6 summer perfumes that celebrate the energy of the season
Summer perfumes can feel more impactful than their seasonal counterparts, probably due to the fact that the sunniest time of the year is also marked by a lack of clothing, makeup and fuss.
The scent we choose in summer has to emphatically express the unspoken, palpable magic of three months bathed in sunshine. Summer fragrances can be nostalgic echoes of a distinctly Australian experience, but they can also transport us to distant shores abroad.
BEAUTYcrew spoke to Who Is Elijah founder Raquel Bouris about the transformative powers of summer scent on the eve of the release of the brand's second fragrance in the category - 'Ocean Eyes'. The oceanic genderless scent was an ode to Bouris' own childhood spent on the beaches of Cronulla.
"The European summer experience is distinct from the Australian summer," she tells BEAUTYcrew.
"European summers draw inspiration from a rich tapestry of cultures, leading to a diverse range of fragrance formulations. When you think of European summer, it conjures up a plethora of scents and experiences," she explains. "In contrast, Australian summers have a more singular association, which makes our expression of summer fragrance unique and evocative of our sun-kissed, beach-oriented lifestyle."
Regardless of whether you want your perfume to remind you of home or to take you on a trip to sunny locales yet undiscovered, BEAUTYcrew has found a selection of summer perfumes that perfectly celebrate the season in all its glory.
2024's top 3 summer perfumes
Who Is Elijah Ocean Eyes, $135, Who Is Elijah
Kayali Eden Sparkling Lychee 39, $153, Sephora
Coach Love, $128, Priceline
Who Is Elijah Ocean Eyes
from $135 at Who Is Elijah
Inspired by Who Is Elijah founder, Raquel Bouris' childhood in Cronulla, Ocean Eyes is the Aussie brand's most summery and fresh fragrance. The unisex scent opens with bright notes of citrus, with an aquatic heart and a musky, amberwood base. It is the embodiment of the quintessential summer scent. "It captures the essence of my favourite thing; diving under a beautiful wave [and] evokes an instant feeling of the seaside," says Bouris.
Key features:
Top notes: Grapefruit and mandarin
Heart notes: Sea water, juniper and sea breeze
Base notes: Musk and amberwood
Available at:
- $135 from Who Is Elijah
Kayali Eden Sparkling Lychee 39
from $153 at Sephora
Sweet, fresh and bright, this fruity cocktail of a perfume is centred around the aroma of lychee, with notes of blackcurrant lemon and red apple. Candied florals lie at the heart of the mix and are grounded by gourmand touches of sugared amber, vanilla, woods and musk.
Key features:
Top notes: Blackcurrant, sparkling lychee, Italian lemon and red apple
Heart notes: Rose damascena, candied violet and jasmine sambac
Base notes: Sugared amber, cedarwood, musk, vanilla absolute and sandalwood
Available at:
- $153 from Sephora
- $144.54 from Cult Beauty
- $132 from Huda Beauty
Coach Love
from $128 at Priceline
Strawberry perfume is the pinnacle of summer fragrance and this wild strawberry-infused ode to love is the perfect scent for the warmest months of the year. It's simple and sweet with the romantic, honeyed aroma of red roses and balsamic, citrus-scented cedarwood.
Key features:
Top notes: Wild strawberry
Heart notes: Red rose
Base notes: Cedarwood
Available at:
- $128 from MYER
L'Atelier Parfum Hot Splash
from $128 at Sephora
Designed to emulate the refreshing and invigorating feeling of diving headfirst into the ocean, 'Hot Splash' is an energising, sunny scent with notes of citrus, ylang-ylang and vetiver leading the fragrance.
Key features:
Top notes: Lemon tree, petitgrain and ginger
Heart notes: Lavender, orange blossom and ylang-ylang
Base notes: Vetiver and labdanum
Available at:
- $128 from Sephora
Chloé Signature Lumineuse
from $191 at David Jones
Roses meet sunshine in this emblematic summer fragrance that's anchored by syrupy balsamic notes, amber and vanilla with bright, sparkling blooms of jasmine sambac and rose petals.
Key features:
Top notes: Jasmine sambac
Heart notes: Rose
Base notes: Balsamic notes, amber and vanilla
Available at:
- $191 from David Jones
- $191 from Catch
- $191 from City Perfume
Lancôme Idôle Now
from $177 at David Jones
Inspired by the fiery sunrise of a new dawn, this fragrance has a rich vanilla base that opens up into a heart of Malaysian orchid and bright, uplifting rose.
Key features:
Top notes: Rose
Heart notes: Orchid
Base notes: Vanilla
Available at:
- $177 from David Jones
- $177 from Adore Beauty
- $177 from MYER
Prefer a genderless scent? This is how to choose the right unisex summer fragrance for you.
Main image credit: @phoebejtonkin
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
