Importance of Taking Care

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Taking Care: Introducing Jo Malone London’s Care Collection

Self-care, in its essence, speaks to the importance of taking care of oneself, be it through beauty rituals and treatments or as a wider, deeper practice that goes beyond the aesthetic to incorporate one’s well-being. While the term ‘self-care’ has become ubiquitous in today’s society, the concept, however, long precedes us all. In fact, self-care practices can be traced back more than 2,000 years to the Roman baths. Following the Roman’s lead but taking it a step further, Jo Malone London’s Care Collection follows a similar ethos using ingredients that have been scientifically proven – through neuroscience – to benefit body and mind.

Known for unexpected ingredients and finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places, Jo Malone London journeys back in time to the ancient Roman baths for the Care Collection, explains Céline Roux, Jo Malone London’s Global Head Of Fragrance. ‘We all know something of the Roman baths. Yes, it was known for its architectural beauty, but it was also a place of leisure, of well-being, a place you could relax, a place to indulge yourself, a place of community, a place to trade even… yet what many people don’t know is that these baths were not just in Rome. Many were built in England when the Romans occupied Britain centuries ago. And behind many of these Roman baths were gardens where they could find ingredients to use in the baths. ‘This,’ says Céline, beaming, ‘gave us the exciting opportunity to have a coherent collection linked to England. Remember, this is Jo Malone London. There is always a story.’

‘Known for unexpected ingredients and finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places, Jo Malone London journeys back in time to the ancient Roman baths for the Care Collection.’

We are used to the stories around the development of Jo Malone London’s fragrances opening with the ingredients. This time however, with the development of the Care Collection, the story begins elsewhere. ‘We started thinking about this around 2018,’ reveals Céline. ‘I worked with a friend and archaeologist and we began the deep dive.’ This ‘deep dive’ involved intently studying the Roman bath house rituals that consisted of resting, steaming the skin to open the pores, massaging and bathing in separate rooms and waters of different temperatures, which all served different purposes, delivering numerous benefits to one’s skin and well-being.

The gentle heat that radiated through the floors and the walls of the tepidarium – a lukewarm room – relaxed and prepared the body for the rooms that followed. The heated spring waters of the caldarium – a hot room – steamed, cleaned and purified the skin. Bathers would slather themselves with oils, their body then deeply exfoliated. The final room – the frigidarium – featured a large pool filled with freezing cold water where the brave bathers would take a brisk, skin tingling dip, closing the pores that had been opened by the heat from the previous treatments. It is the final bold act to an incredible bathing experience that leaves the bather and the body totally revitalised.

‘The fact that each room in the Roman bath houses offered different benefits from the waters at different temperatures and used essential oils is something we were totally inspired by. And we made a very conscious effort to use ingredients that were used in the Roman baths or at that time.’ This enthusiasm for authenticity is prevalent in the four categories within the Care Collection that encapsulate the four daily wellness rituals followed in the ancient Roman baths.

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The Full Collection

Enrich is inspired by the tepidarium. This routine helps to condition the skin and provides a feeling of comfort, supported by neurosensorial research. The products include a shower cream and a body balm scented with a warm floral aroma with natural essential oils of rose, camomile and cedarwood. Both the scent and the textures are indulgent and rich ‘because,’ explains Céline simply, ‘when the body is enriched, the skin feels much more comfortable’.

Purify takes its cue from the hot steamy rooms of the caldarium, honing in on a purifying ritual to clarify skin and hair and leave you feeling renewed, backed by neurosensorial research. ‘We used hyssop, juniper and myrtle in this one,’ says Céline. ‘There's something clean and aromatic about these ingredients’, lending themselves perfectly to a versatile, invigorating shower gel.

Restore routine promotes the feeling of replenishment, supported by neurosensorial research, and speaks to the element of the Roman bath experience where bathers would saturate the skin with oils and utilise tools to exfoliate. The products in this category include a body oil with floral notes of jasmine, neroli and rosehip oils and a body treatment scrub infused with distinctive notes of honey, clove and nutmeg, bringing a sense of luxury to the experience, just like the Romans.

