I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the Jovoy boutique in Paris, but by all accounts it is an essential spot for any perfume-loving person – a true destination for a wide rage of beautifully scented things. Well now us Brits no longer need to travel across the channel to visit Jovoy because the store has come to our shores, and last week the brand new Jovoy boutique in Mayfair, London had its (very) grand opening.
‘Grand’ is actually a great way to describe Jovoy Mayfair but at the same time, this grandness (and luxury) comes with a friendly, approachable attitude that is inviting to all. Jovoy offers a lot but it also feels spacious and open. It’s luxurious without being gaudy and quirky without being gimmicky, presenting a new fragrant shopping experience in a city filled to the brim with perfume. Read on to find out more about Jovoy Mayfair.
The Mayfair Jovoy boutique sits proudly on Conduit Street, just off Oxford Street in London. It’s in good company too, with Lalique, Vivienne Westwood, John Varvatos and Yohji Yamamoto nearby. It’s a luxurious area, for sure, but Jovoy is a luxurious boutique and it works as a more upscale, more destination-like perfume experience than the other boutiques of this ilk in London. The store itself is expansive and over two levels it offers an uncluttered range of perfumes from some of the most exciting and intriguing niche brands out there.
So what’s actually in the store? Or should I say ‘who’ is in the store? Well, there’s literally tons of brands, including; Aedes des Venustas, Beaufort London, Jul et Mad, Neela Vermeire Creations, Olfactive Studio, MDCI…. I could go on and I haven’t even mentioned the boutique’s own brands Jovoy and Jeroboam! I feel like there’s a good mix and Jovoy offers a lot of niche brands I’ve not seen in other boutiques in London before, which means that they’re not just showing more of the same, making a trip to Jovoy more than worthwhile.
But what about quirks? Is there anything unusual about this boutique – something not on offer at other perfume boutiques in the capital? Well, I’m glad you asked because there are quirks indeed. Most notably there is a perfume bar that one can use to fill up a sample or two. The bar is actually a repurposed wine dispenser that features a row of fragrances within empty wine bottles. The idea is that the featured scents will be rotated on a regular basis. It’s a really good way to sniff a curated selection of scents from Jovoy’s extensive collection and take away a sample of your favourites. It brings a whole new angle to the ideal of sampling!
There’s one other quirk in the form of ambergris. If you read this blog you most likely know about ambergris, but as a quick refresher, it’s a substance produced in the stomach of sperm whales that, when it has bobbed around on the surface of the ocean for a while and dried by the sun, creates a rather intensely smelling object that has been used in perfumery for centuries (oh and it costs an actual bomb too). At Jovoy there are numerous blocks of ambergris in various sizes. They are there to be viewed, smelled and made into perfume. Now find me another store that does that, I challenge you!
The question you are asking yourself is whether you should check out the new Jovoy boutique in Mayfair, and the answer is yes, you absolutely should. I think it’s a nice addition to what London already has to offer in terms of the perfume scene (which is a lot, let’s face it) and it compliments the likes of Les Senteurs and Bloom rather than replicating what those particular boutiques already have to offer. Jovoy offers the luxury you will find at the big department stores but it feels more finely-curated and more welcoming. You should absolutely check it out.
So if you’re in London any time soon then make sure you add a trip to Jovoy Mayfair to your perfume itinerary. Kick back in one of their luxurious leather sofas, hit the perfume bar and get drunk on perfume (metaphorically speaking, of course, it’s never recommended to actually drink it…), discover new & exciting fragrances and ogle priceless blocks of ambergris, and hopefully find something new to love. Oh and if you don’t try Jovoy’s Rose Millésimée whilst you are there then you’re missing out on something truly beautiful, because that’s one scent I fell in love with and I’d say it’s worth the trip just to smell that. Maybe I’ll see you there sometime.
Where to Find Jovoy
Jovoy Parfums Rare
21 Conduit Street
London
Disclaimer
Images are my own.
The Candy Perfume Boy 