Lime Basil & Mandarin Jo Malone London for women and men

I smelled a lot of Jo Malone's colognes at Sephora and among all of the ones I tried Lime Basil & Mandarin was the winner. There is a very specific reason for it. Years ago I was in Greece and bought a locally made hand cream which smelled heavenly. I've used all of it and since then couldn't find anything that would smell even remotely resemblant. Until the day I smelled Lime Basil & Mandarin. I sprayed it on myself at the store and was like "wait a minute... this is it. This is my Greece trip I took ages ago. It all comes back to me, Greek citrus trees, warm winter sun, breathtaking Athen ruins, the vibrancy of colors..." The magic of that memory overshadowed what this perfume actually is. Outside of this memory, it's just a citrus heavy perfume. A little too bitter, not super long lasting and, at times, slightly synthetic. But for me it's a valuable memory. I still hold on to the empty hand cream bottle, and when I came home I checked the ingredients. It was a 100% match in terms of scent notes. Lime, basil and mandarin. Simple, yet for some reason it took me years to find something that would smell close to that cream. The smell is not identical (I still see the greek hand cream as a way better use of these notes) but it's the closest damn thing and I am happy I found it. After all, that's what smells are supposed to do: to hold familiar moments within them, to be guides and conduits to potentially forgotten happy memories in life. I appreciate this perfume a lot for that.

P.S. I really agree with everyone mentioning summer in Italy. I get Italy trips flashbacks as well when I wear it :)

Looking to trade/ sell a 100ml bottle of this that’s 3/4 full. Message if anyone is interested :)

This is the closest I have found to a true lime scent, at least so far. Sadly but not surprisingly, the lime only lasts an hour, and what it leaves behind leans darker and earthier and spicier. I love the opening on this, but I want to layer it with something sweet. I think of mandarins as sweet smelling, and even lime is a little bit; this is not. It's bone dry throughout. On my skin basil doesn't really make much of an appearance—quel dommage! Longevity is only a couple of hours and projection is very minimal.

Impressions over time: Initially it smells like barely sweet lime and bergamot, a nice strong citrus. Ten minutes in and it's pure lime; if there's basil, it's overwhelmed. After half an hour, the citrus has started to fade, and after an hour it's barely present, leaving vetiver as the dominant smell. At an hour and a half it's a skin scent, and there's nothing but vetiver and patchouli. After that it kind of fades down to nothing rather quickly.

I was a little wary of trying this as, although lime is one of my favorite scents ever, I’ve had bad experiences with it going rancid on my skin as a fragrance note (I’m looking at you Maison Margiela Under the Lemon Tree).

Fortunately, this is absolutely beautiful on me. It’s very woody, and the orange and basil give the woodiness a slight spruce Christmas tree vibe. Even though this does work on my skin, this isn’t the type of fragrance I would wear myself, but I would absolutely get this as a home fragrance.

Beautiful! Between fruit, citrus the vetiver and patchouli give a little : je ne sais quoi, to this perfume. Good longevity. Fun to wear all year long.

The dry down smells like Clinique elixir

Reminds me of my mother chopping basil in our kitchen. Super nostalgic scent and a reason why I'll always like it. Realistic basil with orange and although it's fairly week sometimes, it's just a classic, worth over-spraying if you can find it at a good price.

This scent is okay, maybe I've gotten too used to it. However, from a fresh perspective, this scent is very down-to-earth and citrusy. I enjoy how I can track the basil notes as week as the herbs. I believe that the herbs and citrus blend together very well. I particularly like this scent because by the smell I can tell much less refined chemicals were used, it smells fresh and clean. Overall great scent!

I used to work for this line and my co-worker always used to laugh at me when I called this one the 'sweaty balls' scent. It's good! But in a musty sweaty way. My opinion is it leans more masculine and works well for layering.

Got myself a sample but this works awfully with my skin chemistry, which is weird because basil and citruses are usually a safe bet on my skin.
It's like slicing a nice juicy lime on the same cutboard that you used to cut cheese.

The Youth Dew of the 21st century. An immediate no. The only positive thing about this fragrance is that in true Jo Malone fashion, it doesn't last long.

Would be a delicious smelling cocktail. Very sharp lime/citrus with a hint of herbs and syrup. while I do enjoy the smell it reminds me of if you ordered a mixed drink during brunch and managed to accidently spill it on yourself and the dry down is what this is. Not for me but good for someone else.

this shouldnt be a fragrance. Period. lime candy but clean? basil notes come in the dry down. try this first please before buying. 5/10

Fresh, zingy and natural on a cotton ball. Uplifting. but dries down very masculine and soapy on my skin. Turns almost cilantro-like and bitter. A scrubber, but that’s my chemistry for you.

This smells horrible on me. Like the stinky underarms of someone who loves spicy food, refused to take a shower and forgot to apply her deodorant. BO POWER in supervillain levels. I think it's the patchouli and citrus combination. Does this have coriander and cumin as hidden notes?

This is a grown up, edgy Light Blue!!! Italian Summer in a bottle. Absolutely delicious.

this is a unisex scent that leans more masculine, but I LOVE THIS!!! opening smells like crushed peel, rind,& pulp of limes/lemons/oranges!!! super zesty, fresh, and uplifting! if you've been in a depressive episode and haven't showered for a bit, spraying this after ur post-depression shower really hits different lmao... dry-down is unique with herby green notes from the basil and thyme... also a little woody in the base from the vetiver, i normally HATE patchouli but in this it's not overpowering and super well blended... smells like a warm summer in Italy sat under a lemon tree on freshly cut grass!!

My brother bought me this for Christmas one year. Wow go me! A kid brother who buys his big sis Jo Malone! It's a basil citrus explosion. Literally summer in a bottle. If you love vibrant freshness this is the one for you. It's not sweet at all, just green and zingy and full of life.

I love this perfume for a summer scent! if you are not a fan of florals and prefer citruses, this is the one! The cirtrus notes are strong at first and slowly fade as the perfume wears on. The perfume leaves a combination of a woody and earthy scent on the skin with light notes of lime.

Dry down reminds me of Bottega Veneta

Starts screechy. But I am not really a firstimpressionsareeverything gal.
Fast forward, bought a bottle for my boyfriend. This is the kind of perfume that when you smell in the wild, you feel nostalgic, y’all feel me?
Like you are hit with a wave of memories from the time you were out with someone you loved on a sunny day, frolicking about, having lemony drinks, laying in grass and all that. Good times.
Really classy. Love this 🫶🏼

Smells like a summer in Italy

I would never buy it, if it wasn’t for 10 euro in secondhand store. I’m not a fan of citruses, I'm only growing on liking them.
First sniff is a bit too much basil and citrus, I found it weird so I decided to resell it for more. But then I kept craving this scent. It’s so weird that it’s good on its own. It’s sour, citrusy, a bit screechy and indeed smells like some food. But giving it a time made it such a luxurious delicious smell. Definitely a mood booster for cloudy grey days!

Was a bit unsure when I first tried this one; too lemony and shrill for the season, didn't seem to last long etc.

I don't know if anyone else can smell this on me, but I don't mind that. To begin with I was wary about wearing it, but after a few weeks have found myself choosing it nearly every day. It settles down to such a gentle musky scent that just reminds me to go and respray it.

It seems, just from how often I choose to wear this, that I actually love it! It doesn't bother anyone else and changes into a gentle perfume that is just for me to enjoy.

i loved it smells like a hotel lobby, i like the smell but when i spray it on me it doesn't have a wow factor also its smells like a basic perfume for other people its not one of those perfume that will be a holy grail for a lot of people. i love the smell so much but as a perfume it doesn't do its job. i feel like this is a home scent. i would love my house to smell like this so as a home fragrance this definitely a fav .

I can’t even begin to describe how much I love this cologne. Upon spraying it the first scent that hits is a herbaceous mandarin leaf, and on the dry down it becomes a fresh citrus with a dominating edge of lime. It does have more of a masculine edge to it and although I do wish the basil would come through a bit more I absolutely adore it.

I was about to sell this one, but the fall stepped in and I found myself craving for something like this. Very green (or I would say yellow?), citrus-ish and woody. Finally, I could get the lime, and patchouli is not so strong. I couldn't use it during summer. So let it be! Maybe this is how I prolongate my summer :) The longevity is 3-4h on my skin.

This fragrance is okay. It can be your casual/signature scent. Could see myself wearing this doing errands. For a sunny day for sure, very simple yet unique. You gotta love citrus scents for this of course, and the basil sits well with it. Smells like you’re peeling a mandarin infront of your kitchen window which has basil planted by it, morning sun is shining through and a breeze flows in. It’s a fresh fragrance and pretty linear, not too overwhelming or overpowering like everything Jo Malone offers, good for people with a sensitive nose.

Masterpiece. One of the best fragrances ever made.Masterfully blended with high quality ingredients. Smells amazing,sensual,fresh,uplifting and its in between an EDT and an EDP.

A summer fragrance that can be wear anytime and create instant memories in your soul. One in a million fragrance. The oil bath is also woth buying and can be used as oil perfume. Definetly unisex and a must have on any perfume collection.