Revitalise is considered the final stage. Inspired by the benefits of the frigidarium to reinvigorate the body, the exfoliating soap and the body gel-cream are scented with aromatic citrus notes of lemon peel, verbena and bay laurel for a cooling, refreshing finish. According to neurosensorial research, these products inspire an uplifting feeling when using them.

‘I loved the whole concept of the Roman baths, that it was a place that was accessible to everyone, that it was about leisure, that it was about this idea of taking care of yourself. It wasn’t about purely functional products, but creating products that had real, tangible benefits proven with neuroscience research. Because ultimately, the Care Collection is about caring for one’s self.’

‘Working on this collection was amazing,’ says Céline earnestly. The Care Collection, she goes on to explain, is a range of products that goes far and beyond the products themselves. ‘I loved the whole concept of the Roman baths, that it was a place that was accessible to everyone, that it was about leisure, that it was about this idea of taking care of yourself. It wasn’t about purely functional products, but creating products that had real, tangible benefits, demonstrated by our neurosensorial testing. Because ultimately, the Care Collection is about caring for one’s self.’

Which key ingredients did you decide to focus on?

Céline:
Definitely ingredients that we wouldn’t normally use, like hyssop, laurel and myrtle. These were all highly prized by the Romans on account of their benefits, and they would grow them in the gardens of their bath houses to use in their different cleansing rituals. Each routine inspired different formulas that brought out different facets of ingredients: for example, the richness of rose was foregrounded for Enrich, the freshness of lemon peel for Revitalise, and the opulence of jasmine for Restore. Each ingredient has a place in aromatherapy but could still be finessed for elegance and clarity for that Jo Malone London touch.

What’s the difference between the scents that feature in this collection and the classic Jo Malone London scents?

Céline:
In general, the notes in the Care Collection are more direct, herbaceous and aromatic; they’re more elemental and less perfume-like, all of which reflect the collection’s emphasis on benefits attached to feelings and rituals.

Talk us through the development of the collection.

Céline:
It was a real departure from what we usually do, with the ingredient choice following the ritual and leaning into the world of aromatherapy as much as the world of perfumery. I found myself visiting herb gardens to really get to know ingredients I wasn’t so familiar with, and we tested a huge array of essential oils to try to determine the right olfactive. Once the scents were established, we tested their wellness benefits by scientific testing with neuroscience.

‘The notes in the Care Collection are more direct, herbaceous and aromatic; they’re more elemental and less perfume-like, all of which reflect the collection’s emphasis on benefits attached to feelings and rituals.’

What is neuroscience?

Céline:
We have the technology to test emotional responses to products, which is exactly what we did with this collection. Neurosensorial research is a scientific method that taps into our deeper feelings and instincts and from modern behavioural science, we can explore the brain’s automatic responses to reveal the real emotional benefits in relation to using products. We were able to monitor not only overall responses, but also how people react to things such as fragrances and textures and we found that the sensorial experience can have a profound impact on our emotional state. The results, I’m happy to say, completely aligned with our intentions: Purify was associated with feelings of purification and renewal, Revitalise made people feel uplifted, Enrich gave them comfort and Restore inspired feelings of relaxation and replenishment. It’s great to be able to draw on the 2,000-year-old wisdom of the Romans and back it up it with science.

How would you recommend using the products in the Care Collection?

Céline:
You can use them individually or in combination to experience benefits in different ways. For example, if you’re just focused on getting clean, you can jump into a steamy shower and lather on our Purifying Shower Gel and you’re done. But if whole-body hydration is your thing, you can follow up with our Enrich Body Balm and a restorative body oil, just like the ancient Romans would. Whether you use one or all of the products, you’ll always be able to experience that direct link to the feeling it was designed to represent and receive the wellness benefit. That’s why we’ve labelled the products according to what routine they form a part of – Enrich, Purify, Restore, Revitalise – rather than calling them by their ingredient names or anything else.

Can you sum up what’s different about the Care Collection compared with the rest of our bath & body collection?

Céline:
Usually, our bath & body products complement our colognes, and the challenge is all about balancing the elegance of the fragrance with the benefit of the product. With the Care Collection, we’ve been much more wellness focused. We created the perfect trio of elements – feeling, product and fragrance – that would deliver real and measurable well-being benefits. And with the line-up of products we’ve developed for the Care Collection, we’ve done just that.

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