Actually Interesting Summer Scents

I’m a gourmand girl. I love heavy sweet syrupy fragrances. At all times, I would love to be transformed into a pastry in a display case of an Italian bakery. However, that’s not always appropriate. Summertime is the worst time to drop pistachio caramel bombs everywhere, but it’s so hard not to. I personally find many summer fragrances to be a little boring. How much citrus and linen does this world need?

I obviously won’t judge you if you’re wearing a cakey gourmand or dead leaf smell in the middle of summer. Or if you like a clean linen scent. Do what makes you happy. However, when I feel a change of seasons, I personally feel like I need to change my wardrobe as well as my fragrance wardrobe. If you’re a weird girl or a gourmand girl and you’re looking for something summer appropriate, this list is for you. Summer scents can be wildly unexciting, but these ones strike joy across all price points and niches.

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Arquiste

Photo from Patrick Rhys

Tropical ($225)
Every fraghead knows about this already. It’s Arquiste’s newest fragrance and it felt like a sin not to mention. Notes of jasmine and guava make it super bright, like stumbling across a garden on an otherwise aimless walk. It personally reminds me of a more expensive and floral Vacation (the fragrance by Vacation) which makes sense since both fragrances were made by the same perfumer, Rodrigo Flores Roux.

A Grove by the Sea ($205)
A Grove by the Sea is lush and green, like a rainforest with bountiful ripe fruits hanging from the trees. It wakes you up when you spray it. Herbal, green, and fruity notes are blended perfectly in this fragrance, creating a very natural harmony.

Clue Perfumery

The Point ($140)
I adore Clue Perfumery and I’m excited for Dandelion Butter, their newest launch. The Point is a cloudy beach with a bunch of washed up seaweed, but you can smell the plentiful rosehip bushes. It’s aquatic, salty, but still floral and surprisingly it makes sense. “Think About Your Troubles” by Harry Nilsson was the main inspiration for this fragrance, so if you listen to the song you’ll get it. The Point is a titular weird girl fragrance from a weird girl brand.

Demeter

Firefly ($22.50-$40.50)
What a nostalgic scent! Firefly smells like the summer sun finally setting, the air starting to cool down, the wet sidewalk from watering the garden, fireflies starting to appear, and hearing the ice cream truck around the corner. It smells like winding down after playing outside all day, saying bye to your friends, and realizing for the first time that there won’t always be nights like these, so take it all in before you head up to bed.

Wet Garden ($22.50-$40.50)
Wet Garden is like the morning version of Firefly. It’s crisp and refreshing. It smells like going outside on a summer morning before the rest of the world wakes up, except a few of your neighbors are awake to water their gardens. Yes, in the Demeter Cinematic Universe I just invented there’s room for both morning and night garden waterers. This fragrance is both green and floral, really capturing the whole garden. Coming across a fragrance so nuanced yet inexpensive is rare, and Demeter really delivers with these two fragrances. Demeter has been that affordable weird girl fragrance house for years.

Etat Libre D’Orange

The Ghost in the Shell ($110-$170)
My initial interest in this scent came from the movie I’ve never seen of the same name. The fragrance is floral, fresh, and powdery, almost like an unscented deodorant. As you wear it, a little bit of sweet yuzu comes through, however it’s mostly very still and cold like a heavily air conditioned just cleaned office. The branding of it is weirder than the actual fragrance, which clearly worked on me. It’s perfect for work or just to cool you down.

Good Chemistry

Brainiac ($10.99)
Brainiac is a total citrus bomb. The EDP has unfortunately been discontinued, but easy to find on eBay, and the body mist is still for sale for a limited time. Bright and exciting lemon, pepper, and vanilla are perfectly blended to make this creamy summery scent. It’s the perfect balance of gourmand and fresh. If you’re a fan of Dolce & Gabbana Devotion (which I am a huge fan of), you’ll most likely enjoy Brainiac.

Firecracker ($11.99)
Firecracker is another discontinued perfume available for a limited time on Good Chemistry’s website as well. It’s wet, woody, and floral, like sweet petrichor. It’s mild but mysterious. I find the name mostly misleading; there’s a faint smoke note that shows up when you look for it, but otherwise, not very firecracker-y. Still great though.

