Best summer fragrances for 2020: new scents and fragrances
If you can’t jet off to far flung tropical destinations, bring the scents to you with the latest crop of summer-ready fragrances.
After a long, cold winter, we love nothing more than updating our scent wardrobes with brighter, lighter fragrances in line with the warmer weather. Push your heavy ouds aside as you spritz away with the aromas of fresh florals, zesty citrus, fresh linen and blossoming botanicals.
With the possibility of foreign travel still up in the air, we have been on the hunt for fragrances that can take us away to climes warm. Never underestimate the transportative power of scent. There is an unequivocal, scientifically-proven link between memory and smell where even just the subtlest of aromas can immediately trigger a memory, person or place and bring us instant joy even as the frustrations of lockdown go on.
We may have spent the past few months staring at the same four walls, but as life returns to a new sense of normality, it’s time to upgrade your signature scent. It will work wonders in enhancing your mood and relieving stress.
Whether you are looking for a beach holiday in a bottle, freshly cut grass without igniting your hayfever or a sea salt ocean breeze, these fragrances capture that summer feeling.
See our top pick.
Acqua di Parma Cipresso di Toscana
Transport to Tuscan hills with Acqua di Parma’s latest fragrance. The scent takes inspiration from the Italian Mediterranean landscape for the perfect respite to the stuffiness of lockdown.
With just one spritz of the unisex fragrance, you are taken to the Tuscan nature parks, famed for its Cypress tree that plays a starring role. It symbolises life and eternity as its fast-growing and has a long lifespan. The multifaceted Fougère aroma combines this woody base of cypress and pine with an sweeter opening of star anise, elemi and notes of orange and petit grain. At the heart, sage and lavender play a crucial part to capture the natural essence.
The fragrance is housed in a bright blue bottle like the Mediterranean sea with a green foliage-inspired logo. Despite the spicy twist, this is not an intense fragrance yet doesn’t give off a youthful feel.
Byredo Lil Fleur
Byredo’s latest launch - the Lil Fleur fragrance - may just be our favourite scent from the label. It takes inspiration from the teenage experience and the whirlwind of ever changing emotions, “Lil Fleur is about capturing a complex personality, one we can all recognise”.
Housed in the brand’s signature stylish bottle with a black topper, it’s an addictive aroma that is unique and instantly recognisable. It begins as a sweet rose scent due to the Damascena variety at the heart. Top notes of cassis and tangerine give it a subtle citrus aroma that eventually turns woody with the base of blonde woods, amber and vanilla. It’s sweet but spicy, youthful but mature, light but masculine, intense but not overpowering - it’s full of contradiction but it really works.
What’s more, it boasts real staying power. Just one spritz in the morning and we could still smell the heady scent by the end of the day.
Bulgari Omnia Golden Citrine
Each scent from Bulgari’s Omnia range takes inspiration from nature to honour its wonders by showcasing rare ingredients, exotic plants and uncovering hidden gems. The Golden Citrine variety is no different putting the ylang ylang flower at the centre. Harnessing the power of the flower, this aroma has a warming effect that brings light and positivity with every spritz.
It has a sweet citric floral scent with the combination of ylang ylang with sicilian mandarin and golden benzoin. The result is a mature scent that oozes with summer ripeness that is both fresh yet sensual. It has an uplifting quality that is only heightened by the glowy yellow hue of the bottle. It is housed in a distinctive wheel design that will make a chic addition to your perfume collection.
Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62
Soothe your holiday blues with Sol de Janeiro’s Cheirosa 62 fragrance that is literally summer in a bottle. If you like the aroma of the brand’s hero Bum Bum cream, you will obsess over this fragrance. The name celebrates the year in which the iconic song The Girl from Ipanema was released to capture the spirit of Rio de Janeiro.
Sending you first class to Copacabana beach, the addictive aroma will ignite the feeling of paradise with the delicious combination of salted caramel, pistachio, jasmine petals and vanilla. This is a fun fragrance, from the scent to the bottle with the golden disco ball lid that reflects light around the room. It has more depth than the cream but still boasts that buttery coconutty scent. It’s not as long lasting as some of the other fragrances in this list but it comes in a handy size to slip into your bag for top-ups on the go.
Clean Reserve Radiant Nectar
Sustainable perfume label Clean Reserve crafted their latest fragrance (and all their previous) with responsibly-sourced ingredients and eco-conscious packaging to minimise its impact on the planet. Radiant Nectar also supports the Protect our Specious campaign to raise awareness for endangered bees adorning the bottle with the vital pollinator.
The fragrance itself consists of top notes of ambrette seeds and pear nectar, a heart of orris butter, carrot seeds and tobacco flower with a base of white cedarwood, ambroxan, and liquid musk. When first sampling the scent, you can immediately smell the sweetness but it warms up when spritzed onto your body, transforming into a musk. Soft floral and sweet honey give way to this heady aroma for a fragrance that is the perfect balance. It is both youthful and mature and very unique. The scent has good staying power.
Jo Loves Mango Thai Lime
This latest addition to Jo Malone’s brand takes inspiration from the perfumer’s travels to Thailand and that is immediately recognisable as soon as you catch a whiff. It is made up of a combination of sweet fresh mango, lime leaf and pepper in which the sharp and citrusy scent of lime has long-lasting staying power. This is combined with herbaceous thyme, mint and vetiver for a sweet yet fresh fragrance that will have you dreaming of culinary delights of the Thai variety.