I thought this was unisex but it's quite masculine. Smells of aftershave.

Awful. Am one who is fairly open about blending fragrance and also wearing things straight up. This just feels super disconnected. Very patchouli/bergamot forward with this bright citrus note that does not compliment. With more middle notes, maybe darker floral or a slight bit of spice it could shine. However without it, it is just odd and across multiple friends/myself tested fails to hit the mark. The sillage and strength also doesnt lend yourself to get rid of it anytime soon.

I was given this perfume as a christmas gift last year. I have never had any Jo Malone perfume before, but I really loved this. I think it is quite original and although it is listed as citrus, that isnt what hits me first, rather an earthiness that has moss at its base.

I bought my first bottle of Lime, Basil & Mandarin in 2018 and have loved this scent ever since. There’s a great balance between the tart citrus, herbaceous notes and the slightly sweet dry down.

My favourite fragrance for the summer. Wore it for my graduation so it has a special place in my heart.

Smells like Parmesan cheese for some reason, along with English style old lady.

I remember smelling this in a Jo Malone store and being thrilled that they spray the tissue paper with it - such luxury!

However, I’m not a massive fan of citrus and vetiver, so this isn’t for me. It’s a hard family of smells to get right without it giving echoes of Flash floor cleaner or Fairy liquid, although I think this blend does succeed.

It’s been tainted a bit by the many dupes - seems like everyone has an Aldi candle which copies this smell. It’s become ubiquitous and so doesn’t feel as luxurious now.

The performance is decent for Jo Malone and it’s an alright scent; just not to my personal taste.

i trite the a tester at the perfume shop here in south africa not long ago and its winter and it performed very well and the longivity awesome with a moderate projection a month later i owne it .... yes i am a man

This perfume beautifully sums up our hot summer afternoons in the Mediterranean. It evokes the sunny blue skies, lush green gardens and whitewashed villas. I love the balance of the feminine and the masculine in it and how it wears on my skin and in my hair.

This has a slightly plastic smell - which almost smells like a Barbie Doll's head that has been left out in the summer heat.
This has extremely good longevity. Yes, I agree with some of the other reviews - this perfume has a depth to it that could be worn by men, but does not have the aftershave smell that would make this smell too masculine on a woman.

I would definitely try this perfume. See how this blends with your chemistry.

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This perfume lasts, this is almost over 10 hours of wear, I can still smell this after 10 hours of wear!

Smells metallic/mineral to me on my skin which is a personal dislike, not a fan

This is one of the most offensive fragrances I’ve ever encountered. Obviously my nose is the culprit here because this smells like ammonia/cat pee mixed with some sort of highly concentrated floor cleaner. Wow. This is like a 0/10.

Take this review with a huge grain of salt because there is no way this is what others smell when they try this. This is like a chemical weapon to my nose.

Unisex scent that I consider more masculine than feminine - traditionally thinking. I like this scent. I'm into this type of fragrances now, especially in the summer, that have green notes and herbal aromas. It's refreshing and also sensual.

Green and clean. Fresh grass..The vetiver here isn't the earthy rooty variety. Gets powdery from the iris which also isn't rooty. 🫚.
Basil can sometimes ruin a fragrance for me if it's too prominent. It's borderline here

Scent 6/10

idk why but my roommate has this and it smells like the inside of a lush store. I love it though.

Love it. Perfectly composed with great longevity and projection. This fragrance does tend to lean more on the masculine side but that’s just my opinion. I don’t know if it’s just me but there is something about this that makes my body feel cooler on a hot day.

A blind buy that I regret. I bought a half used 30ml one because I had heard good things. Having adored Jo Malone’s Mimosa & Cardamom before, I thought it would be the case with this one as well. Nope! It reminds me of my dads shaving cream in the early 90’s. It is fresh and clean and most definitely a men’s fragrance. Wouldn’t even know how to layers this one…

Certainly has its namesake notes, but it somewhat lacks in the presumed freshness with very rindy citruses and a bitter thyme that dominates the heart. This is a lush green herbal experience, slightly soured up with light citrus. Moderate projection for 2-3hr, longevity 10-12hr.

My ultimate go-to for any hot day. This simple tarty fragrance is really capable to compete with high humidity. Slightly chypre undertone gives a perfect closure in about 5 hours. However there's no significant regression, it's just zesty all day long

The opening is like an artificially flavoured sherbet bomb, I prefer the dry down. I have a 9ml to use and won't repurchase. Wood Sage and Sea Salt is the same for performance, I prefer the dry down but don't like to wait through the opening.

in the beginning i smell a lot of middle and base notes, but then its mostly citruses. really juicy but masculine

This smells like a classic barbershop scent to me. It would be lovely on a man. Not for me.

This is surprisingly very bitter for me. The lime was refreshing but added no hint of sweetness or sourness to give balance to the spiciness of the herb notes. Quite disappointed, but I can see how this would work for some who enjoy very herbaceous fragrances.

Lime Basil & Mandarin is perhaps the most celebrated Jo Malone perfume, a simple citrus cologne with a herbal undertone and a woody, chypre base. The use of herbs in a high-end women's perfume was seemingly unusual at the time of its release, but to a modern nose, LBM smells safe, even passé. I like a good citrus cologne in the heat, and this is a decent example, nicely composed and good-quality, but nothing exciting.

LBM opens with a realistic, acidic citrus accord. Tart, acerbic lime is fittingly most prominent, but orange complements it nicely. The sharp
tangy citrus accord is king initially, but the herbal notes creep in shortly afterwards, adding a savoury green quality that tempers it somewhat. The herbs smell freshly-chopped, and alongside the citrus, it reminds me of vinaigrette on a fresh green salad (a very different type of gourmand!) It is pleasant, but too reminiscent of food for me to wear as a scent.

It becomes slightly powdery as it develops, and the modern chypre base develops, woody and earthy. It is a nice if logical development from the citrus-herbal opening. Patchouli and dry, woody vetiver play a large role here. It fades to a slightly musky, earthy skin scent with a whisper of wood and herbs. Sillage and longevity are moderate. Best worn in hot weather.

A unisex citrus-herbal cologne with a soft chypre base, LBM feels fairly run-of-the-mill today, but was groundbreaking at the time. A modern classic, but too sharp and herbal for me - I would choose Ô de Lancôme over this. 3/5.

I received this as a present. Citruses aren't really my scent profile, but this one surprised me. As soon as I opened it, I was reminded of O De Lancome that my mother used to wear in the 90s. This is citrusy, but first and foremost it has very aromatic champagne-chypre like characteristics. The most prominent notes are lime and mandarin, but not the actual fruits - freshly grated zesty rind. I get basil and thyme, but no lilacs or iris. It is very unisex, uplifting and happy, and of course day time, evocative of a sunny morning somewhere in Italy or Greece.
Longevity and projection exceeded my expectations for sure!

Lime Basil & Mandarin...Furniture Polish & Old Leather Boot...

I tested this on my +1 having heard it was supposed to be one of Jo Malone's better offerings. We both hated it from beginning to end. It seems to combine all the worst things about lime with all the worst things about basil and maybe a few other worst things about something else. He said he felt as if the fragrance was harassing him the whole way home. I don't know if he'll ever let me test anything on him again after this.

Very green and sour scent, more like a men’s cologne. There is a bit of a lime at the beginning, but it disappears as citruses usually do, and then I can only smell cooking. Kitchen. Cutting basil leaves. Bruschetta. Getting ready for dinner. Not something I expected and I don’t find it particularly pleasant. I’m disappointed that there is not much of the mandarin, at least I can’t smell it in this.

Just like the bush made of birch tree leaves to take with me to sauna. Such a super green lush and somewhat tart fragrance. Does not smell like classic parfumey anything. However my husband and son who do not share the same background with childhood sauna experiences complained about this fragrance being stinky and bothersome. I could never have guessed someone would dislike this to me very nostalgia evoking scent. Apparently this can be polarizing. So not office safe, I suppose.

I don't like citrusy scents, but I hoped the basil would balance it out. Unfortunately, I do not detect any basil in this but I smelled it in store. I see that others are saying it's quite a strong basil scent when it dries down. That's nice, but I would really prefer to smell the two together from the start.

Herbal, zesty, and smells like something I’d want to eat on bruschetta. This reminds me of summer breezes and plants. Very green, very citrusy. It’s wonderfully unisex vividly pulls to mind images of basil stems and lime rinds. This is like a snapshot of a scent.

Received this as a gift, and not really my type of citrus scent. It's too zesty, and becomes too herbal on me.

The perfume is kind of sour. Lemony. Not so good. I don't think it can go well with body chemistry.
BUT I recommend the body LOTION - it is a lot more balanced, smells more like a perfume than the actual perfume. More muted, not sour. Elegant. Has a decent sillage for a body lotion, leaves a tiny trace in your bedsheets or your clothes. Perfect for summer when you are just out of the shower and you are looking for something elegant, easy and fresh :) Plus the small bottle of the lotion is affordable in comparison to the actual perfume and last enough to try, use or maybe pass on to someone if you have changed your mind.

