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Beauty Editors Are Obsessed With This Sexy, Spicy Perfume For Summer

Your new fragrance lineup.

by Natasha Marsh

May 8, 2022

best summer fragrances

Finally, after months of cold fronts and rainstorms, warmer weather is on the horizon. Which means, it’s time to pull out all your open-toed shoes, sun dresses, swimsuits, and of course, summer fragrances. And while there is no need to change your scents every season, there are a plethora of summery options out there that will make you want to. There are crisp, floral, and citrus scents that will beautifully replace the richer nods to winter. Then there are ones that will easily transport you to a beach vacation with their breezy, ocean, and vanilla notes.

Most importantly, some of these fresh summer fragrances have serious staying power, and can likely serve you through all seasons of the year. But with the plethora of options to choose from, how will you ever decide which one is for you? Well, it just so happens that TZR editors also have fragrance on the brain. Whether you’re more of a traditional fragrance wearer or are on the hunt for a new go-to, ahead, you’ll find a fresh favorite summer fragrance in the curated list below. Some are tried-and-true and some have barely hit the store shelves. So go ahead, and add some to your rotation.

We at TZR only include products that have been independently selected by our editors. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

Hannah Baxter, Deputy Beauty Editor

Hannah Baxter

SALT Eau de Parfum

SALT Eau de Parfum

If you want to bottle the summertime experience of being on a beach, carefree and windswept with sun-kissed skin, this Ellis Brooklyn Eau de Parfum is hands down the best out there. It’s a warm, sexy scent with vibrant floral notes to balance out the heat. The founder, Bee Shapiro, also just launched a body oil with her signature Salt scent, and I’ll 100% be wearing it all season long.

Cactus Azul

Fueguia 1833 is a new discovery on my part and the Italian brand is quickly becoming one of my go-tos. The Cactus Azul scent is a green and aromatic blend with heady sandalwood to give the cactus flower top notes a rich, well-rounded feel. This is one of those enticing perfumes that will have everyone from your Uber driver to your friends and family demanding to know what you’re wearing.

Annie Blay, Associate Beauty News Editor

skin care selfie

Annie Blay

Aerin honeysuckle parfum

Mediterranean Honeysuckle Mimosa Eau de Parfum

Mimosas are my summer drink of choice (I’m a brunch-head) so it only makes sense that one of my favorite summer scents would be this sweet, floral honeysuckle mimosa fragrance from Aerin. The key notes of grapefruit, mimosa, and tuberose made this scent love at first sniff for me.

Oriana Eau de Parfum

Parfums de Marly

Oriana Eau de Parfum

Falling in love with one Parfums de Marly scent ensures you’ll create a luxe but dangerous habit of collecting all the fragrances from the brand. One of my favorites is Oriana, a gourmand, floral, and fruity perfume with notes of mandarin, raspberry, chantilly cream, and musk.

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Cheirosa ’62 Bum Bum Hair & Body Fragrance Mist

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Cheirosa ’62 Bum Bum Hair & Body Fragrance Mist

More on the affordable side but certainly not any less enticing, this fragrance mist from sol de Janeiro is a gourmand lover’s dream. The mist has the same scent as the brand’s cult-favorite bum bum cream with notes of salted caramel, pistachio, and my all-time favorite, vanilla.

Amanda Ross, Beauty News Writer

Amanda Ross TZR

Amanda Ross

Vaction perfume

Vacation’s signature sunscreen scent is the ultimate summertime fragrance and I’m hopelessly in love with it. It’s decidedly tropical, all coconut and banana-scented like a fruity beach cocktail, but mixed with those other summer scents that don’t typically get the same attention — chlorine and lycra swimsuit among them. My all-time favorite family memories are of us at the beach and one spritz of this takes me right back to childhood. I absolutely bathe myself in this perfume, religiously hyping it up to friends and family — I’ve turned at least five people into converts, including my parents.

sana jardin berber blonde

On the other side of the coin, something a little more sophisticated is usually in order for an event or dinner date. Sana Jardin’s Berber Blonde walks the line between musky and enveloping and light and airy — a perfect storm for summer nights. Orange blossom, neroli, and bergamot are citrusy and floral (and very clean-smelling!) while a bit of musk anchors the whole thing for a real head-turning quality.

Marina Liao, Senior Fashion News Editor

Marina Liao

Jo Malone Poppy Barley Cologne

Jo Malone London

Poppy Barley Cologne

I don’t divide my fragrances into seasons, but luckily the one I wear all the time works for the coldest of winters or the liveliest of summers. Jo Malone’s Poppy Barley Cologne is floral and fruity thanks to top notes like blackcurrant, rose, and violet but maintains its subtleness as the notes are mixed with grains like barley and bran. I’m not a chemist, but altogether the notes meld together for a soft, wearable, everyday scent. And, I always receive compliments when I spritz this on year round.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Spring

Like the bottle’s name proclaims, this perfume is indeed perfect for wearing in the spring/summer time. The floral notes in this bottle are rosewood and rosebuds mixed with spicy cardamom. The scent supposedly captures the “airy essence of nature” and it does feel very fresh and light with each spritz. How I describe the vibe of this perfume is that you’d wear it while sipping a nice glass of cold rosé on a hot day.

Alison Syrett, Deputy Fashion Editor

Alison Syrett

Pink Iris

I first discovered Abel’s luxe, non-toxic fragrances after the birth of my oldest daughter, when I was super cognizant of the ingredients in all my products — newborns are basically suctioned to your body 24/7, so they share a good portion of what’s sitting on your skin. So I was already a fan of the brand when I stumbled across this soft floral perfume, which is somehow both powdery and airy-light, with just the hint of Sichuan pepper to keep it from feeling too sweet. As someone who lives life always a little rushed and rumpled up, I love the way one calming spritz of this mix makes me feel like a pulled-together lady. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that Iris is also my younger daughter’s name, but I swear that didn’t sway me (much).

to see a flower perfume

CB I Hate Perfume

308 To See A Flower (30ml)

This is spring in a bottle! Not like the overly conceptualized, glossed-up idea of what spring might smell like, but the full-on wet, mossy — even a little bit muddy — smell you get after a cool mid-May rain. This is definitely not a scent to grab if you are looking for a traditional perfume-y perfume! But if you want something unconventional and totally transportive, I highly recommend it. I still have a bottle I bought almost 10 years ago, with just the potent dregs of fragrance sitting at the bottom, that I can’t bear to part with. Sometimes I’ll just take the top off, close my eyes, sniff, and escape my reality for a moment.

Natasha Marsh, Beauty Features Writer

best summer '22 fragrances natasha marsh

Natasha Marsh

Diptyque Do Son Eau De Toilette summer fragrance

Do Son Eau De Toilette

I’ve had a sick obsession with bringing Diptyque Do Son Eau De Toilette every single place I go, especially on holidays. With notes of orange blossoms and jasmine, it reminds me of the fresh whiff of wind you get while enjoying a day at the beach. At 100 ml it is the perfect size to fit in my carryon and only requires a few spritzes to engulf my body in the most magical and carefree way.

Skylar Coconut Cove Eau de Parfum for summer fragrances

Coconut Cove Eau de Parfum

I’ve had Skylar Coconut Cove on my sideboard table since it came out in November 2021, never leaving the house without spraying it on. With its notes of coastal woods, coconut, lemon, and bergamot, it was the perfect warm escape during the chilling winter months. As a new fragrance lover, I am always forever impressed by the lightness of the scent, never overpowering, but always just right. Now, in the warmer weather, it evokes a calming, yet energizing spirit to my day.