
The path of this release began long before 2026. Here's how events unfolded.
- 2022 (approx.): Céline Roux utters the historic phrase 'Enough fruit — let's have fun with vegetables.' Research begins in London gardens with perfumers Mathilde Bijaoui and Anne Flipo.
- 2023-2025: Formula development. Testing vegetable accords. Main problem: how to make beetroot and pumpkin 'wearable' rather than repulsive.
- January-March 2026: Jo Malone quietly prepares for launch. Bottle design approved — bright, saturated colors corresponding to each vegetable.
- May 17, 2026 (per Japanese data): Sales start in Japan. Collection launches exclusively at Hanshin Umeda stores. Full Japanese release on June 24, 2026.
- May 26, 2026: Russian perfume media (e.g., Aromo) publish first reviews, listing price $92 for 30 ml in the US.
- June 1, 2026: Global launch in Europe and US. Prices: €68 in Europe, £59 in the UK.
- June 2026: Exclusive presentation at Nordstrom NYC for the chain's 125th anniversary. Immersive 'Vegetable Garden' experience runs throughout June.
Note the launch geography: Japan was first to receive the collection. This is no accident. The Japanese market is historically more open to 'strange' natural scents (think mushroom, moss, wet earth in niche perfumery). Europe and the US followed — Jo Malone tested the reaction in the Asian market before launching in the West.
Who Wins and Who Loses
Winners:
- Jo Malone London (Estée Lauder Companies): The brand proves it can still surprise after nearly 30 years on the market. Veggies Collection is not just a product; it's a PR event. Every review, every publication about 'salad scents' is free advertising. In an era when the perfume market is saturated with flankers and reissues, genuine innovation (even if strange) is gold.
- Collectors and seekers of uniqueness: For people tired of smelling like everyone else (rose, bergamot, vanilla), Veggies Collection is a way to stand out. A beetroot fragrance guarantees you won't meet your 'scent twin' in the elevator. This is 'anti-imitative' perfumery.
- Nordstrom (exclusive US partner): The chain's 125th anniversary is marked by an exclusive collection launch. This attracts not just buyers but 'experience seekers' — those who come to see the installation and leave with three bottles and a tomato vine candle. This is a classic example of successful retail partnership.
Losers:
- Traditional 'summer citrus' fragrances (Dior Homme Cologne, Atelier Cologne, Acqua di Parma): Daily Mail's headline 'Move over citrus' is not just a headline; it's a diagnosis. Jo Malone consciously positions Veggies as an alternative to 'boring' lemons and bergamots for summer. If other brands pick up the trend, the citrus cologne category could lose up to 10-15% of summer sales.
- Gourmand perfume brands (Commodity Milk, Montale Chocolate Greedy, Kilian): Gourmand perfumery has been built on sweet notes — caramel, chocolate, marshmallow — for the last 5 years. Veggies Collection offers a new type of 'edible' — unsweet. This opens the 'savory gourmand' category, which cannibalizes the audience of traditional sweet gourmands.
- Dermatologists and allergists: Patchouli is a potent allergen. The rise in popularity of 'earthy' scents means an increase in cases of contact dermatitis and respiratory reactions. In the coming months, I expect a rise in medical blog posts about 'perfume allergy syndrome to vegetable notes.'
What the Media Isn't Saying
The official story goes: 'Inspiration from the British garden, fresh and unexpected scents for summer.' But there are three details glossy reviews keep quiet.
- Beetroot is an 'earthy' risk. The beetroot note in perfumery is often associated with geosmin — an organic compound that smells like wet earth and damp concrete after rain. This accord is what makes beetroot 'beetroot' in Scarlet Beetroot. The question is whether the mass consumer is ready to smell like a flooded basement. Media call the scent 'bold,' but what they don't say: this scent may be actively repulsive to others. It's not an office fragrance. It's for your personal enjoyment in isolation.
- Price for irrationality. 30 ml of cologne costs $92 (or €68, or £59). By volume, this is smaller than the standard 50-100 ml people usually buy. Jo Malone deliberately chooses a small format for 'experimental' scents. The consumer pays not for ingredients — the bottle's cost likely doesn't exceed $10-15. They pay for the right to smell strange. This is a 'tax on originality,' and it's high.
- The real hero of the collection is tomato vine, not beetroot. The Green Tomato Vine Candle ($105 for 300 g in the US, €118 in Europe) is the product that will truly fly off shelves. The scent of tomato vine is one of the most nostalgic and beloved in gardening culture. It's fresh, herbaceous, 'green,' and doesn't cause cultural rejection, unlike beetroot. Jo Malone knows this. Body fragrances are PR. Candles and diffusers are real money. Don't be surprised if Green Tomato Vine becomes as iconic as the Pomegranate Noir candle.
Forecast: Next 30 Days and 90 Days
Next 30 days (June – July 2026): Phase of 'viral disgust'
TikTok and Instagram will be flooded with reaction videos to Veggies Collection scents. The success formula: 'I smell like soup/salad/garden' paired with a surprised grimace. But this is exactly what Jo Malone needs. Negative (or 'cringey') reactions generate even more views than positive ones. In 30 days, the hashtag #JoMaloneVeggies will gather tens of millions of views. Sales of Carrot Blossom (the safest scent) will be high. Scarlet Beetroot will remain niche.
Next 90 days (August – September 2026): The Great Split into 'Vegetable' and 'Fruit'
By the end of summer, the perfume market will split into two camps: those loyal to citrus and fruits, and those moving to the 'vegetable chic' camp. I expect that in August-September, Hermès (with its garden aesthetic) will release a similar collection, and L'Artisan Parfumeur, always specializing in 'natural' oddities, will respond with a celery or radish note.
However, there's a risk of 'overheating effect.' If too many brands start releasing 'vegetable' scents, the category will quickly devalue and become a meme. Jo Malone is a pioneer, but pioneers often end up empty-handed when the trend goes mainstream. The main challenge for the brand in September is not to let Veggies Collection be forgotten. To do this, they need to release a limited follow-up (e.g., 'winter garden' with parsnip and Brussels sprouts) or make the collection permanent rather than limited.
My forecast: Veggies Collection will become cult classic, but not a bestseller. Carrot Blossom will enter Jo Malone's top 10 sales for summer 2026, while Scarlet Beetroot will remain a 'perfume for the initiated.' Jo Malone's main achievement is legitimizing 'strange' notes in the mainstream. And now even your grandmother won't be surprised if you say you smell like beetroot. And that, you'll agree, is quite something.
— Editorial Team
