Finally, We Know Exactly What Tom Hardy Smells Like

You won't just find Tom Hardy's latest work on the silver screen this summer, but in beauty halls and counters, too. As much as the lure of his upcoming film Bikeriders, which he stars in alongside Jodie Comer and Austin Butler, will be sending fans into a spin, it's his new role as the official ambassador of Jo Malone London's Cypress & Grapevine Cologne we're really invested in. Why? This is the actor and producer's first ever campaign, plus we'd be lying if we said we've never wondered what Hardy smells like.

Much like the union of the scent's hero notes, Hardy's collaboration with the homegrown fragrance brand is a perfect match. Born and bred in East Sheen, south-west London, his intrinsic link to the city was key in orchestrating a campaign that is centred on celebrating the capital, 'almost a love letter to the city,' Hardy says of the collaboration. Then there's the fact he considers scent an important medium.

'I think smell and scent is the precursor to understanding a room or where you are in space and time. I have a palette of memories that are evoked by smells. From the smell of the forearm of my mother and father, a dusty pillow, a dry barn in the sunshine. Smells can be nostalgic, they can influence the atmosphere, they can manipulate, conjure and change the dynamic of an experience very quickly without being seen,' he explains.

It took a specific kind of scent to break Hardy's track record for a lack of involvement in commercials and adverts. Jo Malone's Cypress & Grapevine Cologne, £160,is an alluring, woody offering that boasts a bold quality. Aromatic notes of fresh cypress, warm grapevine and sensual amber make it a comforting and cosy scent that still manages to be guaranteed head turner thanks to its distinctiveness.

'I realise I am the ambassador for Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense, but what are the chances of it actually being utterly divine? It’s extremely rare. But it actually is!' he laments. 'I’m funny about fragrance, I can’t just buy it off the shelf, I’m not really that way inclined. I think that a good fragrance has to exist without being overbearing and have an assimilation to the human being that is wearing it. To me Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense has this wonderful classic, vintage and earthy scent. A lot of people who have smelt it on me have asked what it is. Even my 16-year-old also grabbed my bottle, so even the kids like it.'

Though a scent for men, it certainly has a transcendental quality that doesn't just speak to a single type of customer. It's an aspect of the fragrance that is caught well in Hardy's London-centric campaign. 'I believe that something like 300 languages are spoken in London, so there’s a melting pot of individuals who come and live here. Yet, for all the dichotomies, idiosyncrasies and differences that make up London’s big city life, there’s an inherent connection between Londoners that’s both profound.'

'The Jo Malone London fragrances are designed to be for everyone. Although it might seem illogical for certain ingredients to blend—like Cypress & Grapevine, which aren’t typical partners—they work. So, we built on this idea of London having this enormous repertoire of people all happy to be London in their own way,' he adds.

While not a Londoner herself, model Ashley Graham just proved the universal lure of the scent, after posting a picture of the deep olive bottle on Instagram Stories alongside the caption, 'My preferred scent.'

Our honest thoughts on the Jo Malone London Cypress & Grapevine Cologne:

To answer the question in point, this is exactly how we imagined the Mad Max: Fury Road star to smell: sophisticated, layered with depth and masculine. While bold, the perfect balancing act between the heady notes (which Hardy himself describes as non-typical partners), ensures the olfactive experience is one that is loaded with a fresh and zesty delicateness that lends it a 'clean' finish which has a universal appeal. Yes, it may be positioned 'for men', according to the brand's website, but Graham is onto something with her 'preferred scent', and it seems my husband and I will be taking turns to spritz this before heading out the front door.

Shop: Jo Malone London Cypress & Grapevine Cologne

Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia UK's Beauty Writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).