Industrial Chic Without the Drama.
The latest Jones Road fragrance, And Route, first appeared during the holidays as part of an adorable little fragrance coffret trio. I remain deeply jealous of anyone who received that as a gift. Unlike the previous two scent releases, this one skipped the “lab packaging” soft launch. Instead, it arrived fully formed in a matte black bottle that mirrors its point of view: sleek, focused, cosmopolitan.
My take on En Route
What I love about And Route is that for an evening fragrance, it is not at all moody. The brand calls it “grounded,” which I agree with, but I would also add worldly, intriguing, and polished. Compared to the airy personality of the earlier launches (Shower especially), this one feels richer, but also more complete. To my nose, this is the most “finished” of the three, if that makes sense.
There is a very specific feeling I cannot quite name. The one where you are intrigued by someone, slightly intimidated, and then surprised when they turn out to be warm, generous, and entirely disarming. Suddenly your own cool factor rises by association. The orbits overlap. Your self-worth feels upgraded. Smelling And Route gives me exactly that sensation.
En Route vs other JRB scents
Three things you need to know: of all the Jones Road scents, And Route leans the warmest, the most complex, and yes, the darkest. Personally, I would describe it as industrial chic. You get fancy soap, cool city air, a hint of concrete, and floral notes that live somewhere between white and green.
The notes
Jones Road describes the composition as follows.
- Top: ambrette seed, modern aldehydes.
- Middle: jasmine, lily, orris, rose.
- Dry down: tonka musk, benzoin.
Ambrette and aldehydes both lean musky and sometimes powdery by nature. What makes And Route shine (almost literally) is the sparkling quality of the aldehydes. It opens clean in a soapy, slightly metallic way, which explains my industrial reference earlier.
The orris heart note is my favorite. For anyone unfamiliar, orris is iris root, with earthy yet pristine undertones. It is also one of the most luxurious and expensive materials in perfumery. Every floral note here feels deliberately muted. Imagine jasmine and rose, but sketched in pencil rather than painted in oil. More outline than portrait. It is subtle in a very clever way.
How it wears
Finally, benzoin smooths everything out. This kind of warmth is surprisingly hard for me to wear. It is also why I personally struggle with many Phlur fragrances, which tend to tip into vanilla-caramel territory on me. Jones Road takes a different route. The dry down here is refined and slightly more edgy than cozy or comfortable. Think tailored jacket, not cashmere sweater.
I absolutely love it. How long does it wear? I get 4-6 hours on skin and it lingers fantastically on clothes.
Lastly, calling it an evening scent is just a suggestion. If you wear it during the day, you will come across as more decisive than carefree. You know the vibe. Places to go, people to see. Unlike Shower, which is impossible to overspray, En Route is best kept to two or three spritzes.
$46 (30 ml) at jonesroadbeauty.com
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