I really really dislike this fragrance, I should like it as I love all these separate notes but all I smell is screechy spicy and herby citrus. I don’t get any of the iris or lilac and no powder notes, despite these. This smells unisex to me, leaning very male. I don’t mind the smell as such, if I smelt it in a kitchen or a garden I wouldn’t mind it but it is definitely not a fragrance I would ever wear.

This isn't bad but this pulls 30-50 year old male to me, and that's not me in any way.

VERY good. A hefty grassy citrus that would probably give me a headache if it were any stronger, but it stops just shy of going there. Sophisticated & rich. Great longevity and projection. There's something in here that almost smells like an overripe melon; maybe it's the combination of bergamot and iris.
This leans masculine, but I feel comfortable wearing it as a woman.

I'm very surprised that I don't enjoy this one when I usually really like green tart citrus scents.
Mandarin is to my nose the heaviest of the citrus top notes because it intrinsically has a very prominent aromatic green component to it if you smell the oil on its own. Here it seems they have doubled down on that facet with bright and sharp lime compounds and a bunch of green herbal notes without sweetening it at all.
On my skin it is quite grueling and uncomfortable and the sharpness lasts for hours and turns sour over time.

I much prefer Hermes Eau and Concentre d'Orange Verte for a green petitgrain citrus cologne and I would happily sacrifice longevity for a more velvety and smooth drydown.
Alternatively, see Guerlain Mandarine Basilic for a smoother green mandarin.

aromatic first! lime rinds, but savory but zesty, sweet, or sour. not the type of citrus that i like.

My mom’s favorite perfume. It reminds me of what I imagine fancy champagne smells like, or a boujie house party.

I agree with Cherry Darling. I don't get much basil in this, just a generalised herbal accord. And I know what basil smells like, I've been growing and buyng it for years. OTOH I don't get anise either.

People's experience of this fragrance does vary a lot. Interesting.

A good friend mentioned this as something her mother would go through bottles of so I've been dying to try it. It's a sharp tart green citrus, and turns very herbal. I get a lot of anise as opposed to basil, I regularly buy fresh basil to add to things and to be honest I get no true basil here. More of an herbal anise seed and grass. But I can see the appeal during summer if you're not the sweet loving type, this is definitely not sweet, sharp, tart, green, and on the dry, very anise seed. I'm not a huge fan of this drydown as it feels grainy and chemical on my skin with far too much licorice (anise) That good part barely last a few minutes though as I write this review it's gone.

** 200 samples for swap UK - check my customs, get in touch - 65 incoming end of the week! 10+ bundles **

Too much basil after the dry down. Smells like a salad.

Lime Rind Oil + Bergamot citrus + Basil + Mandarin Orange Oil + White Musk + Fresh Patchouli + dry grassroot Vetiver + White Vanillin + touch of Smoke + very minimal florals if any

A simple, sweet real lime & mandarin, refreshing, uplifting fragrance within your own scent bubble as it has limited projection.
The Citrus Acid notes are at the top of the dna, earthed by the dry Grassroot and sweetened by a dash of White Vanillin. There is a Basenote of Mandarin Orange Oil that you get hit at the back of your nose as one does when peeling the fruit in real life.

7 sprays on the arm and i got no personal whiffs, can only smell it when my nose it to my arm. But, it did last quiet a few hours.
Completely over-priced for what you get.

3/5 Woofs!

I really liked this scent on a friend so I bought it for myself. It's a very fresh, citrusy and easy to wear scent. But the longevity is terrible. Just 2-3 hours later I could barely smell it on my skin anymore. So having in mind that it's very overpriced.

tested it and love this scent!! it’s so bright and fresh. great for a summer day

First impressions: On my skin, I’m getting the bitterness of the lime peel and an aged lime smell. Also a green spiciness. Maybe that’s the vetiver base, but it reminds me of eucalyptus or a resinous tree. (?) I like that aspect a lot. I’m not getting any mandarin orange or basil, unfortunately.

But also, I’m realizing that my skin might tend to pull *everything* sweet, which sucks for me, because I’m not a big sweet scent person or a fan of *all* base notes eventuating to sweetness. 😞 This one isn’t at all sweet on paper, but is sweet on me.

I almost rated this as “okay” (😐) because of its terrible longevity, but that’s most Jo Malones, and I do love how it smells.

Fresh, citrusy but without it being sharp. For some reason I get saffron, which is nowhere to be found here. I don't love it, but its not bad either. It's a easy to wear fragrance, great for the warmer weather. If you love citrus you might like it, yet I can't help but think of this as a pretty forgettable scent.

This is very nice, I can't stop smelling my hand. I can see how this leans more masculine than unisex, kinda aftershavey but not too much, it's such a soft, sublte, enjoyable scent. I get the air freshener vibes other commenters have mentioned as well but still I'd love to smell this on a man.

This is one of the best fresh&spicy fragrance Your money can buy. It opens up citrusy and fresh, and then the freshness settles down, but it is still there throughout the life of the fragrance. Great.

I bought this before a very hot trip to the South of France and it was a perfect purchase. It’s a truly beautiful scent that is perfect for warmer climates and weather. Whenever I wear this fragrance I am transported back to the south of France - and although the holiday and my ex boyfriend is now elsewhere, I remember how happy I felt with my life at the time.

Lime basil and mandarin is a very likeable scent but not necessary something I want to have in my collection. (But I already have it LOL🤣) . The reason is when it comes to citrusscents I really want them to be fresh, tart, clean and cooling.

With this scent it's kind of a warm citrus, as a warm cozy citrus.

What I get mostly in the top is the lime and the bergamot, not so much oranges..... mostly a warm limescent, if it makes sense, like if someone took limejucie and warmed it up in a microwave LOL. Along with this a get a wonderful greenness which is coming from the basil... with somekind of a peppery taste to it.

So in the opening I get warm lime and peppery basil, in the drydown the basil gets stronger mixed with the floralnotes, thymes and lilac which makes the scent very green, herbal and quite manly.

So all in all... I will keep it till the end but I will not repurchase this one.

Sorry but this is probably the most expensive air freshener I have bought. It resides in the downstairs cloakroom room (toilet)for as and when needed.

What I was expecting- something along the lines of Atelier Pacific Lime + Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic. This is absolute not what I get, at least on my skin. I absolutely love citrus, but for me, while the lime is very much there, the star of the show is Vetiver.

I was expecting light, uplifting, but for me, due to the vetiver, it is very grounded (almost heavy) and unisex. It brings to mind an old fashioned barber shop from yore, where you get your shave and hair cut, and the scent of lime and vetiver mingle in the air. I noticed lots of the reviews mentioned it being summery and light, and I just don't get that.

I love Jo Malone's more unisex scents like English Oak + Hazelnut and Wood Sage + Sea Salt, but this one just isn't for me, I'm afraid. Somewhat ironically, I find that this one lasted longer on me than either of the above mentioned fragrances.

Like grandmother’s toilet water from bazaar.. not mine… it’s unisex and I would have it away to my boyfriend if I had him

Got a dupe of this, quite like it’s herbal citrusy sharpness, refreshing!
I think it would benefit from being layered with something warm like sandalwood.
I’ve left no votes since I’ve not yet sampled the original but if anyone knows of any scents like this but with even more masculine warmth I’d love to know, cheers.

I did like this when I first smelled it, however now I'm not too sure anymore as it has become boring and mediocre for me. I find myself not reaching for it very often anymore and it's one that I'd have to be in the mood for.

Ultra-citrus; if you're not into citruses you probably won't like this. Citruses in here quite sour and tart, but very uplifting. This perfume sparkles with all the spright created by the citrus notes, however basil grounds it and gives it more depth. A youthful, joyful and almost extroverted type of scent. Great for warm weather and I find this scent pretty inoffensive and versatile. I find this to be more appropriate in a social setting: family meals, family gatherings, nightout with friends, lunchdate, moviedate, beachgoing, etc. I think both men and women could wear this, but this leans slightly feminine with how light and bright it is. I don't exactly get much florals, this is mostly about the citruses and the other notes are here to merely accentuate the perfume more but I can't exactly detect them, apart from a bit of woodiness and smokiness towards the end of the wearing of the perfume. Quite a mass appealing scent with no niche quality. Am thinking of selling this even, I feel it's not receiving much love sitting on my shelve. Price is slightly difficult to justify for such a mediocre scent with no personality.

Longevity is pretty good for an eau de cologne, I get about 4-5 hours of longevity on my skin, but in the 3rd/4th hour is when it dissipates into the base notes and sillage becomes a faint smokiness. Apart from this sillage is decent.

Unique and unrepeatable. Not a dozen fragrances. I'm always a success when I wear it. Optimum between 15-25°C. I love it.

This is one of my favorites from Jo Malone. It leans very unisex and even masculine as a fresh and somehow spicy/zesty fragrance. This lasts all day for me with 3 sprays, and it reminds me of cottagecore. A fresh spring garden with a side of lime zest!

