How to smell different from everyone else this summer – from £10.50

A bestselling scent becomes a bestseller for a reason – it’s reliable, crowd-pleasing and easy to wear. However, opting for one of these mainstream fragrances means that you might end up smelling your favourite scent on everyone else when you’re out and about.

If you’re looking for strange, unique and, on occasion, bizarre, notes to help you smell different from everyone else this summer, you’re in the right place.

We’ve got nail polish, we’ve got coriander, we’ve got rice: everything to give you the certainty that you won’t walk past someone on the street, along the beach, or in your hotel lobby who’s wearing the same perfume as you.

Familiar fragrances  

The easiest way to try a fragrance that’s a little different is to go for something that puts an unusual twist on something familiar.

For example, we all love a reliable fruity gourmand, but instead of cherry or peach-based scents, why not try a less common fruit for a fresh take?

The cruelty-free New York fragrance brand Ellis Brooklyn, founded by beauty journalist Bee Shapiro, recently launched Guava Granita, from £35/$115, with the top notes listed as guava, banana and water lily. The scent is so photorealistic it almost smells like fresh guava juice – perfect for summer.

If you like your fragrances sweet, rising South Korean house BORNTOSTANDOUT’s Angel’s Powder, £165/$85, might be the one for you. It’s a take on candy-like musk fragrances with one enormous twist: a nail polish note. While it sounds a little out there, it’s a wonderful feminine scent with a sharp edge and a powerful sillage.

Or, if you’re not on the sweet side of gourmand fandom, you could always try Diptyque’s Eau Duelle EDP, £160/$205,: it’s a uniquely spicy take on vanilla, with a peppery bite and a slight church-like incense smell that’s an elegant evening scent for summer parties that go well into the night.

You may be looking for something that’s a little more budget-friendly: in that case, Avon’s got you sorted, with their newest line, Perfect Nonsense, from £10.50, which is all about unconventional blends of common notes. Peppery Peaches is exactly what it says on the cover: an equally fiery and fruity daytime scent, while Choco Tuberose – no, really – is light and floral, but carries the sweetness and warmth from the cocoa.

Nuts and…rice? 

You’ll be forgiven for thinking I’ve gone nuts – but pistachio is a trending note amongst niche houses and it’s definitely a good time to jump on before it’s overdone. