Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka: The Complete Guide to the Fragrance and the Best Extrait Dupe

Few names in modern British perfumery carry the quiet authority of Jo Malone London, and few of its fragrances divide a room quite like Myrrh & Tonka. It isn't a crowd-pleaser in the way some of the brand's citrus colognes are. It's warmer, darker and stranger than that — a scent built around ancient resin rather than fresh fruit, and it tends to be the one people remember long after they've left the room.

If you've fallen for it and are looking for a longer-lasting way to wear it, this guide walks through what makes the original tick, and introduces Mr. Sillage, Alexandria UK's own interpretation of that Myrrh & Tonka DNA, built as an Extrait de Parfum from the ground up.

The story behind Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka

Myrrh & Tonka was launched as part of Jo Malone London's Cologne Intense collection, composed by perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui. The inspiration was the Namib Desert in Namibia, where wild myrrh trees release their resin in hardened golden droplets after the rains — a sap that has been harvested by hand for thousands of years. Jo Malone's own fragrance director, Céline Roux, has described the idea behind the scent as capturing the romance of that vast, warm, sand-coloured landscape and distilling it into something wearable.

The fragrance opens on a crisp, herbal lavender, which quickly gives way to its real subject: a rich, smoky accord of Namibian myrrh. The base then settles into tonka bean, vanilla and a touch of almond, which is where the scent gets its name and its lasting, dessert-like warmth. It sits in the amber-fougère family, and is usually described as balsamic, sweet and resinous all at once — closer to incense and spice than to a typical "cologne."

Because it's sold at Jo Malone's lighter Cologne Intense strength, though, that depth doesn't always stay put. It's a fragrance that reviewers consistently note performs best in cold weather and tends to soften quickly on skin, which is part of why so many people end up layering it with other Jo Malone scents, or looking for a more concentrated version of the same idea.

Who Myrrh & Tonka suits

This is a genuinely unisex fragrance, and one of the more interesting entries in Jo Malone's line-up precisely because it isn't trying to be universally liked. It suits someone who wants a signature scent for the colder months — the kind of thing that works with a wool coat, a cashmere scarf or an evening by candlelight rather than a desk in a bright office. If your usual perfumes lean fresh and citrus-led, Myrrh & Tonka is a deliberate change of register: warmer, moodier and considerably more memorable.

It also tends to appeal to people who already enjoy resinous or gourmand notes elsewhere — amber, frankincense, vanilla, tonka bean — and are looking for a version of that warmth that leans more "ancient temple" than "bakery."

Mr. Sillage: Alexandria's take on the Myrrh & Tonka DNA

Our interpretation of this profile is called Mr. Sillage, and the name is a deliberate nod to what the original scent lacks: sillage, the invisible trail a fragrance leaves behind as you move through a room. Where the Jo Malone original is built at a lighter Cologne Intense concentration, we built Mr. Sillage as an Extrait de Parfum — the highest, most concentrated, longest-lasting form of fragrance — specifically so that the smoky myrrh and tonka heart doesn't fade within the hour.

The structure follows the same idea as the original: a top of lavender and toasted almond, opening into a heart of deep, resinous myrrh, before settling into a base of velvety tonka bean, creamy vanilla, guaïac wood and musk. The higher concentration acts as a kind of anchor for those base notes in particular, letting the smoky, ambery warmth hold on cashmere and wool for considerably longer than a lighter cologne ever could manage.

Mr. Sillage also carries a quieter story of its own. The fragrance was created as a tribute to Chris Georgio, a well-known and much-loved member of the online fragrance community who passed away in 2018. For us, it isn't only an alternative to a designer scent — it's a small, lasting nod to someone who cared deeply about perfumery.

How Myrrh & Tonka and Mr. Sillage compare

Side by side, the two share the same backbone: lavender giving way to myrrh, then settling into tonka and vanilla. The difference is almost entirely about staying power and depth. The original is subtle and a little fleeting, which some people genuinely prefer if they like a fragrance that stays close to the skin. Mr. Sillage pushes the same notes further — a stronger opening resin, a denser, more velvety base, and a trail that's still noticeable hours after you've left the house.

If you're torn between the two, think about how you intend to wear it. A light-touch, close-to-skin scent for the office points toward the original profile. A fragrance you want to actually last through a long winter evening, a dinner, or a flight points toward the Extrait.

How to wear it

Myrrh & Tonka-style fragrances reward a light hand and the right season. A couple of sprays on pulse points — wrists, the base of the throat — is usually plenty, since resinous base notes project more generously than fresh top notes do. It comes into its own from autumn through to the depths of winter, and works particularly well in the evening, when the ambient temperature and lower light both suit its smoky, warm character.

For anyone building out a wider wardrobe of warm, resinous fragrances, it's worth browsing Alexandria UK's Oriental Fragrances collection, or our full round-up on the Ultimate UK Perfume Dupe List, which covers the best alternatives across every major scent family.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mr. Sillage an exact copy of Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka?

No, and we wouldn't want it to be. Mr. Sillage is our own Extrait de Parfum interpretation of the same lavender-myrrh-tonka DNA, built by our perfumers in England. It's designed to capture the spirit and key accords of the original while standing on its own as a fragrance, with considerably more longevity than the Cologne Intense concentration it takes its inspiration from.

Is Myrrh & Tonka a men's or women's fragrance?

Neither, really — it's one of Jo Malone's genuinely unisex scents, and Mr. Sillage follows the same approach. The warm, resinous, slightly smoky character works equally well regardless of gender.

What does myrrh actually smell like?

Myrrh is a resin harvested from Commiphora trees, mainly across East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. On its own it's dark, warm and slightly bitter, with a smoky, almost medicinal edge. In perfumery it's almost always softened by something sweeter — in this case tonka bean and vanilla — which is what turns it from "incense" into something genuinely wearable day to day.

What season is this kind of fragrance best suited to?

Autumn and winter, without much competition. The heavier, resinous base notes in both the original and Mr. Sillage need cooler air and lower humidity to perform at their best, and the scent profile itself — smoky, warm, slightly spiced — simply suits the colder months far more than a summer afternoon.

How long does Mr. Sillage last on skin?

As with all of our fragrances, Mr. Sillage is crafted as an Extrait de Parfum, so you can expect considerably more longevity and projection than you'd get from a standard Eau de Toilette or Cologne. Exactly how long any fragrance lasts varies with skin type and climate, which is why we always recommend trying a sample first to see how it develops on you specifically.