"رایحه ترش و خنک مرکباتی شبیه رایحه لیمو عمانی در کنار (حس گیاهی تلخ و کمی تند) از ریحان به همراه
کمی حس چوبی گرم و شیرین. سال معرفی آن 1999 هست. روایح تلخ و ترش بیشتر حس میشن.
طبع کلی عطر خنک هست و برای استفاده در هوای گرم و معتدل مناسبه. پخش و ماندگاری مناسبی داره.
اگر درست تشخیص داده باشم، به نظرم میاد که رایحش شبیه رایحه ترش مرکباتی لیموعمانی که با یک
حس کپکی تلخ و کمی تند ترکیب شده و کمی حس شیرین، گرم و چوبی همراهیش میکنه."

A wonderful linen spray just before bed. It's enjoyable--I think the basil/patchouli notes read more vegetal than aromatic, and that makes me think it might be more suited to furnishings than a wardrobe. That vegetal-earthy vibe gives me the impression of something that's been dried on the line and taken up some of the smells of the yard. It's so fleeting that I can't imagine using this as a fragrance for anything outside the house, even as a layering ingredient. Expect to reapply frequently if this is going to be your daily wear.

Edit 05/13/22: You know, now that the weather is a bit warmer and sunnier I've been pleasantly surprised at how nice this can be as a mid-day pick-me-up cologne instead of just a linen spray. It's still pretty fugitive on me--an hour, 90 minutes max--but I get that this is something that may well resonate better the warmer it gets. I quite like it despite its fleeting nature. That vegetal note is really something, it recalls the smell of pulling weeds--not sweet and grassy but bitter and medicinal. For what it's worth the citrus is much more apparent when this is sprayed onto fabric. On my skin I get the citrus sourness but mostly it's those herbal-vegetal notes, and they're really growing on me.

Quite frankly one of my all-time favourite scents which I need to prize myself away from because I've been wearing it non stop (and the macthing body lotion for that matter), its peppy, zesty and even though the last few days my mood has been far from zesty and happy, it at least makes me feel a little bit better.

My first ever introduction(s) to Lime Basil & Mandarin was in the form of a Supermarket Jo Malone Clone reed diffuser, it smelt like toilet cleaner, was very bitter and harsh which made me think "if thats how Lime Basil & Mandarin actually smells, I don't like it", I tried the Superdrug Jo Malone dupes and a few other dupes since at the time I was never able to step into a Jo Malone store to actually try anything (I was too broke and knew I'd not be able to leave empty handed) and, the same end result: harsh synthetic, bitter and toilet cleaner like. Even in recent years when I've been in Jo Malone stores, I've glossed over LBM because I hated how the dupes smelt so much, until I was in an Estee Lauder outlet store which had Lime Basil & Mandarin lotion and the cologne out. I rubbed some of the lotion into my hands because they were dry and sore not actually realising what scent it was, and I could not stop sniffing my hands, I tried some of the cologne and again, I was hooked and ended up getting both.

The opening is a sharp bright affair of freshly cut limes, mandarins and a little bergamot zested lightly over the top, its so refreshing and uplifting but it doesn't end there, basil (as in the name) emerges but mixes with the citrus in the top giving a gorgeous green leafy undertone. The basil here doesn't smell like dried basil or drying herbs, its more fresh and vegetal, there is also some patchouli and vetiver in here but they are so subtle and just help to ground the cirtus notes and the basil.

Longevity is great, never really had a problem with the longevity of Jo Malone colognes in all honesty; 6hrs from 5 spritzes and the siliage is moderate but its quite "wafty" rather than being like a wall of scent around you. Its very unisex, can be worn easily in various settings such as the office or evenings out etc and not feel out of place and it is for sure an excellent summer reach. The body lotion is also equally gorgeous and if you want to boost the longevity of the cologne, they (obviously) work very well together, but I've not really found the need for that personally, but its lovely to slather on post refreshing shower.

Summer staple, frequent repurchase and a total LOVE!

A very musky/dusty citrus scent. Subtle.

I dont know what I was thinking when I got that. But glad I only got the 30ml (largely cuz of the unjustified price hike) otherwise I would've been stuck with the 50/100 ml smelling like the herbs aisle in the grocery store.

I do like green notes, I love basil, mandarin, but the thyme comes off really strong and not in harmony with the rest of the ingredients. It remains prominent through the dry down. I dont smell any citrus or mandarin except for the microseconds while spraying.

Oddly I've enjoyed its smell while in the dept store twice. Maybe cuz I've been intoxicated by many perfumes sampled. Jo malone rep told me that it layers perfectly with bergamot and oud which I own and love. But that's a no go for me. No freshness no citrus no harmony.

Smelt this on a friend while driving, i thought i had a car air freshener i forgot about leaking somewhere. Smells so cheap, like a drugstore mens cologne. I thoroughly dislike this scent

Maybe the citrus too strong. I love orange and bergamot scent, I also love vetiver. But this one smelled like dish washer liquid to me ...

Lovely rustic, bright, citrus, herbal cologne. Feels like a sunny beautiful day in Tuscany walking through a quaint town. Reminds me of Armani Eau Pour Homme with it's citrus and italian herbal notes. Great every day scent.

Scent: 8.5 / Sillage: 7.5 / Longevity: 7.5

Oh, this is just terrible. An overbearing herbal smell from the basil, overripe citrus, and the smell (or maybe odor) of cheap men's cologne from the 80s. This is so bad that I don't even want to give it away. I feel like the recipient would be more offended by my "gift" than grateful. I cannot remember the last time that I had such a strong aversion to a fragrance where I didn't believe that I could at least layer it with a lotion or fragrance to make it more bearable. But his one will be going directly into the trash.

Lime Basil and Mandarin is tough going for me. I enjoy many unisex/masculine-leaning fragrances, and at least in theory, I like all of these notes, but this one just smells like a generic men's cologne with a splash of mojito. It's all sharp citrus top notes and pungent herbs without anything to round off the jagged edges. It's all a bit shouty and shrill. Ladies Who Lunch, the heartburn edition? I generally find lesser Jo Malones too bland to hate, so I suppose I respect them for making a fragrance that isn't trying to please everyone. It certainly doesn't please me.

The basil in this is unbearably strong next to the bitter sour lime. No thanks.

This smells like the opening scene of twilight. Bella in the car, driving through Forks. A fresh, iris, basil, almost minty fragrance.

this fragerance has a lovely beginning with a minty basil herb smell and a citrusy smell but it dries down to an almost masculine peppery smell. it almost reminds me of a mojito with its green notes but the supposed floral notes are not present at all, sillage is good but no one ever guesses its a perfume and thinks it's an air freshener. 6/10 in my opinion but good if you like citrusy/green perfumes.

Based on the notes this should be great, but there is something unpleasant and bitter going on in the opening that really puts me off. It does eventually settle down but the whole point of a fresh, citrus-based cologne like this is that the opening should be fabulous. It isn't. Having said this I find LB&M to be a good performer in terms of longevity and power.
Not really a 'sexy' fragrance. Suits men and women in their 60's, perhaps in hot climates.

It's an okay citrus perfume, you get what you paid for. I think its good but at the same time this will be only appreciated if you really love citrus

2/10

This is a great fresh and unassuming unisex scent if you like citrus.

My wife and I were pottering in JM and tried this (bought Amber and Lavender, pretty good). Pleasant enough, daytime, understated scent. What exactly is the wearer trying to project? Professional, thoughtful, welcoming maybe, but not sexy. Not that exciting TBH. Interestingly as a home fragrance (candle?) its very good as having ppl in your home and experience a 'nice' fragrance is exactly what you want. And a pretty safe gift too.
3/5

From the notes I thought I would love this scent. I usually like fresh and and citrus scents. But I hate it. I do not see any fresh or uplifting citrus notes. It is heavy and suffocating, gives me a headache and nausea. Seems like has a very strong longevity. I could not scrub it off with some aromatic soap. For me this scent is a disaster
P.S. I love Jo Malone's Wood Sage and Sea Salt, and like a few more scents like Wild Bluebell and Blackberry & Bay

Again, from the notes I thought “I will love this” as I love fresh, citrusy scents.
All the notes present in this fragrance are definitely overruled by lime.
I can smell a little mandarine and a little basil in the very beginning, but for the rest it is a good 90% lime frag. Pungent lime.

Lime is a lovely note, however this note is contained in the deodorant I am wearing this season so I am often led thinking I am only spreading around my deodorant’s notes!

A part from that, it is very dry, definitely genderless but absolutely a summer one. It is refreshing.
All in all I like it: the only negative is the longevity, too poor at this price point.
In no way can it be compared to Mandarine Basilic (i own it), MB is way more tangerine, sweeter and the basil is fresh but not pungent.
The Lime Basil & Mandarine by Jo Malone is all about lime.
I will have to layer it to get more complexity, however I am not a layering person as i need my frag fix and run out...
Will see how to get more mileage from this one....

Probably the worst "higher end" perfume I've smelled to date. Pungent, bitter, putrid and nauseating. Note combo is a disaster. A scent that I would put to someone's nose if they fainted/passed out to revive them to consciousness. I can't imagine any profile of person that would wear this. Longevity is an A+ though, I doused my arm in dish soap, alcohol, baking soda scrub, and it remained.

