“Malabah” is the perfect perfume representing autumn, when the air is fresh but the earth still warm. In spring the sun is getting warmer, but there is a very cool chill from the ground. In both seasons the danger to underestimate the weather change and to get ill is high, but even when knowing it better, in autumn we cling to our summer habits as long as we can. Autumn is the best time for long walks through the still green or colourful landscapes, before winter is setting in.
There is a freshness in Penhaligon’s “Malabah” to rejoice, almost physically sending positive vibes to one’s brain. The scent resembles freshly brewed green tea with spices and a few other aromas.
Fresh, not dried, coriander and a beautiful mix of sweet flowers add to the green tea basis. In addition to that, the tea is drunk with lemon, in a very British tradition. The light citrus smell is cleverly and harmonious incorporated in the scent. It is one of the best and most subtle lemons in a perfume that I know.
According to platforms like Parfumo and Fragrantica, in lieu of the Penhaligon’s website itself, there are also scent notes of ginger, rose, cardamom, nutmeg, iris, musk, amber and sandalwood. Overall, the perfume oozes gentle freshness and harmony.
I noted with sorrow that the perfume seems to have been discontinued, but currently it is still available online at some shops. It was first launched in 2003 and rebranded after 10 years. It is not available on the Penhaligon’s website any more.
The name “Malabah” is inspired by India, with its strong tradition as a tea growing nation. The mountainous northern region of India, where it is much cooler than in the south, has been a wonderful scenic inspiration for the perfume.
It was said “Malabah” was Madonna’s favourite perfume. I do not know if that is true and if she had an Indian phase during the early 2000s. For whatever reason, this got me interested in the perfume and I remember this snippet of information. The fragrance itself came then as surprise when I smelled it for the first time, because India is usually connected to adjectives like hot, stuffy, overwhelming, and not to adjectives like fresh, clean, gentle, and very elegant.
I bought the perfume not long after it was first launched in 2003 (you can see from the bottle that it is the older version that I own). I must confess that indeed some parts have been gone missing, once there was a dark red cord around the lower part of the lid.
The colour of the scent is a transparent light yellow, the colour of freshly brewed green tea.
Penhaligon’s, the brand that created “Malabah” is one of the most productive niche brands. Penhaligon’s and Floris are also the two English perfume brands best known internationally. Whilst Floris stayed in the founding family, Penhaligon’s has been sold in 2015 to the Spanish company Puig. The same Puig that also bought the brand Dries van Noten.
Barcelona-based Puig became over the last years one of the strong and clever players in the niche perfume market.
Penhaligon’s CEO Lance Patterson stayed on after the merger till the end of 2022. If Penhaligon’s is now directly run from Spain by Mark Puig, the CEO of the mother company, is neither confirmed nor denied by my recherche.
The brand is promoted much more strongly since Puig took over. In addition, the used scent notes increased strongly in variety. Whilst traditional Penhaligon’s mainly used floral, herbal, powdery and very natural notes for their perfumes, woodier, oud-heavy and (in a positive way artificial) combinations stared to appear since Puig took over.
Wonderful fragrances containing those scent notes are in the “Portraits Collection” and in the “Trade Routes Collection”. Both were initiated around 2014/2015 and are at the core of the new brand building of Penhaligon’s. The brand became chicer and more luxurious, the storytelling more pronounced.
In addition, the perfume bottles became more sophisticated in design and the packaging became a work of art. The packaging of both lines is so beautifully crafted, it would be worth to be collected. An exhibition of the packaging would be a crowd magnet. It is a pity throwing them away and I use some of them to hold pens and other stuff.
Next to those collections, Penhaligon’s also creates perfumes in their older tradition, this year eg “Solaris”. Some perfumes that became classics before 2010 or even in the last century are still produced. “Artemisia” and “Blenheim Bouquet” are examples of this.
I wonder how long this very fast pace will be kept up – till now the quality did not suffer. It looks like Penhaligon’s is prospering superbly under the new owners. My collection of Penhaligon’s perfumes has grown a lot in the last 5 years.
To survive one must reinvent oneself from time to time, wise people say. Penhaligon’s has certainly successfully done this, without losing its unique character.
“Malabah” was the first perfume I bought of the brand and it has lost nothing of its allure. Maybe sooner or later it will be re-launched. In the meantime, there are plenty of other options for fine fragrances at Penhaligon’s, although none as fresh and gentle as “Malabah”.