Nothing feels as good as smelling good, whether you like a floral bomb, a juicy burst of citrus, or smelling like a freshly baked croissant. But sometimes, we all want something a bit simpler: just smelling ‘good’.
Ranging from fragrances that smell fresh, to those that smell like skin, to those that smell like nearly nothing at all, I’ve rounded up the best perfumes of all sorts that will truly have you smelling like the best version of yourself this summer.
Skin for the win
When it comes to subtle ‘yourself but better’ scents, you can’t beat the classic musky skin-like fragrances that have become increasingly popular since they first started trending a few years ago. And the best thing about a trending style is that you’ve got a whole lot of options. Clean beauty brand PHLUR has an array of options, my favourite of the collection is Missing Person, £99/ $116, a slightly woodier take on the trend that has a subtle, skin-like dry down.
British fragrance staple Molton Brown has one of the most summer-ready picks with Milk Musk EDT, £95/ $130, which wholly lives up to its name. At the opening, it’s reminiscent of a freshly opened can of sweet, condensed milk, with a fruity touch, and dries down into a softer musk with an element of vanilla.
A spin on skin
For something a little different, there are a handful of niche fragrance houses that have their own spin on the skin-style scent.
Jouissance, a house inspired by femininity and a heritage of French erotic literature, has a truly bold take with En Plein Air, £180/ £250. Beginning with an energetic, almost sour, rush of citrus, it mellows into a gentle musky scent that sits close to your skin. It’s a simple but distinctive scent, perfect for a day by the beach.
Laboratorio Olfattivo has a spicy-sweet take on the skin scent that features no musk at all with Miss_U, £90/ $110. Inspired by a ‘silent yet powerful shout’ and an elusive sensuality, it’s a fragrance filled with soft takes on typically bold notes. A tart but understated bergamot and light pepper open the scent, before it dries into a creamy, sweet, vanilla.
© Getty ImagesIt smells like…nothing?
One step further than the ‘skin scent’ is the ‘transparent’ scent, where the fragrance seemingly reacts with your skin to project a heightened version of your natural scent.
Where better to start than the perfume that kicked off the craze: LE LABO’s Another 13, £74/ $102.12. It’s a clever blend of staple synthetic materials in perfumery that somehow comes out smelling just like your skin, but better – it has a slightly warm and woody scent, and a very gentle animalic element.
Escentric Molecules strips it back a little, with their ‘Molecule’ line of fragrances, each composed of a single ingredient. Molecule 01, £55/ £158.07, is the most popular, spearheaded by Iso E Super, which is also in Another 13, leaving a mostly transparent but slightly woody trail that you might not be able to smell on yourself, but other people certainly will.
Fresh out of the shower
Sometimes there’s nothing better than simply smelling clean, like you’ve just stepped out of the most refreshing shower, for the whole day, and fortunately there are perfumes that perfectly fit that bill.
27 87’s Per Se, £218/ $250, was inspired by the brand’s core belief: there is no scent like the present. It’s clean and almost bathroom-y, in the best way, opening with a floral smell so fresh it’s like the stems have just been cut, and drying into an inviting, inoffensive white musk.
© Getty ImagesBYREDO Blanche, £150/ $315 lives up to its name: it’s a modern, classy spin on that old-school aldehydic clean perfume smell. Blanche is light and luxurious, with a sweet, fresh almost powdery smell that’s elegant, feminine and perfect for everyday wear.
And last, but not least, there’s the mood-boosters: a subcategory of fragrance engineered to simply make you feel like yourself, but better. Vyrao has an incredible range of eight different mood-boosting scents, which you can try all of in their new Love Eight discovery kit. A personal favourite of mine is Georgette, a warm rose scent with an earthy and smoky drydown, formulated to encourage self love, which we can all always use a little more of.
Whether you go transparent, skin or shower fresh this summer, you’ll certainly smell sensational!
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