A classic, unisex, citrus aromatic, that I really enjoy, because it has patchouli as well. ⁠⁠
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It lasts about half a day on me with 1 hour of moderate sillage, drying down to intimate performance. ⁠
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A scent that evokes rich ladies in white clothes.

I am always Layering it with Oud & bergamot. So beautiful.

I don't know exactly what, but for my nose there's something wrong with this fragrance. There s a note here that unbalance everything. Maybe my skin makes the basil too powerful and is "suffocating" every other notes.?! 🤔Idk but I can't say I like it.

1 spray and it's pure mandarin orange on me...a hint of the lime and basil notes but otherwise felt overly sweet and suffocating. had to wash off after 10 mins.

On initial spray I really don’t get anything else, but a candy-smelling mandarin note.the smell of a sweet, rather than a fresh fruit, the way, say Atelier Orange Sanguine does so well.

Maybe the basils and others are there, but the artificial candy mandarin drowned everything else out, to my nose. On dry down I pick up the herbals, but not worth it for that artificial
opening.

I never thought a popular, standby Jo Malone fragrance could be weird, but this one is. The first time I sprayed it, I thought "barbershop, creepy old uncle, do not like" and put it away. But it messed with my head so I tried it again, thought "shaving cream" and sprayed liberally. Now, after a few minutes on skin, it smells just like the sour Minute Maid lemonade drink mix powder I loved as a kid... and that's a good association. So it's kind of a trip... it would be great to have a deluxe sample on hand but I don't need the full bottle.

This the perfect balance of citrus, herbal, and floral. The basil and thyme and the iris and lilac give the citrus notes an incredible depth and richness. Lime Basil & Mandarin has a luxurious, relaxed vibe that feels very moneyed to me, think billionaire Thomas Crown in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 or 1999, either works). This fragrance would go equally well while wearing a crisp white linen shirt (at a private beach of course) or an elegant black summer dress and designer sunglasses while sipping drinks in the city.

Fragrantica incorrectly lists the release date of Lime Basil & Mandarin as 1999. Lime Basil & Mandarin was Jo Malone's second ever fragrance (after Nutmeg & Ginger - 1990) so the release date is actually 1991. My source for this Luca Turin's review of Lavender & Coriander (2016) in Perfumes: The Guide (2018).

The patchouli and basil come in strong, but in a distilled, chemical sort of way. After a few minutes I smell like I stepped on a stink bug. Washing it off and never using again.

This is a pleasant enough scent. Lies very low where it is barely a skin scent after an hour or two. I am really not getting the kind of performance that some are, and this with at least 8 to 10 sprays. Still giving it 4/5.

I'm also not sure about this one. I like unisex scents and sometimes fragrance marketed towards men, and I think this is a little too masculine for me. I'm not sure why. Lasts a long time though- I sprayed it on the inside of my forearm at 7am before leaving for work and could still smell it at 5:30 pm, then I forgot to check after that. I dont think it's one you smell from far away, but I'm okay with that. It's very strong so it might be upsetting for everyone around if the sillage was too much.

I have tried to hard to like this one. I feel like it’s an essential element of having a Jo Malone collection to mix and layer. But on me it smells like straight up bathroom cleaner. It’s masculine and as I said in another review, this one mixed with Wood Sage and Sea Salt make a very nice men’s cologne. On paper. But on my skin, no. Bathroom cleaner.

Delicious, simple and yet nuanced, harmonious scent. Very natural and balanced. Remains on the skin / clothing at least well enough. No complaints. And it really does smell like it says on the can. Lime, basil, and mandarin.
I think it’s at its best on beautiful summer days, as well as in gloomy times as a refresher when there’s just a grey sky over a black town, and you can feel depression all around. And you even might have your leather boots on.

Overall, the best Jo Malone perfume I know.

I have the Superdrug version of this called Bloom: Basil and Mandarin. It begins very unisex and herbal; definitely getting the basil and citrus notes. In cold weather it is a more linear scent, but on hot days is when this one shines - it is the cooling refreshing green punchy start you want on a hot day, but after half an hour or an hour it becomes much more feminine, lush and musky; this is when the lilac and iris emerge and change the game. It's this phase that I love the most. Longevity is good for me at 5-6 hours.

Still unsure about this one. Smells very unique, complex and strong. Do not listen to the people that said this smell like dish washer because it’s not. I don’t know if I want to smell like this. Not love or hate

I"ve been really enjoying my exploration of JM perfumes but not this one. Opening scent: blast of generic men's cologne. Had to wash it off my wrists and even my teen son said, "yuck" when I made him smell it.

That said, I layered it with Wood, Sage and Sea salt and by the time I had arrived to work, the chemical blast had worn off and a nice musky scent remained. It reminded me of my first boyfriend's deodorant from 25 years ago. Brought back lovely memories but not what I want to smell like.

I believe this is one of, or possibly the most popular JM fragrances in their line. Even if you haven't smelled this before, you would still likely recognize the scent. It is very familiar, warm, citrus and clean.

This is very unisex, having an expensive shower gel scent - grounded in woodiness. Longevity is good for me, 4-5 hours (good for JM), projection is one of the strongest from JM - past arm's length for about 1-2 hours.

Overall 7/10

Aaand it's gone.

5 sprays and within 5 minutes I'm left like a crack addict looking for my next fix.

I'd hoped/considered replacing Basil and Neroli with this but BN is the only Jo Malone I get any kind of longevity out of (~2-4h).

Smells like cheap lime soap for the first 10 minutes. Then dried down into a light soapy scent that I can only smell if I press my nose against my arm. For the price the longevity is really disappointing.

Jo Malone fragrances are meant to be layered, and as a result some of them feel like they're incomplete on their own. When you do layer them with another appropriate one, you wind up with a fantastic and incredibly complex fragrance, but that means you've shelled out twice the regular price (which is already not cheap) for something very nice.

What I like best about Lime Basil & Mandarin is its versatility among the Jo Malone line. Not only does it layer beautifully with nearly everything else in Jo Malone's collection (as the reviews below attest), but it really can stand on its own. The comparison someone made below to a crisply laundered white dress shirt is spot-on: the two outstanding top notes, the lime and the basil, combine magnificently cleanly, and exude confidence and intelligence and control. When paired with a fruity fragrance in the Malone line (like Blackberry & Bay), you get a great kind of fruit basket effect (the Mandarin orange is certainly in here, but it is much weaker than the lime and the basil). I can see this being more popular with men than with women, but it is unisex. The sillage was quite strong in my sample, and the longevity is decent.

I can see why Tania Sanchez, in her guide to fragrances with Luca Turin, urges younger men (the best target demographic for this) to wear this during the day to smell clean rather than the "sport" scents so popular in recent decades. The powerful basil in the opening notes is so refreshing.

I really like this but will not buy it again due to extremly short lasting. Begged others to smell me (family and friends, easy now..) but very few detected the scent. That has never happened with any other perfume. Strange!

I cannot believe the positive reviews for this fragrance, reminds me of some sort of household cleaner, iI absolutely loathe the immediate smell, cannot wear it at all, as it reminds me of a strong lime or cat urine odour, apologies, as this is what is smells like to me.

So many other JM fragrances to give positive reviews for, certainly not LBM

The crisp white shirt of the perfume wardrobe. A necessary basic that activates everything else. The 90s are retro now & this one’s still got it.

Plays blissfully with tuberose & jasmine, tartens some sultry fig, brightens the richest amber... There’s not a note I own that isn’t delightfully accentuated by a little Lime Basil Mandarin garnish.

My first & favorite pairing, though, was on the train out of Edinburgh. I’d dabbed my wrists with the last of the Andrea Maack’s Coven travel sample that morning but my sweater retained some Lime Basil spritz from the high street stop the day before. Pure sharp harmony.

Became immediately clear the best form of layering was not cramming cocktails on top of each other into some sort of scent sludge but rather spacing out accords more fourth dimensionally. The ideal being an olfactory approximation of pattern clashing, something exciting at the elbow that compliments something snazzy at the wrists, all of which activate when gesticulating. Which I definitely do.

When it comes to fragrance & placement, movement is often under-credited.

The mandarin appears only in the opening in my case, then it becomes aromatic and woodsy. Am I the only one who is reminded of Eau dynamisante by Clarins? This is less spicy though.

I've warmed up to this one, I like it, very crisp. One of the other members here suggested I put on Myrrh & Tonka first and then layer with this. Smells awesome and so far, this is the only combo that has worked for me with two Jo Malone fragrances! I have the 100ml of the M&T and the 9ml of Lime Basil but maybe I'll have to get the 100ml now!

Edit: I got my hands on a used 100ml bottle as pictured above. This was originally bought a long time ago in the UK and it's slightly different than the newer 9ml's I have. The lime is super sharp in this, very tart. Still very soapy but I this fragrance has become smoother with age. I'm not sure which I like better to be honest but to me there's a noticeable difference between this and the two 9ml's I have. I mean, besides the change to the stickers.

