Una passione per Raspberry Ripple

The ice cream in question: Raspberry Ripple. The classic, deliciously creamy and smooth vanilla ice cream that has swirls of juicy raspberry running through it. A nostalgic staple of British summers, Raspberry Ripple is the inspiration for – and the name of – Jo Malone London’s new fragrance.

As with all Jo Malone London fragrances, it begins with a story. And this story starts at the British seaside, with Raspberry Ripple in the starring role. The popularity of Raspberry Ripple, a seaside classic if ever there was one, can be traced back to the early 20th century. It was, however, in the 1950s and 1960s when ice cream vans became popular that Raspberry Ripple was famously established as an iconic British favourite. This ice cream has gone beyond a sweet classic treat that evokes playful childhood memories; it has now become a cultural marker of British summertime.

It’s the combination of this joyous, light-hearted mood with the juxtaposition of the tart, juicy, vibrant – and thoroughly moreish – raspberries and the richness of ice cream that makes it the olfactory taste of summer.

‘I wanted the scent to have a burst of red fruit, but in a natural way. It had to be very juicy; it had to be sparkling. So, you have these notes of raspberries, strawberries and red fruits. And then you have the bergamot to bring that sparkle. There is also a dose of white musk to give it a creamy effect – like a real vanilla ice cream. And afterwards, a bit of sandalwood and woodiness in the base.’ Still, while the scent is based on this sugary treat, Raspberry Ripple is not a typical gourmand fragrance. This didn’t stop Céline taking great pleasure in exploring and finding inspiration from traditional British summer treats, like summer pudding: ‘I loved the burst you get that is both yummy but also tart and creamy. I just remember thinking, “this is so good.”’

While nostalgia invariably plays a part in the creation of the fragrance, there is, insists Céline, ‘a modernity’ to it. ‘Yes, one could definitely see it as quite retro, it always takes me to all of these nostalgic images of the seaside piers across Britain, but we have made sure it was done in a really modern way.’ A modern way that takes into consideration that people are increasingly gravitating to wearing fragrance in a way that feels unique to them, hence Céline advises experimenting by layering Raspberry Ripple with some of the other scents in the Jo Malone London fragrance collection. ‘Of course, like all of our scents, it goes really well with Grapefruit, but it also works so well with English Oak & Hazelnut.’