Summer may have been a bit delayed this year but we’re making up for lost time by filling our diaries with BBQs, picnics, festivals and warm weather fun.
A new season calls for a new scent to match, particularly when it comes to the summer months. Swap intense, rich scents that are heavy and better suited for cold winter days for lighter, brighter aromas that are inextricably linked to hot climates. Also consider the fact that fragrance intensifies as the temperatures rises so you may just find the former too overwhelming.
Crisp, fruity and floral notes are the order of the day where energetic, zesty citrus and fresh blossoming bouquets will transport us to the outdoors, whether the British summertime decides to play ball or not. Mimicking the aromas all around us as soon as the sun shines, you should opt for perfumes that are in accord with traditional aromas; be it freshly cut grass, tropical sun creams or the salty breeze of a beach break.
These fresh fragrances have an uplifting effect - but it’s not all rose or rosemary. Gourmand scents are equally as evocative during the warmer months where the likes of vanilla, chocolate and caramel are irresistable and anchors these airy aromas to something with evening appeal.
It is important to pay close attention to where in your home you are storing your scent, especially during heatwaves.
Much like wine matures in direct sunlight, the same is true for your treasured parfums. “Heat and sunlight can alter the composition and fragrance of your favourite perfumes and compromise the delicate balance of notes that create your signature scent”, explains PerfumeDirect.com fragrance expert Jonny Webber.
“So if your perfume collection is currently taking pride of place on your bedroom table, windowsill or inside your bathroom cabinet then stop right there – you could be significantly reducing its shelf life”.
The combination of light, heat and oxygen may alter your aroma so keep your prized perfume in a cool, dark spot with a beauty fridge being your best bet.
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Vyrao Sun Ræ Eau De Parfum
Dubbed happiness in bottle form, the brand explains that this fragrance has been “scientifically proven to amplify self-confidence and joy” by the International Flavors & Fragrances’s proprietary Science of Wellness programme. This may be a lot to ask of your signature scent but the cocktail of citrus and spice aromas that hit you as soon ask you catch your first whiff certainly has a revitalising effect.
This rousing feel is achieved through the opener of tumeric leaf and root paired with fresh ginger oil, bergamot oil and lemon oil. It becomes softer and more powdery as it develops with the heart of cardamom oil and black pepper oil, before drying down with vetiver, sandalwood, amber and musk. The eau de parfum is unlike anything you’ve ever smelt but is most closely matched to an Italian cologne.
Buy now £135.00, Vyrao
Montblanc Explorer Platinum
The seductive scent of the Montblanc Explorer Platinum demonstrates the fashion and fragrance label’s determination to take its scenting to the next level. It’s the kind of masculine aroma you’ll want to spritz all over. The kind you’ll borrow from your boyfriend. The kind of scent of a man you want to date.
It opens with refreshing, sparkling notes of grapefruit, violet leaves and clary sage essence. Think of a mountain level of freshness (the brand takes its name from Europe’s highest peak, after all). It was designed to recreate the whiff of snow and ice. Keeping you on your toes, this is set alongside cedarwood Alaska and amber that is unexpected yet warming.
Buy now £58.00, lookfantastic
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Media Cologne Forte
Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the brand behind the iconic Baccarat Rouge 540, has taken a very different approach with the Aqua collection. These summery scents are light and bright and there’s a new addition taking the fourth spot alongside Aqua Vita, Aqua Celestia, and Aqua Universalis.
Aqua Media is a mood-boosting scent that is vibrant and fresh and, much like the others, has bergamot from Italy (it’s a consistent note that runs through the Aqua range). This is set alongside crystalline hedione that provides the airy feel with sweet fennel, aniseed and citrus. It’s green most of all with fresh wild herbs, a base of woody musks, patchouli and green moss.
Buy now £175.00, John Lewis
Ferragamo Signorina Libera
The sweet scent of the warm weather, this fragrance is like walking through a fresh floral garden in the brand’s home country of Italy. It’s lively and uplifting with velvet pear and Calabrian bergamot given an aromatic freshness by the note of elemi - which is commonly used for muscle pain and tiredness.
The floral musk gourmand sits in the Venn diagram of many different categories and offers something for everyone with sensual rose and plum nectar at the heart, Italian orris butter and pink sugar for added sweetness and then a woody warm base of cashmere wood and ambroxan (an ingredient that keeps popping up like in Le Labo’s Another 13).
Buy now £44.29, Amazon
Diptyque Ilio Eau de Toilette
Diptyque is honouring the changing of the seasons with a limited-edition collection of summer scents that take inspiration from Mediterranean landscapes and in particular Italy, Provence, and Greece. You will also find a Citonelle candle and diffuser, but it’s the Ilio Eau de Toilette that’s set to be 2023’s must-have scent.
The word ‘ilios’ comes from the Greek word for sun and that gives an indication of the warming aroma contained within the luxury French label’s signature oval bottle. Much like the rest of the range, it’s addictive. You just can’t get enough. It begins as a warming fresh opener that takes an unusual turn thanks to the inclusion of prickly pear, before ending with bergamot, iris and jasmine for floral freshness.
Buy now £125.00, John Lewis
Gucci Bloom For Her Eau de Parfum Intense
There’s something mysterious about this sensual new aroma from Gucci. Unlike many of the other scents on this list, it takes a different, deeper and more romantic approach by setting traditionally zesty and bright notes like orange blossom, jasmine sambac and tuberose with the addictive Lady of the Night floral that unfurls with patchouli essence and crystal moss accord. This fragrance is made for warm summer evenings where anything can happen.
Buy now £110.50, John Lewis
Yves Saint Laurent Y Intense
The signature Yves Saint Laurent Y fragrance has been given a deeper counterpart to create an even more heady concotion that is fresh, sophisticated but enduring. The long-lasting aroma pairs unexpected elements together; French lavender, patchouli and blue juniper berries to create a spicy, seductive combination that will keep them guessing.
Buy now £82.00, The Perfume Shop
& Other Stories Solar Essay
The Solar Essay is a true summer scent through and through in the sense that just one whiff will make you feel warm, cosy and revived.
As soon as you smell the fragrance, you’ll catch the invigorating notes of lemon paired with coconut for a tropical feel. As it evolves, touches of cyclamen, mimosa and tiare emerge until it dries down with a base of tonka beans and cedarwood.
Grab your floppy hat, flip flops and bikini because this aroma will have you booking your next vacay ASAP.
Buy now £29.00, & Other Stories
Jo Malone London The Highlands Collection
It wouldn’t truly be the spring/summer season without a new warm weather collection from Jo Malone London. This year The Highlands collection takes inspiration from the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands.
There are four scents, each of which spotlight different scenes, from the Melancholy Thistle Cologne that mimics the elements surrounding a long-abandoned castle with coolwood to represent the ivy-covered stone and bright green fresh notes for the named plant, to the Highland Heather Cologne spotlighting the swathes of heather with a woody scent combining notes of lavender, cypress and amber.
Buy now £58.00, Jo Malone London
Penhaligon's - Solaris
The Penhaligon’s offering of scents are defined by rich, indulgent aromas with a luxury feel, and while the Solaris certainly hits the latter on the head, it breaks away from the cult ouds to be brighter and fresher - ready for summer. The scent is citrusy with Sicilian lemon, bittersweet orange and a touch of bergamot. There’s also rose, jasmine and amber gris and musks at the base. Though, this is not your average summer scent. In the brand’s signature style, there’s always a twist and this comes in the form of a peppery element as well as juniper.
Buy now £160.00, Fortnum & Mason