This smells incredible on me. At first, I get a strong citrus burst that is refreshing, and then the magic happens in the dry down. After an hour, the citrus fades and the basil/floral notes kick in and are such a good combination. And it lasted HOURS. I wore it during summer to the beach and it lasted all day - two long swims in the water and several sunscreen applications later, I could STILL smell it. So 10/10 for longevity. TBH, I don't understand the negative reviews?

On my skin, this scent smells like cilantro. I like cilanteo, but I dont want to smell like it. I've noticed that anything with orange/tangerine/mandarin tends to clash with my skin chemistry, and this scent further confirmed the trend. I didn't get any lime, which is a shame.

Thought I would be a fan of this fragrance, as I really like fruity fragrances and a huge fan of lime. But this just smells exactly like hand soap to me. I feel it gets worse as the notes develop and the basil comes through. Not to my taste unfortunately.

This Jo Malone fragrance transports me to a countryside veranda for early evening tea and cocktails in May or June when the day’s heat has calmed and the heady bouquet of your Aunt’s herb garden begins to rise in harmony with the smells of freshly squeezed limes for a Gin Fizz and oranges for a Pimm’s Cup... just a lovely cologne - definitely more on the masculine side - to liberally spray post-afternoon tennis-shower when you don that linen shirt and summer loafers.

However, in colder weather I agree with MaquiLab’s ‘fancy dishwashing liquid’ assessment as the fragrance is rather sour-forward.

Green and sour, like a fancy dishwashing liquid. I don't think I will be comfortable wearing this. All the notes are present, but for me the standout one is basil - and not the type I like (I have found that basil tends to vary in terms of scent, depending on where it's grown). I think there are far better takes on this combo.

I'm not normally one for citrus scents, but on me the basil really comes through and it creates aromatic loveliness. I'm not sure I would spring for a full bottle, but I would wear it if I had more than a sample. To citrus bomb fearing folks like me, this is worth a try, maybe not a blind buy, but a sample size is worth it.

Bought this classic Jo Malone cologne just a couple weeks ago and I really enjoy it. It is low key, versatile and quite classy and energizing. I'm a women physician in her forties and find this perfume to be office appropriate, fun, and elegant.

As much as I love Fragrantica, I don't always agree with its ratings on certain perfumes, especially those from Jo Malone.

Hope more people can enjoy this elegant summer scent :)

ps. It goes great with Jo Malone Grapefruit and with Pomegranate Noir.

I have a 2007 bottle of this, I purchased in-store. I wish I had bought the nectarine or pear perfumes instead.

I can't tell you how much I dislike this perfume. I've tried to wear this many times. Vacuous chemical top notes that smells like sour, peppery lime. With an Amber base, of all things. I can't believe this is the brand's signature scent. It's awful.

Do I love it? No. Do I hate it? No. I agree with other reviews that this is a bit strange, and feels more like a high-end home fragrance - I'd probably love it in the JM candle. It does somehow lift my mood, so while I may be inclined to wear this at home for my own benefit, I wouldn't wear this out. Layering with Wood Sage & Sea Salt helps make this more wearable for me (as it does with everything!) but this scent still isn't how I want to announce my presence in a room. Murphy Law that it lasts quite a while on my skin, while the other JM's that I really love fade all too quickly.

A very strange fragrance. It smells lovely, but more in like what I'd want my kitchen diffuser or hand soap to smell like, not really what I'd wear as a perfume. I guess it makes sense with the basil note, but to me this smells almost savoury, like if you were making a lime sauce for cooking.

I think this one is a bit more masculine so I might give it to my boyfriend - I think it would be a nice summer scent for him.

This lasts longer than other Jo Malone fragrances I've tried out, but still nothing amazing.

I'm disappointed. I don't understand why/how people love this and why they're saying it smells classy etc. It smells like a cheap (albeit nice) room spray.

I really like every single notes

BUT ,,,,,,,

this gave me a massive headache and my skin got hot where I applied it.

I have the showergel and that is fine and gives my skin a fresh scent.

Love Love Love!! I layer this with Sea Salt and Sage and it makes me feel like I am on holiday by the ocean :-) Its clean, and refreshing, and smells natural and calming! My new go-to summer combo!

A nice discovery, and a change from a lot of the generic synthetic crap out there for men (in this price range).

Not to keen just on it’s own but it layers nicely with other perfumes such as Dior Rose N Roses to give a bit more depth

Last year I tried over a hundred perfumes, this one took first place, behind him is his brother from the same house Myrrh & Tonka. This year I would like to try as many Jo Malone perfumes as possible.

Great perfume, cool, interesting, intriguing, attractive and easy to wear on hot, summer days. Many people have had very positive reactions to this perfume.

Yuck!

There's very little sophistication to this fragrance.
It's literally being hit in the nose by lime.
Definitely a unisex fragrance, but not a safe blind buy.

I honestly smell like I've been grating 10 limes in the last 60 seconds!
The dry-down is a tiny bit easier. I can detect a minute amount of mandarin.

I enjoy that Jo Malone are absolutely literal in their scents, but I can't say this is their best.

***

Kitty rating: 1.5/10.

It is a good perfume for it's fresh class. It smells luxurious.

Very fresh, very airy although a bit sour. It doesn't last long though. Did myself a favor and bought Jenny Glow's Lime Basil copycat at a fraction of the price. Boy, does this last forever!

I shortlisted this fragrance in my search for the best citrus scent.

On card this had quite a traditional masculine cologne quality which I had put down to the fusion of citrus and herbal qualities that the name of this fragrance suggests it has.

Applied on my wrist, I was underwhelmed. I was fragrance shopping with a buddy of mine at the time and he took an even stronger dislike to it.

After reading Luca Turin’s review of this fragrance where he suggests that instead of applying sport freshies after a shower, men should be applying this on instead, I took the opportunity today to try a few sprays around my neck to truly experience wearing this fragrance.

I now find this fragrance positively ghastly. There are some really great natural citrus scents out there which if you tried you would swear someone had just peeled such a fruit fresh under your nose. Examples that come to mind are Pomelo Paradis and Clementine California among others in the Atelier line up, as well as Le Labo’s Bergamote 22 and Acqua Di Parma’s Arancia Di Capri. There is no such quality to be found in this fragrance. Also, the touch of class which I thought the fusion of citrus and herb provided on card is unfortunately lost on my skin. Luckily the scent subsided rather quickly.

2/10

Quite literal lime-dominant scent, mixed with basil and mandarin. You can smell the basil too, it keeps it more mature than a straight citrus. In true Jo Malone style it's gone in half an hour.

After years of promising myself I'd buy this, today I did. I'm not generally attracted to JM because the fragrances are usually too literal and linear for me. I know this is the house style and that many people love JM becuase the fragrances are unfussy and undemanding. But many strike me as humourless, mechanical, rarely more (and often less) than the sum of their parts. LB&M has always stood as an exception because it is more blended and abstract than so many other JM offerings.

I smell lime, certainly. The bitter sort, not related to any kind of dessert experience. Basil? Perhaps. If so, it is folded so intricately with an (almost) salty vetiver and patchouli I can hardly perceive it, and I do know what basil smells like, I grow it every summer. And mandarin? Yes, but nothing sweet and juicy.

The result is a refreshing, go-anywhere and, by today's standards, masculine-leaning fragrance, versatile and long-lasting. As time passes LB&M becomes impressionistic and more like a scented sensation than a perfume, but it nevertheless has more presence than a traditional cologne. It is relaxed but refined, like a freshly ironed cotton shirt. I've not yet worn it in the heat but expect that its pleasantly bitter quality will stand up well in humidity.

Edit: since mentioning the 'salty' note in my review, I'm noticing it more and more. I'm in thrall to my own suggestibility! This note fascinates me and I'm finding LB&M addictive. This is the sort of fragrance you could live with for years, and I'm sure people do.

Edit #2: I'm still thinking about that saltiness. Salt and lime, like you get around the rim of a margarita. Just perfect.

I’ve read some negative reviews here,but I don’t really understand why?Of course,people have different noses and tastes,and that is pretty normal,but for me,it’s a very pleasant,signature worthy fresh fragrance.I’d say blind buy worthy.Combination of citruses is just perfect,and in my opinion,they’re very easy to wear,because you don’t have some other heavy notes that can be ofputting,and smell weird.As I said,very nicely blended,composed,easy to wear,not offending anyone,great freshie,highly recomended.
Another great from this house is Blackberry and Bay.Even better than this.

Never expected to love this so much. I pinched a spritz at a friends house of this Lime Basil and on the other arm the Orange Blossoms. The latter disappeared completely after 2 hours. LB i could still smell on my skin after 12 hours. Never expected to like a citrus scent this much. It's because of, after 2 hours or so, the woody character shines through.
In the 4 days of housesitting for my friend i couldn't resist to spray again and again and i knew: i'm hooked to this stuff.
It unexpectedly crept up on me and won't let go. Literaly. Great staying power. I was lucky to have come across the bodylotion, handwash, showergel and hair conditioner for a bargain. Since my budget is realy tight i feel very lucky.

