Meet the Makers at Jo Malone London

In Walpole’s special portfolio of essays and images for the Book of British Luxury 2025/2026, we celebrate the people behind the design of the products and services that have become a global calling card for British luxury excellence. From sparkling jewels and diaries of delicate blue paper to world- class whisky getaways, we speak with the highly skilled individuals who pour their passion into their respective crafts to create new British icons.

The same three words crop up whenever you speak to anyone involved in the production of Jo Malone London’s range of luxury fragrance-based products: precision, care and quality. From Global Brand President Jo Dancey to those working at the house’s manufacturing facilities (situated within the South Downs National Park), there is an emphasis on attention to detail at every level.

The company takes pride in the fact that its products are crafted in Britain (where the main manufacturing facility uses 100 per cent renewable electricity). But, as Dancey explains, its distinctive, “joyfully British” approach extends from the ingredients the brand champions to the landscape that serves as inspiration – such as the Cornish coastal cliffs that informed the Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne, one of the brand’s most-loved fragrances. The unique Britishness can also be seen in the lightness of touch and wry sense of humour that encapsulates the house. “It gives us a license to combine modernity with tradition,” says Dancey. “We have elegance, but we flirt with whimsy.”

That can mean an unusual mix of combinations in a scent, including English Pear & Freesia Cologne – another favourite – to collaborations with British brands that share the same commitment to craft and quality (such as independent paint manufacturer Little Greene and ceramics pioneers 1882 Ltd), to employing surprising brand ambassadors, ranging from the actor Tom Hardy to Paddington Bear for the launch of the house’s Orange Marmalade Cologne.

“We’re not the only British fragrance brand, but how we do it is slightly different,” says Dancey. “In a world full of data, you’re quite often directed to start in the lab with a fragrance. But ours always starts from the story – where the scent takes you to and how it makes you feel. We are not only driven by what trends to capture, additionally our approach allows us to create new trends and olfactive categories.”

For the house’s iconic candles, once the fragrance has been created it’s down to the manufacturing team to convert that into a final product. Fiona Hamilton-Fox has spent 27 years working specifically with Jo Malone London to ensure that each candle is produced to the highest quality. “We have tried and tested ingredients that we use to create our signature wax, forming the base for our candles, but the artisanal side comes from blending the fragrance with the wax, making a custom blend to ensure that the burn and diffusion are perfect.”

Each new launch offers new challenges. “The wax composition is altered to suit the fragrance oil and a cotton wick selected, with 300 to choose from. It’s a meticulous process, but crucial to creating the high quality, beautiful candles Jo Malone London is known for. After this, the wick is set – specialist equipment holds it taut while the soft wax sets, preventing bubbles and ensuring it burns evenly.”

And the same commitment to detail can be seen in the packaging – the candle glasses are polished and buffed by hand, while the iconic cream and black box is tied with grosgrain ribbon just down the road from the candle-making. Senior Operator Charmaine Lockwood talks with zeal about how the precision of the finishing has to match the quality of the product inside, “ensuring the team are all doing the same thing, at scale”, so that no label or ribbon is out of place. “Can you imagine if one was? You’d put it back on the shelf!” Lockwood adds.

This entails rotating everyone’s roles, to maintain focus (so that standards never slip) as well as keeping things interesting for employees and ensuring an end-to-end understanding of the entire process. Camaraderie is key – Lockwood cites “patience with people, consistency, personal pride and strong teamwork” as values that the team share and are reflected in the quality of the work they deliver.

It is noticeable that Jo Malone London puts a strong emphasis on kindness goals alongside its business goals as part of its brand strategy. This is perhaps best illustrated through charitable partnerships that help to shine a light on mental health. “Kindness is something that is a core value throughout the brand,” says Dancey. “It’s not just performative. We start inside out – so we wouldn’t go outside with that message until we thought we’d nailed it inside first – and that’s a constant task.

“At the heart of it all is a desire to leave our consumers smiling – if we can make that happen, we know we’ve done a good job.”