When the fresh smell of summer starts to fill the air (about time!), it’s time to put aside your winter {fragrance} and take your senses on a journey to sunnier climes. The best summer perfumes will transport you to a specific location or moment in time – even if you don’t leave the house! That might be to the French Riviera, the Tuscan hills, or even your local seaside town!
Whether you’re into fruity, floral or citrusy scents, or your tastes are firmly rooted in muskiness year-round, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best fragrances for summer (with the help of {Cult Concierge} expert Ryan), with something for every taste and every occasion.
From perfumes that’ll see you through days spent at the beach or relaxing in the park to others that are best suited to balmy nights in the garden and al fresco date nights, these {summer essentials} will see you through the season in scented style.
The {Replica Beach Walk Eau De Toilette} from Maison Margiela is a bottled memory of sun kissed salty skin, so it’s a match made in heaven for this time of year when the scene is completely and utterly at one with the scent! Combining bergamot and pink pepper, coconut milk and ylang ylang, cedar and musk, plus benzoin for a cinnamon and vanilla-like hint, this summer perfume is the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, tropical and fresh.
Top notes: Bergamot and pink pepper
Middle notes: Coconut milk and ylang ylang
Base notes: Cedar, musk and benzoin
Take yourself on a whimsical journey to Africa this summertime with BYREDO’s iconic {Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum}. With unique top notes of earthy bucchu, spicy-musky African marigold and zesty bergamot, lemon and neroli, the fragrance’s sweet heart of cyclamen, jasmine petals and violet is perfectly counterbalanced – dancing atop a heady base of black amber, Moroccan cedarwood, musk and vetiver. Decadent and romantic, intense but fresh, it’s ideal for balmy summer nights.
Top notes: Bucchu, African marigold, bergamot, lemon and neroli
Middle notes: Cyclamen, jasmine petals and violet
Base notes: Black amber, Moroccan cedarwood, musk and vetiver
Fragranced with the brand's cult-favourite scent of the iconic Bum Bum cream, the Sol de Janeiro {Cheirosa 62 Mist} transports your senses to a hot summer's day on the luscious coast of Rio. Warming notes of pistachio and almond mingle with a floral bloom of jasmine petals, settling on a rich base of sandalwood and salted caramel accords – it sounds good enough to eat! Spritz head to toe – even on your hair – and enjoy a vibrant, fresh and long-lasting aroma that moves with you wherever your day takes you.
Top notes: Pistachio and almond
Middle notes: Jasmine petals
Base notes: Sandalwood and salted caramel
Discover more of the best long-lasting perfumes for women.
With creamy vanilla, tropical coconuts and sweet florals, Huda Beauty's {KAYALI Utopia Vanilla Coco} will transport you to your very own summer paradise – no flight necessary. Inspired by travels to luxurious destinations like Capri and the Seychelles, this summer fragrance features the likes of Italian lemon, honeysuckle, jasmine and sandalwood to evoke that feeling of lying blissfully on a beach under a setting sky.
Top notes: Honeysuckle, Italian lemon and coconut
Middle notes: Jasmine, tuberose and gardenia
Base notes: Sandalwood, musk and patchouli,
Fresh and tropical yet mysterious and alluring, the {Moonlight in Heaven Eau De Parfum} summer scent from Kilian is reminiscent of warm summer nights spent under a star-studded sky. With sweet mango, delicate sambac jasmine, creamy coconut milk and honey-like tonka beans – and this fragrance is as sophisticated as they come! Each bottle can be refilled and kept for a lifetime – so this could be your new signature scent year after year.
Top notes: Mango and sambac jasmine
Middle notes: Coconut milk and rice
Base notes: Tonka beans and vetiver
Encased in a charming glass bottle with a wooden stopper, the Oribe {Côte D'Azur Eau de Parfum} evokes luxury in every way. Formulated with notes of Calabrian bergamot, white butterfly jasmine and sandalwood, this indulgent fragrance embodies the glamour and warmth of the iconic Mediterranean destination that it's named after.
Top notes: Bergamot, lemon, blackcurrant and Sicilian orange
Middle notes: Jasmine, tuberose, cyclamen
Base notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, amber
Created by the Queen of Fragrance, Jo Malone CBE, Jo Loves A Fragrance in {Green Orange & Coriander} is an irresistible {unisex scent} combining a bewitching blend of bitter green citrus, culinary herbs and warming, spicy black pepper and oak moss. Unique and light, fresh and intriguing, this is a scent you’ll never get bored of...
Top notes: Bitter orange and black pepper
Middle notes: Coriander and coriander leaf
Base notes: Oakmoss and tonka bean
Housed in minimal, fuss-free packaging and with a short and simple ingredients list featuring only the most luxe ingredients, CRA-YON’s range of chic and sustainable scents have us weak at the knees! {Sand Service} is a crisp, green and woody fragrance that takes you on a sensorial journey of feel-good aromatics, nuanced with the scent of papyrus, orris and birch leather. It’s the perfect aperitivo scent, and one that promises adventure!
Top notes: Violet leaf, cardamom
Middle notes: Orris and papyrus
Base notes: Amber, leather, cedarwood and sandalwood
Opening with a juicy burst of fresh mandarin and evolving towards the mellow, woody warmth of Iso E Super (a smooth and woody amber note), the distinctive and alluring {Mandarin} scent from Escentric Molecules is a game of two halves (note: there are no middle notes, for starkness that sings!). Genderless, subtle and oh-so chic, this summer fragrance will elevate your mood – and the mood of those around you!