PS.Not to diss my fellow Fragantica readers and their opinions but if you ever use limes and other citrusfruit for consumption and peeling/ cutting and squeezing them, you will actualy know that there IS a big difference in scents that are natural,like in f.e.Jo Malone's fragances and the synthetic ones that are used in toiletfreshners.;-)

Ugh - Two very sour notes are right in your face. You'd better love citrus. But not the fresh, effervescent kind of citrus. Basil is more like the stems and the mandarin and lime are more like a zest. It's like a sour pesto. It's linear and lasts for about an hour on me. Unisex.

Update: over a year later and I've come around on this perfume. I think I like it because I have been craving more masculine, aromatic fragrances lately. I've also come to realize that I love salty+citrus notes, and this one delivers. I've done a complete 360 on this one now!

I think this is definitely a fragrance that suffers from its ubiquity.

I find it perfectly pleasant but would not be motivated to repurchase. It reminds me of candles in other people's houses, fragrance sprays in doctor's waiting rooms, hand soap in bathrooms... it has been copied so much that it is hard to appreciate it in its own right. I find I can only wear it if I layer with another citrus scent to increase the complexity. Maybe in 20 years when home fragrances have moved on and stopped copying it I will enjoy it!

I didnt like this scent initially. I thought it was maybe too masculine leaning or too literal. But after a few days I started craving this scent. I couldnt wait to get home from work, spritz and relax. Now I am hooked!

Lime: check! Basil: check! Mandarine: check! The combination of citrus and herbs is delightful. A hint of clean patchouli keeps it lasting longer on my skin. My only gripe with this one is a “sweaty” note I detect in the background as it dries down. Vetiver might be the culprit?

Not a review.
I just would like to warn people about blind buy - this perfume isn't safe for it. The description and notes are promising, actually I love all kinds of citrus and basil as well so I was quite sure it will be my scent more or less. It's not at all (9ml from the official seller).

Sharp, fresh, clean. Almost like lime spritz.
Pleasant and received a few compliments wearing it on warm days.
Weak to moderate longevity and projection.

It smells like what the title says and I love it. I love most Jo Malone creations in fact. It is my opinion that this house is highly underrated and makes some of the most pleasant and appealing fragrances in the industry. I could see where one might see this as a warm weather frag but to me it's year round, that's not saying much because I'll wear whatever I like whatever the weather anyway. I love this brand and it's always been good to me. Honestly speaking most Jo Malone colognes are just extremely well put together and structured just right, you can't go wrong imo.

I have a sample and it's fine and fresh. I wouldn't buy it because on my skin it smell like other fragrant accessories that I use in my live.

3/10

Absolutely love this fragrance. It's mostly Lime & Basil, the zesty orange is just there for the first 30mins. I personally think it's far too masculine for a unisex.

It is a very barber shop fragrance and has a strong resemblance to Musgo Real Lime & Basil. I've always loved the Musgo version but it doesn't have the staying power of this JM frag.

This lasts all day on me, the clean and almost soapy Lime & Basil fragrance is prominent on my wrists and projects just a little. It's right where I want a fragrance; personal but passers by will get a whiff if you're walking close in the opposite direction.

Very safe for the office and I'd say perfect for Spring/Summer/Autumn, anything but cold weather. You can wear it with confidence in any situation but it really screams chinos, brogues amd a shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Absolutely love the cologne it reminds me about everything that’s good about autumn.the fruits and baking. The chilly Autumn night air with just its hint of humidity in the air. The smell of Autumn leaves dancing around and it also reminds me of Halloween and would make a great scent for taking the kids out for trick or treating but it doesn’t last long on my skin. I sprayed 5 sprays on each arm and it doesn’t last more than an hour. The shower oil is super potent and I get 6 hours longevity from using that so I would say skip the fragrance and go for the shower oil. I love this fragrance.

All i can smell is the sharp lime, and then it dies out completely, no other notes.

bought this last week.
i already own Peony & Blush suede. so i wanted to buy something different...so i chose Lime Basil & Mandarin...
to me, i dont love it and i dont hate it...
it's very wearable , unoffensive..
radiant and citrusy.
im going to write an update later..


update : 010219


tried to like it, but this smells more like laundry detergent on me. it's as if i had worn a top that hasnt been dried thoroughly under the sun ~ damp. maybe this is caused by body chemistry? too bad coz i bought it on blind buy. reselling it.

This one means a lot to me. It seems to be a simple composition, but it's not. This unique blend of citrus and basil with an airy iris lifting it up. It's an aura, more than a perfume. Congratulations to this amazing perfumista and woman, Jo Malone.


Cons: Although Jo Malone was so sold to Estee Lauder, the scent remains exactly the same.

What a beautiful scent! One of few Jo Malone perfumes that actually smells like perfume to me. Usually this brand offers nice home fragrances but this I love on my skin. It's refreshing bitter sharp lime, like you pressed it and juice drops hit you. Later it becomes more earthy and green, totally high end luxury.

You smell all three; lime, basil and mandarin. Very green and woody. Very citrusy. At first comes on a bit strong, then mellows out. I like it!

Other than Lush Karma, scents tend not sit well on my skin far less draw compliments. I wore this today, and drew compliments. I'm guessing it's the patchouli/mandarin (or orange) combination that works for me. On me, this smells classy, expensive and clean. People like it, and so do I!

I have nevet smelled anything this awful.. .more like some kind of medical oilment that my late grandma would have used.

On its own, not an especially thrilling scent.

However, when combined with Wood Sage and Sea Salt, this one really comes alive as a "heart note" type of scent for some reason.

Then again, I might be biased in liking it since... well, the combo had an extremely interesting result.

Thiswent totally soappery on my skin and don't have any special feeling about this. This is more like after having a lime scented soap shower with my body. I was quite disappointed for its lack of uniqueness.

Very interesting aromatic blend of lime, basil, and mandarin orange. Mostly it's the lime and basil though. It has very tart citrus (lime with a hint of bitter orange) and is green in character. It oddly reminds me of the aroma I'd expect to smell in a greenhouse. It reminds me a lot of what the Herbology professor in the Harry Potter series would probably smell like, and is unlike any citrus fragrance I've smelled before. Sillage is moderate leaning strong on my skin while longevity is surprisingly good with 4 hours of good projection and many more hours as a skin scent after that. The really nice thing with this fragrance is that the lime not persists well into the drydown, which is unique as far as the lime note is concerned. Basil & Neroli remains my favourite from the Jo Malone line, but this is also pretty good. Also, it kind of resembles Dior's Eau Sauvage but without the leather note, with lime instead of lemon, and with way better longevity/performance. It's a scent that you won't like as much right away but will grow on you for what it does.

4.5/5

I have tried Lime Basil & Mandarin three times and although I will probably never love it, I am (slowly) beginning to...tolerate it. The lime is strong and in true lime fashion, it is an acerbic note. It smells like lime peel. This scent is crisp, clean almost herbal and quite masculine. It does not have any sweet notes to balance the sharpness but, of course, it can be combined with something else. One of my all time favorite basil note fragrances is Isabella Rossellini's Manifesto and I find that combining it with LBM takes away the sharpness but allows it to retain the clean scent. Jo Malone also suggests blending it with Wood Sage & Sea Salt but I have not tried it yet. So, overall, I think LBM is much better blended with something rather than on its own.

Update: I layered LBM with Origins Ginger Essence and Eureka! The combination of acerbic lime and ginger zing are just right together.

Definitely the best Jo Malone scent. This is the go-to scent for hot weather because it made me feel fresh even under a 104degF heat. I need to get a bottle of Orange Blossoms and see how it compares with this.

Wow. Yet another Jo Malone that I love. Most underrated house for men, period.

top 10 summer fragrance.

This scent it's the love of my life the allways love and loyalty for a fragrance. I love mostly al jo Malone fragrance but lime and Mandarin it's the top of my huge collection

I love the freshness of lime basil and mandarin, but on its own it’s a bit too crisp for me. I do like to layer it with other Jo Malone scents. My favorite to layer it with is Basil & Meroli. You would think two sharper fragrances together would not be pleasing but they are both sharp in different ways making them balance each other out. As with all the Jo Malone’s I have worn this lasts quite awhile and sits on my skin until morning if I don’t bathe.

Loveee

It smells zesty yet creamy...very refreshing. A bit resemble to Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte but sharper and creamier. Medium projection and longevity on me. But a bit pricy for cologne

Lime Basil & Mandarin is one of the most famous and popular perfumes by niche brand Jo Malone, known for its simple yet striking perfume creations that drew their inspiration from easy to wear, sent-bon perfume compositions like Guerlain’s Aqua Allegorria composition. Despite being based on two essential scent ingredients, the story doesn’t end there but evolves rapidly because Jo Malone perfumes give every scent its own spice and twist. Each of their limes is a special lime and each rose is a special rose and together they make fantastic, quality, characteristic perfumes.

