You’re not ready for summer fun until you’ve picked a great scent for the season. Fragrances are the perfect match to a sharp outfit and an adventurous attitude, and will help you make the right impression wherever you go.
There are many options out there in many price ranges, so we tried to capture a mix of some of the most popular fragrances this year without leaving anyone out. Don’t forget that when you see the prices, many of these are sized to last you for the entire summer. The kind of impression that a good scent will leave all summer long is well worth the cost.
Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana produces many of the most popular fragrances every year, but even among those Light Blue has managed to stand out. It’s a lighter scent that the designers claim was meant to capture the feeling of lazy summer days passing into exciting evenings. Reviewers have described the scent as including hints of wood scents, mixed with spice and citrus.
This fragrance has been recognized with several awards, and also been exhibited at the Museum of Arts and Design for the process that went into creating it. It has been considered a groundbreaking scent since its first release.
This may be the summer scent for you if you prefer lighter and woody scents. It’s a good match to formal wear, but isn’t going to stand out as a bad match in a casual setting. In that way, it’s a very adaptive scent that you can safely use for many occasions.
Chinotto de Liguria by Acqua di Parma
This fragrance is designed for both men and women, and it’s an attractive option if you like the idea of a subtle citrus halo following you wherever your summer day takes you. Some have compared this fragrance to the bold, spicy orange types that used to be so common in the 80s, but are difficult to find now.
The designers describe the scent as one that calls to mind all the experiences of standing on the coast of Italy. Mandarin trees on the breeze were one of the major inspirations in the development of this fragrance, and it shows.
Reviewers agree strongly on the presence of the orange, but there is intense debate about whether the fragrance should be considered a mild one or a strong one. This suggests that different noses may have a different experience of the smell. However, even those that describe it as strong say it’s pleasant and even intoxicating, making this a perfect daily wear scent.
Eau de Lacoste Men’s L.12.12 Jaune by Lacoste
A yellow polo shirt may sound like an odd inspiration for a fragrance, but that’s what Lacoste set out to do with L.12.12 Jaune. With the bright color of the bottle calling to mind sport and shiny citrus, the designers blended together a scent that can’t be mistaken for anything but a product of summer.
The scent is said to do its best to mimic “sunshine in a bottle”. The base of the scent is woody cypress, but that quickly blooms to include aromatic grapefruit and apple. Those who reviewed it have described it as one of the must-have citrus fragrances for collectors. Multiple reviewers have claimed that it can be smelled and enjoyed from even a few feet away. Some expressed concerns about the longevity of the scent, but also pointed out that it could be reapplied without becoming overbearing.
This is definitely a casual scent as opposed to one that would match well with formal wear. It’s the perfect match to its inspiration: an outdoor game of tennis on a bright summer day.
Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf
Spicebomb has a history that goes back to an incredibly popular women’s fragrance from the early 2000s that was modified for men. The floral notes of the famous Flowerbomb were replaced with citrus notes, while keeping the cinnamon, bergamot and chili notes that had made the original such a huge hit.
The fragrance was designed from the ground up to leave a strong, spicy impression, and may not be the best option for those who prefer a lighter and more subtle scent. Those who appreciate strong notes reviewed this scent very highly. Reviewers cited the upfront cinnamon again and again as one of the most pleasing aspects of the scent. Other spices have also been pulled out of the scent, including paprika and white pepper.
This one is an evening scent, meant for provocative settings like concerts, nights on the town and other exciting destinations.
Oud & Bergamot Rich Extract by Jo Malone London
This fragrance is the priciest one on the list, but it stands out as the perfect option for a certain time in summer. Oud wood is the base of the scent, and its warm wood scents balance out the citrus that makes up the other side of the equation. It’s a calmer sort of summer scent, making it perfect for areas such as the Pacific Northwest, where the weather can pass from feeling like summer in the morning back to early spring in the evening.
