THE BEST SUMMER SCENTS FOR EVERY OCCASION
When the scent of summer starts to fill the air (finally!), it’s time to put aside your winter fragrance and take your senses on a journey to sunnier climes. The best summer perfumes transport you to a specific location or moment in time – even if you aren’t leaving the house! Think French Riviera, the Tuscan hills, a beachside bar or even your local seaside town.
So, whether you’re a fragrance fanatic or new to the scent scene, join us at Cult Beauty as we go nose first into our list of the best summer scents you won’t want to be without.
P.s if you struggle to shop for fragrances online, we’ve created an ultimate guide here.
BEST SUMMER SCENTS
For Picnic Park Hangouts
It’s August, you’re wearing your favourite Ganni sundress, have brought along a bottle of Prosecco (or cans of your favourite tipple) and are sitting cross-legged with your BFFs staring at London from the top of Primrose Hill. Is there anything more British or iconic?
Now, how do you bring about that fresh, green scent of the mount? Cue: Vyrao’s I Am Verdant Eau de Parfum. Grounding yet energising (thanks to the charged Herkimor diamond placed inside the bottle), this uplifting aroma has top notes of bergamot and cyclamen with a base of iris absolute and orange flower. Delivering good vibrations every time it’s spritzed, this fragrance will forever remind you of picture-perfect picnics.
For something more unique, Le Labo’s Thé Matcha 26 Eau de Parfum is one of the best niche summer fragrances thanks to its innovative blend of matcha, creamy fig and bitter orange. Subtle and understated it’s a grounding scent that finishes with the scent of soft vetiver and cedarwood.
And if you want to make some of your best summer scents pop? Spritz D.S. & Durga’s I Don’t Know What perfume. Crafted to be worn alone or layered over other fragrances, this enhancing scent is formulated with fresh bergamot accord and amber-like vetiver acetate to linger on skin and level up whatever else you’re wearing.
£89.00
20
£234.00
4
£155.00
9
£120.00
6
£195.00
For Summer City Strolls
Prefer to spend your summers eating gelato, hopping on a vespa and exploring the cobbled streets of a city like Rome? From the Piazza Navona via the Trevi Fountain to St Peter’s Square, you need a scent that subtly says Buongiorno amore, every time you get a whiff.
Bursting with mouth-watering accords of hazelnut and pistachio, blended with sweet rum, white peach and a base of whipped cream, KAYALI’s Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 Eau de Parfum is the irresistible scent you’ll secretly want to eat.
Prefer a pallet cleanser so you smell more like fruit than desert? Spritz MALIN+GOETZ’s Strawberry Eau de Parfum instead. Mixing pink pepper, mara strawberries and sparkling notes of bergamot, this is one of the best summer scents to reawaken your senses and have people stopping you in the streets to ask what you’re wearing.
89
£79.00
20
£89.00
30
£35.00
45
£120.00
For Beach Days and Lazy Lays
If the thought of laying on a beach and indulging in a summer read is more your cup of tea (read: midday cocktail), then Oribe’s Côte d'Azur Eau de Parfum makes for an ideal sun-drenched scent. Melding the floral and light aromas of jasmine, lemon and vetiver plus the fruity notes of blackcurrant, this olfactory offering was inspired by the French Riviera.
If you prefer something more opulent, Kilian’s Sunkissed Goddess drizzles skin in sunlit ylang-ylang, tiare flower and coconut accords which effortlessly capture the charm of golden summer days. Inspired by the Tahitian shores and the scent of the islands traditional Polynesian monoi oil, this warm and inviting aroma really invites the feeling of having spent the day sprawled on sun-kissed, white sand beaches.
For a fragrance that evokes crashing waves, lush green landscapes and a tropical paradise, MEMO Paris’s Tamarindo Eau de Parfum may be your new summer scent obsession. With key notes of pineapple, heady jasmine, cardamom and vanilla absolute, this refined and intoxicating scent is fresh, sweet and uplifting.
2
£125.00
£225.00
1
£235.00
8
£150.00
2
£118.00
For Weepy Weddings
Mendelssohn’s ‘Wedding March’ has just begun, the tissues are in hand and collectively, the guests hold their breath as the bride makes her grand entrance, stepping onto the path of petals beneath her feet and a cloud of her fragrance fills the air.
If this is the summer memory you wish to evoke then The House of Creed’s Wind Flower’s Eau de Parfum is the best summer perfume for you. Inspired by the swirling movement of fabric, this aromatic explosion features sweet jasmine, warm orange and fresh peaches. Drying down into a powdery iris and warm musky scent, it’s a delicate, rose infused concoction that isn’t at all overbearing. It may however have you whispering dum, dum, dumdum with every slow step you take...
How about spritzing a scent inspired by the sparkling notes of champagne? Adorn your pulse points with KAYALI’s The Wedding Silk Santal. A toast to love, this sophisticated scent blends silky white freesia, pink praline and zesty nectarine for a perfume profile that’s warming, balanced and floral.
For something more traditional, Jo Loves’ White Rose & Lemon Leaves offers a bewitching blend of peppered citrus, honey, amber and Norma Jean roses, this crisp and fresh perfume blooms on skin and settles for a subtle and soft sig off.
3
£165.00
22
£79.00
12
£82.00
3
£130.00
137
£42.00
For Wimbledon Wonders...
Sun hat? Check. Strawberries and cream? Check. Pims on tap? Check. It can only mean one thing... Wimbledon. Inspired by the fresh air of outdoor nostalgia, Jo Malone’s The Emerald Thyme Cologne is the best summer aftershave if you want to be transported to the green carpets of freshly mowed pitches. Putting a modern spin on a traditionally citrusy scent, this light aroma features fresh accords of thyme, zesty lemon and sprigs of rosemary.
If you’re searching for something more elusive, Escentric Molecule’s M01 + Black Tea may be the best summer perfume for you. Complex and cocooning, this warm and velvety perfume mixes tonal cedarwood with maté tea absolute for a bitter but fresh and floral finish. Did someone say 40- love?
1
£58.00
10
£125.00
5
£195.00
£91.00
BEST SUMMER SCENT FAQs
What perfume is best for a hot summer?
When considering the best summer scents for when the mercury rises, you want to go for crisp and uncomplicated aromas. We suggest selecting fragrances with notes of vanilla, coconut and rose blended with salt or bergamot.
9
£120.00
321
£115.00
£195.00
What smells do you smell in summer?
Apart from the iconic scent of freshly cut grass, summer evokes the aromas of floral bouquets, sunscreen, citrusy fruits and sweet ice creams to name but a few. For others saltwater, coconut and warm sand stir up the memory of the season.
What scent should you avoid in summer?
Although floral scents are common to wear in the summer, we suggest avoiding the sickly-sweet kind and anything that features the rich and earthy notes of patchouli, warm (not delicate) vanilla and fragrances that are deep or spicy. This is because they can potentially cloy when mixed with your natural sweat, in turn creating an overbearing aroma in the heat.
And there you have it, whether you’re a beach lover, city explorer or love love, there’s a summer scent to suit whatever mood you’re in.
Rina is Cult Beauty’s Midweight SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or a fantasy romance novel, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