Lime Basil & Mandarin opening is juicy, fresh with a sharp scent of lime that you can almost taste. Ideal for waking up in the mornings instead of a cup of coffee. A fresh blow to wake you up and shake up your senses. But as I said in the intro, each ingredient has a special addition, like a footnote. So in this case, lime has a mild floral subtone. After five minutes, juiciness is replaced by aromatic, mildly citrus chord boosted with pepper, spicy notes, and universal lovable tangerine is one step behind. Despite being categorized as eau de cologne, this perfume is surprisingly lasting and has a projection of its own. The aura of freshness, like grass and Mediterranean orchard after a spring rain, will follow you all day long but it won’t be heavy for another people's noses. That is why I believe this is an ideal perfume for everyday chores, but it is also ideal for men who want to smell fresh, but also sophisticated unlike most of the sports perfume that knows not how to get to the next level and be more refined.

Ladies, despite the fact that through history, mythology and tradition basil was connected with a male principle and some old Jewish tribes used is for strength and courage, while in Rome and India it was used against evil, allow me to rephrase one of the greatest thinkers of the XX century Bela Hamvas and say that there is no one who wouldn’t notice a lady drinking her afternoon tea shrouded with a cloud of basil. Be sure that by wearing this basil in Lime Basil & Mandarin, you will not only repel evil but if Santeria tradition is true, attract new love.

I loVe a masculine citrus scent but this is not it. It is too rough and unrefined. Basil and neroli has similar characteristics but works better on ladies.

No one i know wear this, and i never got any compliment wearing this. But WHO CARES?? I love this and enjoy every second of this scent.
This emphasizes how strong and independent yet empathetic you are.
This is not something you wear if you need to welcome romantic intimacy.
This is something you wear when you are about to present your brilliant ideas and you want people to listen, be fascinated, and agreed to it.
Longevity is an issue, it stays for 2-3 hours and it becomes skin scent, but i always carry a 30ml in my purse to re spray my self.
I will always repurchase this.

Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin is like a bad girlfriend that I just can't quit.

At first, I didn't like her. Then, I thought "Meh", then I thought, "Wow, She's great!" and then I decided that I didn't want to keep her around anymore. I keep trying to get her to leave and she keeps giving me reasons to see her again. Now, I'm kind of at "Maybe I'll keep her, because if I get rid of her, I may end up regretting it later".

On the plus side, unlike a "real" bad girlfriend, Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin won't hide behind bushes, leave me terrible voice mail messages or plot my death.

Jo Malone LBM came to me in a blind trade and when I first got her, she was a real nose wrinkler. The scent was green, dirty and bitter orange. I didn't pick up much lime but I did pick up green kitchen spices, like basil (ya think?), thyme and maybe rosemary and something more. Hell, I don't know - I'm not Martha Stewart and my nose isn't the best to start with.

Now, I don't know about the whole use of "quality oils" thing. I'm a person who believes that unless you have the manufacturer's spec sheet, you really don't know how good the source product is or how much they're using for their concoction. Having said that, I'd like to think that I smell "quality" here. There's a depth to the blend . It's non-linear and goes through subtle development phases.

The orange that I'm smelling is entirely realistic and not at all synthetic. I can smell what seems to be a bit of moisture on the rind and maybe a hint of dirt and definitely a full, yet tempered mandarin orange that might have been placed on a kitchen ledge, near some spices that are growing in the sunlight (queue the butterflies and rainbows here).

This fragrance is summer in a bottle!!

The more I think about it all, the more I realize that, Jo Malone LBM, I might just love you and not want to admit it.

Fresh, jubilant, youthful, and happy! This is the perfect warm weather fragrance for spring or summer, but I wear it whenever I need a little emotional "lift." This is one of my favorite citrus-based fragrances. It's tangy, but not overly zesty, bitter, or worse, bathroom cleaner-esque. Lime, Basil, and Mandarin cologne reminds me of walking through a Thai garden due to the lime and basil top notes, perhaps after a light spring rainfall.

Like most other Jo Malone fragrances, it captures the natural essence of the notes quite accurately, and the three main notes complement each other perfectly. However, in terms of longevity and sillage, this particular cologne is suprisingly stronger than most other fragrances from the brand. This is quite impressive as citrus-based fragrances, especially those in eau de cologne concentrations, don't tend to last long.

I only tried this on card so probably not the best review to go buy, but it's still going strong after 30 hours. However it's too strong, sharp and masculine for my liking. Men could easily wear this. Just checked the title and it's marketed for men too!

I can smell the sharp citrus smell in the initial application. It's fresh and smell like summer, perfect for outdoorsy kind of person. But then it disappears really quick and I'm left with the sweet floral smell that I'm not really into. Overall I think it's not a bad scent, I just wish the citrus scent lingers longer on my skin.

I layered it with Jo's Wood Sage & Sea Salt and I love how the smell softened, although it smells quite feminine but I really dig it.

A friend who introduced me to Jo Malone scents, gave me a 9ml bottle. I didn't love it upon first sniff and application. It sort of reminds me of an old Crabtree and Evelyn men's cologne from the early 90s. Must've been the lime. After maybe half an hour, the initial citrus smell settled into so,etching quite nice, softly spicy. So, while it is not my favorite Jo Malone scent, I would still welcome another free sample. I can see how it is cataforized as unisex; I truly think this one works for both men and women.

Smells like mojito with a synthetic basil. Atelier Trefle Pur has more depth than this.

I get the appeal of this and the brand. This is my first fragrance by this house. I think it has great quality. This particular one is strong and very masculine smelling. I won't give up just yet. I'm thinking the fruitier ones will be amazing.

When I first tried this fragrance a year ago, I did not like it. My nose has changed, and I actually have found myself enjoying this fragrance. I like the sharpness of it. It's ALIVE! Spritz and drink a shot of espresso. Boom, you are ready for work.

This is probably something that smells good on other people but not on myself. Upon the initial spray, it's a sharp paint smell. When it mellows out, it smells like a side dish: sour vinegar and basil. It makes me squeeze shut my eyes and stick out my tongue.
Update: so I had this sample for a month now. I strangely crave it from time to time. It's still disgusting, but it's the kind of disgusting I want to smell. I like it now, but still wouldn't buy a full bottle.

I like the smell, I might actually love it on someone else. I love how the JM bags and boxes I'm using at home for storage purposes still smell of this. I love how the scent wraps me up when I enter a JM store. It's a great signature scent for the brand and can be a great unisex fragrance for anyone who loves fresh spicy/herbal scents. I can't use it on myself as it feels overwhelming after an amount of time and I don't want to invest in it if I'm not able to fully enjoy it. But I can't stop putting some on myself every time I'm around a tester of it.

This is everything I like; fresh, green, woody, herbal and spicy citrus. It might feel masculine if you are used to smell sweet florals on women. I'm a big fan of basil in men's fragrances and I usually prefer woody herbals to always-so-popular aquatics on my partners. I'm pretty sure I'd be more attracted to someone wearing and enjoying this.

If things were better between us, I would absolutely consider getting this for my "boyfriend" and using myself more than he does too.

This starts exactly as described with the lime and mandarin notes at the very top. When it settles the herbs came into their own. It's a sunny walk through an overgrown herb garden with the oils releasing as you brush past. It is not at all sweet and I imagine would be just as nice worn by a man.

This is not a fragrance that enters a room before you and leaves after you. Who needs that? It sticks with you, nice and close to the skin but has reasonable longevity. So if you are not the sort of person that needs to be the centre of attention all the time, if you like quiet and restful moments and can find your equilibrium within rather than needing constant external stimuli, this is for you. Ideal for those of us who are more introvert than extrovert.

Horrible. I mean, I'm trying not to rubbish this scent since it is the house's signature scent (and also years ago I really liked it). But in Australia, we have a toilet cleaner from the brand Pine 'O Clean and it smells just like this. I'm trying to not make that bad association, but my brain keeps telling me it's toilet cleaner! Memories subconsciously affect our perception of smells... for better or worse.

Fresh, tangy and clean smell, which turns slightly balsamic when the patchouli and vetiver appear in the end. Sophisticated in its composition. Perfect for casual wear.

I am not sure I like it (the patch/vetiver part is just toooo sweaty for me for some reason) but at least it's interesting, unlike most of the standard line of JM frags.

Another JM scent that disagrees with me. This, to my nose is really, really bad. Dirty, cheap, old man cologne bought at the dollarstore bad. I was hoping this would be unisex and realistic but unfortunately, it is very spicy and stale smelling. But most importantly, cheap, synthetic and sour.

Not sure if I got a bad sample or what, but I cannot stand it and I love the scent of lime, basil and mandarin. When I cut into a lime, I feel like I can bathe in the scent. But this has no fresh lime. More like $1 lime bathroom cleaner mixed with stanky sweat (which might the basil interpretation for basil does sort of smell stanky). Might be better on someone else.

I don't know what to think about this. I love citrus, and the citrus-basil combination here is gorgeous. I hate patchouli, but this scent has a subtle, pleasant patchouli undertone. One of the few perfumes with patchouli I like.

What people are saying when they compare it to a mojito or a vodka tonic is accurate.

And I can understand also the people who say negative things like 'It smells like cleaner.' So this is a conundrum.

It's definitely not girly, but a woman can wear this. Or a man.

It has a good breathe-down.

I just don't know. I like it, I'm just not sure if I love it. Rak hates it.