Beauty
Your Summer Scent Should Smell Like Salt & Skin
The vibe is fresh out of the ocean, and a little sun-drunk.
Think about a typical summer fragrance—then forget about it completely. These latest trend of summer scents aren’t the picture-perfect spritz you’d smell on a Ralph Lauren model in the Hamptons. Instead, they melt into skin, mineral-rich and warmed by the sun, blurring the line between perfume and pheromone. Clean, yes, but in a way that feels intimate and just the right amount of undone.
These summer scents feature notes like aldehydes (metallic, soapy, or even waxy ingredients), white musk, bergamot, vetiver, and peach skin. Whether it’s the salty depth of Orebella's Salted Muse or the sunny notes of Phlur's Solar Power, the best summer fragrances aren't quite floral or earthy, and nowhere near fresh and bare. Instead, they're a little sweaty (in a nice way), a little salty and skin-first.
Here, we round up the most sun-infused summer fragrances to wear all summer long.
Matière Première Néroli Oranger Eau de Parfum
This isn’t your typical orange blossom scent. Neroli Oranger pairs sunlit Tunisian neroli with soft, skin-hugging musks, creating a fragrance that feels like warm skin and salt air. It’s luminous, slightly dewy, and laced with the memory of a late-afternoon beach haze.
Matière Première
$65
Phlur Solar Power Eau de Parfum
Phlur’s Solar Power is like being transported to the South of France, tucked away in the airy garden of a dreamy chateau. It opens with a bright burst of bergamot before settling into an airy musk. Notes like neroli, jasmine, and sea salt add just enough depth to make it cling a little longer; it's soft, sunny, and decadent.
Sephora
$60
Ellis Brooklyn SALT Eau de Parfum
Ellis Brooklyn’s Salt is the olfactory equivalent of golden hour on a tropical getaway. It opens like a sea breeze, then blooms into Tahitian tiare and sun-drenched florals. At the base, a vegan ambergris accord that adds just the right amount of mineral depth.
Sephora
$155
Byredo Desert Dawn Eau de Parfum
Desert Dawn doesn’t shout—it smolders. It opens with a hit of cardamom and crushed rose petals, a top note that’s equal parts spice and softness. As it settles, creamy sandalwood and dry cedarwood take over, wrapping your skin in sun-baked warmth. The dry-down lingers: papyrus, silk musk, and Haitian vetiver leave an earthy imprint.
Nordstrom
$385
Noyz Hair & Body Fragrance Mist - Salty
Salty by Noyz is what vacation should smell like—sun-warmed skin, salt in your hair, SPF still lingering. As it settles, pineapple and golden waterlily drift in like a late-afternoon breeze, before drying down into a blend of driftwood, sea moss, and marine accord.
Noyz
$42
Tsu Lange Yor Luca Eau de Parfum
Tsu Lange Yor’s Luca opens like a deep breath after rain: sharp citrus, crushed herbs, and dew-drenched greens. Then comes the bloom—soft florals and a trace of spice that add dimension without disrupting the clarity. It dries down into something quietly luxe: a clean musk-meets-wood finish that clings like your favorite cashmere sweater.
Tsu Lange Yor
$170
Fendi Eau d'Artifice
Fendi’s Eaux d’Artifice smells like a Roman summer night, equal parts moody and magnetic. Think: cool stone streets after the heat breaks, a negroni in hand, and a little mystery in the air. There’s a hint of juniper, a flash of cypress, and something that feels like you’ve just stepped into an Italian noir.
Fendi
$350
L'Objet Blindfold
L’Objet’s Blindfold is the kind of scent you feel before you fully register it. Warm, musky, and just a little mysterious, it clings to skin like a memory you can’t quite place. With tonka bean, sheer woods, and soft musk, it’s less “signature scent” and more “how do they smell so good"?
L'Object
$250
Sidia Braless Body Mist
Sidia's cult-favorite candle is now a fragrance you can actually wear. Soft and sensual, it opens with cotton flower and sheer amber before melting into notes of coconut cream and sun-warmed skin. What was once a room-filling scent is now something even more personal and intimate.
Sidia
$45
Celine Un Été Français Eau de Parfum
If Luca Guadagnino's "Call Me By Your Name" was bottled into a fragrance, it would be this. Inspired by a warm afternoon in the South of France, Celine's Un Été Français conjures up fresh blooms, a hint of salt in the air, and quiet moments lying out at a beautiful château. It opens with bergamot and petitgrain notes, followed by neroli and gorse (a flower with a soft, coconut-like scent). Once dried down, vanilla adds a subtle powdery finish.
Celine
$330
Henry Rose Windows Down P.C.H.
Henry Rose’s Windows Down PCH smells like that perfect Northern California moment, with windows cracked and coastal mist cutting through the redwoods. It’s fresh but a little smoky, with citrus and Earl Grey tea giving way to something woodier and more grounded. Basically, if “golden hour on Highway 1” were a scent, this would be it.
Henry Rose
$120
