Water has the unique quality of being both life’s most essential necessity and one of its simplest pleasures. From a summer rain to a walk on the beach to freshly fallen snow, many of our favorite wholesome memories are centered around water. I used to have a misguided theory that I could smell water; I could smell when rain was coming, when water on the stove was nearly boiling, or when a lake was nearby. Turns out actual H₂O does not have a smell. However, a little research revealed that I’m not entirely delusional. Humans have a deeply intuitive relationship with water. We possess various thermal and mechanosensory cues that sense moisture and can even hear the difference between hot water being poured versus cold. We’re viscerally attracted to water, obviously out of biological necessity, but there’s more to it than that. Scientists even theorize that our love of things glossy and shiny–like jewelry or patent leather–is due to the fact that we are instinctively drawn to the glossy, reflective sheen of fresh water.
When it comes to the olfactory experience of water, there are endless scents that we associate with it that are simply byproducts of its interactions. For example, that lovely fragrance after a rainfall? It’s called “petrichor,” and it’s the result of plants releasing their accumulated oils and the soil being aerosolized, giving off those delicious, earthy smells. In other words, a simple rainfall, while not having its own scent, releases a symphony of fragrances, ranging from ozonic and mineral to herbal and floral. Indeed, one of the biggest developments in aquatic scents–the invention of the compound Calone by Pfizer in the 1960s–seemingly smells exactly like “water” but is actually another scent entirely. Originally invented to emulate the scent of watermelon, the scientists accidentally created something completely different: a compound that smells just like algae. I had the opportunity to smell pure Calone, and the experience was fascinating. It started out like a fresh melon scent, then settled as–I don’t know how else to describe it–the smell of water pouring out of a faucet. If you asked me what algae smells like, I couldn’t tell you, but somehow, the scent of pure water emanating from an algae dupe was unmistakable.
While the idea of an aquatic fragrance usually brings to mind 2000s men’s colognes–like Acqua Di Gio, the official "baby’s first fragrance" for trading up from Irish Spring–modern perfumers are now creating complex, evocative, thirst-quenching scents to match every watery mood. Whether you want to smell like a tropical beach, a fresh spring rain, or the sea itself, the list below has a unique scent for you. (All scents listed are unisex.)
Steamed Rainbow Eau de Parfum
Steamed Rainbow smells like a humid summer storm sweeping over a stretch of highway on a road trip. Somehow, the “steamy” aspect comes through perfectly, with a scent that’s at once delicate and consuming, like being engulfed in an actual cloud of steam. Employing notes like red mandarin, green cedar, yellow resin, and indigo grass, perfumer David Moltz uses ingredients in every color of the rainbow to evoke the soft, humid atmosphere that creates it. My notes say, “Wet concrete–in a good way.”
Walk the Sea
Smells like the beach from Big Little Lies: verdant, windswept cliffs, clean sea air, and twisted driftwood. Taking in the notes of sea salt, white florals, cedar, and ambergris, my friend and I decided this smells like taking an old wooden boat around a foggy Bodega Bay with Tippi Hedren.
Sea Salt Caramel
Don’t get thrown off by the caramel–the sea salt is the star here. A fragrance somehow both rich and watery, the caramel simply lends a warm note to an otherwise crisply fresh, salty, and unmistakably marine scent. With notes of cedar, pink peppercorn, and seaweed, this fragrance smells like strolling along a moody beach in Maine and detecting the faint whiff of a seaside funnel cake stand in the distance.
Acqua Di Sale
The ultimate marine aquatic, Acqua Di Sale (literally “Salt Water” in Italian), is an intensely clean and sophisticated scent that smells like pure wind and ocean. With clear notes of sea salt, driftwood, wild myrtle, and subtle seaweed, this scent is at once mysterious and nostalgic, transporting any beholder back to their favorite seaside memories.
Nun
Named after the first Egyptian god who dwelled in the primordial waters that ostensibly birthed the original lotus flowers, this scent is a tribute to all things watery and floral. It smells like I imagined lily ponds would smell as a kid–fresh, petal-y, pink, and cool like a flowing brook. While white lotus is the star, notes of pear, neroli, and blond wood complete what must be the natural musk of a Naiad. If the primordial waters smelled like this, feel free to throw me back in ‘em.
Every Storm a Serenade
I was initially skeptical of this brand’s concept of creating scents based on imaginary storylines, but this scent made me a believer. In my initial notes, I wrote, “Misty seaside forest, craggy cliffs, wintery beach.” When I checked the website, I saw that the story behind the fragrance is that of a novelist wintering in a beach house on the Danish coastline, obsessing about a night of passion with a brawny fisherman to whom she writes countless unsent letters. Clearly, Imaginary Authors delivers. With notes of Danish spruce, eucalyptus, and Calone rounded out with vetiver, this is the scent for you if you want to smell like a Nordic warrior princess communing in the forest with the Old Gods.
Baie 19 Eau de Parfum
The ultimate petrichor scent, Le Labo perfectly captures a rain-soaked calm after a storm. The brand claims it smells “like nothing,” but I disagree. Green, woody, and a tiny bit spicy, it evokes both a dark forest and a crisp cocktail, thanks to herbaceous, ginny juniper and a cool, ozonic accord.
Naviglio
All fragrances from this brand are formulated to evoke the sensory experience of a specific scene in Milan, and this scent captures the famous Vicolo dei Lavandai, a historic canal where women once washed their family’s clothes. Smells like fresh, cold running water and the light, warm scent of the sun just touching the flowers on an early spring morning. With notes of neroli, bergamot, and Marseille soap, it smells like clean laundry in the best sense. (Tide, take note.)
Ocean of a Midnight Moon
Another excellent aquatic offering from the Italians, Ocean of a Midnight Moon smells like the fresh, marine, masculine scents of our youth but all grown up. The saltwater notes are accompanied by the nighttime coolness of mint, myrtle, and juniper, with a seafoam-specked splash of citrus, all rounded out by the warmth of driftwood and the sparkling freshness of crystallized sea salt.
Oceania
A decadent offering of which a portion of the proceeds go to ocean conservation, Oceania is an ode to the refreshing and revitalizing qualities of the sea. A bright citrus chorus of lime, grapefruit, mandarin, and lemon gives way to a fresh, creamy floral heart of jasmine and geranium with a hint of moss. With base notes of sandalwood and orris–the caviar of perfume ingredients–that mimic the scent of sun-warmed skin, Oceania is the perfect long-wearing fragrance to capture the essence of an invigorating day by the water, perfectly portable for inclusion in a survival kit for landlocked locales.
Sydney Rock Pool
This is the scent of a fancy beach fresh off a long international flight. Smells like salty skin, sunscreen, rum cocktails, and a warm breeze blowing through jasmine and frangipani to give you a quick peck on the cheek as you dry out on a chaise longue. The ultimate tropical scent.
Rockaway Beach
I know I already included a D.S. & Durga scent on this list, but I couldn’t help but add this fantastically whimsical limited-edition offering. Described by an acquaintance as smelling like “a beach that you wouldn’t want to take your shoes off at,” I can confirm it absolutely does–but in the best way. Inspired by the actual Rockaway Beach, the scent is strongly marine—salty and sediment-y, with notes of sunscreen, privet hedges, and urban angst. Would pair perfectly with a Brooklyn loft, a Negroni, and a pretentious vinyl collection.