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17 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.
Here, we break down the notes to look for in your signature summer scent, plus let the Vogue editors inspire you with their current favourite holiday-ready fragrances.
Read more: The Best New Perfumes To Fall In Love With This Year
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. But it’s also a good time to make use of more fleeting EDTs if you don’t mind reapplying.
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.
Below, all the holiday fragrances that come Vogue-approved.
- Best long-lasting summer perfume: Juliette Has a Gun - Lust For Sun, £100 for 50ml
- Best citrus summer perfume: Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit, £38 for 30ml
- Best summer date night fragrance: Parfums de Marly Paris Cassili Eau de Parfum, £220 for 75ml
- Best refillable summer perfume: Prada Paradoxe Eau de Parfum, £82 or 90ml
- Best summer body spray: Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Crush Cheirosa Pistachio & Salted Caramel, £35 for 240ml
- Best summer perfume for a fresh scent: L’Objet Rose Noire Eau De Parfum, £200 for 100ml
Vogue editors on their favourite summer scents
“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.”
“For a fragrance fanatic, there’s no greater praise than being complimented on your scent. Good scents are subjective and it’s very rare you’ll find one that pleases everybody – I’m all too aware that what is an olfactory delight to me might totally offend those in my orbit. This parfum, however, is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. It opens with an uplifting citrus note that lingers, but its the melange of orange blossom and ambroxan in the dry down that has won me compliments long after my morning mist. It’s so alluring, I’ve had a commuter track me down on the tube at the end of a sweaty day just to enquire after the fresh sillage left in my wake. Naturally, the full size is sold out almost everywhere you look, but even the purse-friendly mini is worth the spend – the lightest spritz of this goes a long way.”
“I tend to rotate a small number of fragrances throughout the year, each one fitting a different purpose or season, and when it comes to the summer holidays, I always reach for Penhaligon’s Elisabethan Rose. Previously a rose-scent sceptic (get it wrong and it can come across saccharine or soapy), I was pleasantly surprised by this iteration, which is delicate enough for days by the beach, but still packs a punch for evening cocktails. It’s real scent escapism.”
“I’m a sucker for any fragrance with notes of orange blossom or neroli – both on holiday and back home – and this L’artisan Parfumeur Histoire D’Orangers is one that immediately takes me away from everyday life and directly to the beach. I never want to wear anything too heavy on holiday and this perfume is light, citrusy and fresh. It gets me every time.”
Read more: The Best Perfumes For Women
Laura Ingham, deputy director, global fashion network
“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.”
Parfums de Marly Paris Cassili
Why we love it:
If you want to smell elegant, the perfume house to know is Parfums De Marly Paris, whose coveted bottles are a mainstay in several glowing reviews. “Cassili is in my top two fragrances of all time, and that’s no small thing – I’m extremely picky. Yes, it earns you no end of ‘you smell incredible, what are you wearing?’ comments, but it’s not overbearing, which is precisely why I love it as perfume for summer. A subtle melange of fresh, floral and fruity notes, it lingers forever on clothes and skin. That doesn’t stop me keeping the fairly big bottle in my clutch on any occasion – needs must when something smells as delightful as this.” — Tracy Achonwa, beauty commerce writer
Dolce & Gabbana
Light Blue Summer Vibes Eau de Toilette 100ml
Why we love it:
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.
Grace de Monaco Ombre Sereine Eau de Parfum
Why we love it:
From Princess Grace of Monaco’s philanthropic perfume house comes a summery signature that smells good, and does good too. All profits from bottles sold go to supporting the late royal’s foundation, which equips emerging talents with the patronage they need to succeed in the arts. As for the scent, think of jasmine flowers in bloom, with ylang ylang oil and sliced citruses that invigorate the senses.
Lalique Soleil Vibrant Eau de Parfum
Why we love it:
Beyond this perfume’s serious shelf appeal lies a scent you’ll want to spritz on item of clothing you own, if only to be enveloped in its feel-good aroma. Mingling citrus fruits with a mild undercurrent of woods that lend a lasting depth, a light spray is enough to elicit compliments from anyone who gets close.
TOM FORD
Electric Cherry Eau De Parfum
Why we love it:
A flirty, fruity scent that comes alive in heat, Electric Cherry is a stellar choice for the summer months. Sweet, but (crucially) not saccharine, it’s expertly layered with hints of jasmine and ginger that keep your aroma fresh. Part of Tom Ford’s prestigious Private Blend collection, the lightest mist grants staying power that persists all day long. A great pick for everywhere from the office to boozy brunch dates, beach holidays and weddings in the blistering heat.
£280 for 50ml.
Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Crush Pistachio & Salted Caramel Body Spray
Why we love it:
When you think about it, body sprays are made for hot and heavy weather. Lighter than oil-based parfums, they’re comfortable on the skin. Plus they come in shatter-proof bottles that can travel with you. Sol De Janeiro’s body mist is an excellent case in point, with a baked goods scent that’s amplified by warm skin in summer heat. Its praline top is punctuated by delectable pistachio notes, which complement a caramel-infused sandalwood base. Added to a heart of heliotrope, which keeps things out of cloying territory, you get an irresistible accord that smells good enough to eat.
£35 for 240ml.
Prada
Paradoxe Eau De Parfum
Why we love it:
Combine feminine florals with fresh, green herbs and intoxicating amber, and you get a summer scent with enough dimension to be used in all four seasons. Following this formula, Prada’s Paradoxe is light and sweet but effuses sophistication, with an addictive contrast of neroli and strong, sensual woods. Best of all, the chic container is sustainably designed to be refilled, eliminating the waste that usually comes with fragrance empties.
£106.15 for 90ml.
Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Eau De Parfum
Why we love it:
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.
£43 for 30ml.
L’Objet Rose Noire Eau De Parfum
You might think floral fragrances aren’t your thing, but you’d be wrong to knock them without first trying this one from L’Objet. The luxe interior label’s first foray into perfumery features four sensational debuts; Rose Noire is the bottle to buy for an elegant summery signature. Leading with the freshness of a rose garden in bloom, bright white pepper and warm ceylon tea add depth and intrigue. A crisp, opulent scent that works for day and night, in an artisan flask that stuns on any shelf.
£152 for 50ml.
Chanel Paris-Paris Les Eaux de Chanel Eau de Toilette Spray
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.
£122 for 125ml.
