6 summer perfumes that celebrate the energy of the season

Warm, fresh and full of sunshine

Beauty Crew Beauty Editor / February 23 2024

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

Prefer a genderless scent? This is how to choose the right unisex summer fragrance for you.

Main image credit: @phoebejtonkin

Briar is the Beauty Editor at BEAUTYcrew. Her 'down for anything' attitude has resulted in more than a handful of hair transformations, and she doesn't mind being used as a guinea pig for the industry's most unusual products and treatments. Her work has also appeared on Refinery29, Girlfriend and beautyheaven.