Summer Perfumes That Will Instantly Take You On Holiday

There’s nothing quite like a good summer fragrance to get you in the travelling mood. Whether you’re looking for something to transport you to golden beaches and tropical evenings, or a scent that you can wear when you get back home, finding the best summer perfume need not be an arduous task.

What makes a good summer perfume?

While the best scent profile for you will ultimately depend on your personal preference, a good summer fragrance skews lighter than the scents you opt for in cooler months. Heavier, cocooning blends can be overpowering in the heat, as well as attract insects with intense and aromatic oils.

Instead, look for fragrances with notes that are bright, fresh and airy. Citrus accords featuring bergamot, lemon and grapefruit are a popular choice, echoing the fruits that flourish in the sunny season. Green fragrances with extracts like galbanum and vetiver will lend a fresh facet to your scent, whilst notes of flower and coconut are holiday staples – is there anything more tropical?

Which perfumes last longer in summer?

As fragrances evaporate quicker in heat, the best summer perfumes need some staying power. Eau de parfums have higher perfume concentrations that increase the longevity of your scent. 

Whichever you go for, there are a few hacks to make your scent project and last much longer. Layering your perfume over a body oil in the same fragrance family will help the scent stick to the skin, and strategic spritzing on the nape and behind the knees ensure you leave an inviting trail. If you like to apply scent on your wrists, avoid rubbing them together (this disrupts the top notes) and remember that you’ll need to reapply after handwashing.

This Diptyque Eau Moheli fragrance is holiday, bottled. With notes of ylang-ylang, vetiver, patchouli and tonka, it literally smells like suncare-slathered skin warmed up by the sun, making it ideal for far-flung destinations, but also just as good on home turf when you want a bit of an olfactive escape

I love the combination of the zesty lime and mandarin mixed with peppery basil in Jo Malone’s signature scent, Lime Basil and Mandarin Cologne.  It’s so light, fresh and bright, and develops over time on my skin.

If the baroque Italian tile of D&G’s bottle doesn’t immediately transport you to the Mediterranean coast, then the scent within it certainly will. A cocktail infused with Calabrian bergamot and ripe peach, “summer vibes” aptly summarises the feeling of this spritz. Zesty citrus rind makes this one reminiscent of holidays spent sipping Negronis, and its clean notes are balanced with a base of cedar that stays put all day long.

If you favour notes that are crisp and clean, then this is the fragrance for you. Fresh has captured the essence of that ‘just showered’ scent, and bottled it, in a slimline package that can be stashed in your clutch for whenever you need a refresh. Opening with a cocktail of energising citruses – grapefruit, Amalfi lemon and orange – the dry down reveals a sharp rhubarb base that projects from all your pulse points. Evocative of sun-soaked citrus trees on the Italian coast, it’s a scent you’ll want to reach for at home and away.

Weekends spent in Paris, wandering the Seine, sipping espresso and perusing the shops along Champs-Élysées. If you aren’t headed to the city of love this summer, let Chanel transport you with its EDT, which captures Parisian chic in an accord of light florals and sensual woods.