Top notes: Mandarin
Base notes: Iso E Super
A zesty, summery scent, {Gorse} by Laboratory Perfumes envelopes you in a citrusy veil of fragrance. Inspired by the English countryside and conjuring scenes of sunny, seaside holidays or lazy hours lounging in meadows, it's sweet, fresh and occasionally spicy. Romantic yet refreshingly modern. You can almost hear the bumblebees buzzing!
Top notes: Citrus
Middle notes: Gorse flower
Base notes: Cardamom
Transporting you to endless summer days where the skies are blue and there’s a feeling of freedom in the air, {Thirsty}, from Fugazzi Fragrances, marries the light breeziness of fruit and flowers with heady, deep accents of cedarwood and musk. Made from ingredients that represent nature’s finest offerings (fruit, flowers, wood…), this is a fresh and decadent scent that will see you through summer and beyond.
Top notes: Apple, galbanum, bamboo and bluebell
Middle notes: Fig, jasmine, rose and neroli
Base notes: Cedarwood, amber and musk
Dreamers and voyagers, this is a summer perfume with your name on it. Inspired by the wild, exhilarating freedom of travel, the sublime summer scent {Moon Fever} combines key notes of bitter orange, woody vetiver and deep, rich leather to create an alluring aroma. Fresh as well as heady, it’s the perfect day-to-night fragrance.
Top notes: Bitter orange, lemon and grapefruit
Middle notes: Lemon verbena, clary sage and neroli
Base notes: Vetiver oil, leather and tonka bean
Prepare to fall head over heels for Molton Brown’s {Orange & Bergamot Eau de Toilette}. A concoction of Sevillian orange, bergamot and neroli, this heavenly scent evokes a courtyard of orange trees in the late Spanish summertime. Housed in one of the brand’s instantly recognisable and collectible bottles, you’ll soon want a bottle for your bathroom, handbag and office desk so you're never caught short!
Top notes: Orange, bergamot and mandarin
Middle notes: Neroli, cardamom and galbanum
Base notes: Ylang-ylang and cedarwood
An intoxicating and seductive blend of floral and feminine notes, the {Jaipur Chant Eau de Parfum} from the beauty world’s first socially conscious luxury fragrance house – Sana Jardin – is blazing a revolutionary trail as well as smelling utterly sublime. Laced with Moroccan jasmine, narcissus and musk, this is one for the sensual and spiritual among us.
Top notes: Lemon blossom, Italian lemon and clove leaf;
Middle notes: Indian tuberose, Moroccan jasmine and French narcissus;
Base notes: Musk
A love story to Italy, D.S. & Durga’s {Italian Citrus} transports you to a carefree place where the roads climb and wind above the shimmer of the Mediterranean (pure bliss). Marrying pressed lemon and blood orange, violet leaf, oak moss and musk ambrette, the lush and long-lasting cologne is guaranteed to garner a host of compliments!
Top notes: Lemon and blood orange
Middle notes: Violet leaf
Base notes: Oakmoss and musk ambrette
An ode to the great outdoors and childhoods spent playing games in the garden, Frédéric Malle’s {Synthetic Jungle Eau de Parfum} sparks visions of technicolour greens through its bright and verdant notes. An evocative green, floral and woody scent that combines opulent basil, a bouquet of hyacinth, lily of the valley, jasmine and ylang ylang, all balanced by leather notes and patchouli – this is a summer scent that nature lovers will adore.
Top notes: Galbanum, basil and blackcurrant
Middle notes: Hyacinth, lily of the valley, jasmine, ylang ylang and almond
Base notes: Oakmoss and patchouli
An ode to the seashore, its herbaceous flora, rugged cliffs and salty wind, the androgynous {Karst} scent from Aesop is vibrant and fresh with a mineral, stormy edge. Ideal for the pragmatists and existentialists, this moody yet refreshing summer scent will accompany you on your seasonal pondering – no matter how close to the shore it takes you.
Top notes: Juniper, pink pepper and bergamot
Middle notes: Rosemary, sage and cumin
Base notes: Vetiver, sandalwood and cedar
A celebration of the beautiful and softly scented rose, OUAI’s {Melrose Place Eau de Parfum} is the perfect fresh and floral summer perfume. A velvety blend of rich rose with hints of bergamot, lychee, cedar wood and white musk that speaks of the relaxed charms of West Hollywood, start by spraying it on your pulse points then spray a halo around your neck, head and hair so that it follows you irresistibly throughout the day.
Top notes: Champagne, litchi, red berries and pink pepper
Middle notes: Rose, peony, freesia, bergamot and jasmine
Base notes: White musk, cedar, sandalwood and amber
For summer nights where things look set to heat up, Christian Louboutin Beauty’s {Loubicroc Eau de Parfum} is here to bring some extra spice. This seductive blend of myrrh, cypriol and smouldering sandalwood will shroud you with magic and mystery – and the bottle that harks to Louboutin’s signature soles isn’t exactly an eyesore either!
Top notes: Myrrh
Middle notes: Cypriol
Base notes: Sandalwood
Another seductive summer scent, Le Labo’s {Another 13} melds with the wearer's natural pheromones to create a your-scent-but-better allure. The heady key notes of musk combine with 12 other ingredients (including earthy moss, sweet jasmine and sensual ambrette seeds) to create a subtle yet seductive summer scent that’ll turn plenty of heads – don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Top notes: Pear, apple and citruses
Middle notes: Ambrette, amyl salicylate, moss and jasmine
Base notes: Iso E Super, cetalox, helvetolide and ambrettolide