Juliette Has a Gun

Moscow Mule ($34-$150)
Refreshing, crisp, and boozy. If you love attention, this fragrance is for you because it always gets me compliments, which is surprising since it’s not very strong. Moscow Mule is mostly fresh, but the ginger note grounds it and gives it intrigue.

Lush

Chelsea Morning ($18 for solid, $45-$105 for EDP)
I have the solid concentration of this fragrance and it’s the best solid perfume I’ve ever tried. The EDP is good too, of course, but if you want to save a little money, I can’t recommend the solid enough. It’s sugary like caramel or creme brulee, but lemon myrtle keeps it light so you’re not drowning in maple syrup. It’s cheerful and happy. I personally love layering it with Brainiac!

Mugler

Angel Nova ($33-$152)
I love this fragrance, although I don’t understand why it’s a flanker and not its own thing. The only thing similar about it to the original Angel is the name, bottle, and strength of the fragrance. I can happily say it’s a rare summer beast mode fragrance. Angel Nova is punchy, tart, and sugary. It’s very raspberry and lychee heavy. It’s not shy and has great longevity. Also another compliment getter.

Outremer

Oceane ($24)
Oceane is soapy, salty, and refreshing. It reminds me of a blue hotel shampoo that’s meant to smell clean and universally appealing. The saltiness sneaks up on you. I was sniffing Oceane while typing and my last whiff made my mouth dry like how the salty sea air does. If you like Lush Dirty, you’ll probably like this.

Siam 1928

Photo from u/Starry36

Lens Flare ($100)
Lens Flare smells like waking up at a loved one’s house, the sun is rising through lace curtained windows, and some specks of dust are floating around in the sun's rays. It’s powdery sweet with an herbal deepness to it. The photo above makes it seem very sunflower heavy, which does not come across on me, but it definitely smells like a ray of light.

Tsu Lange Yor

Pool ($51-$179)
Pool is sour, crisp, sharp, bright, and ozonic. When I first smelled it, I thought it would just smell like chlorine, but it’s more of a salt water pool. Don’t imagine a photorealistic pool, but a pool party. It’s salty and sweet with strong notes of cucumber and red pepper that really wake the scent up.

Sala ($55-$196)
Sala is more for spring than summer to me, but it’s so stunning I couldn’t ignore it, and definitely still works for summer. It’s a wet garden in the morning when flowers smell the strongest and bloom the biggest. I mentioned Demeter Wet Garden before, the difference between these two wet garden scents is that Sala is more ozonic, sharp, and perfumey, Wet Garden is round and more photorealistic.

Urban Outfitters

Ind. Smoke ($24)
So fleeting but so beautiful. Ind. Smoke is one of the rare smoke scented fragrances that doesn’t smell like breakfast sausage or having a stroke. With notes of orange zest, star anise, cashmere, amberwood, and vetiver, it’s one of the most complex and well mixed fragrances I’ve ever smelled for $24. It feels like a summer bonfire on a windy night. Yes, for $24 it somehow managed to capture wind.

Vacation¹

Vacation ($60)
Okay fine. Maybe I am basic. Everyone loves Vacation. Everyone. I couldn’t not include it though. It’s photorealistic expensive sunscreen. It’s campy, like a parody of a summer fragrance, but that’s what makes it so good. Vacation only comes in a one ounce bottle, which makes it perfect for traveling. Makes sense considering the name. Vacation is my go-to daytime fragrance on trips…

Aftersun ($60)
…and Aftersun is my go-to nighttime fragrance! It’s meant to smell like aloe-vera gel like you would apply after sunning. It’s colder, moodier, and sexier than Vacation. It’s aquatic and fresh. Vacation smells like going to the beach, playing volleyball, trying to avoid a sunburn, and Aftersun smells like going out to eat after the beach with your hair still wet from showering.

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I hope my list inspired some gourmand girls to get out of their cotton candy bubble even if it’s just for one scent. It’s hard out here. I hear you. I see you.

Thank you for reading and if you made it to the end let me know in the comments what you currently smell like!²

1. I’m yet to try the body mists or Grand Cuvée but I’ve heard good things!

2. All uncredited images are either official product photography or something I made out of stock images.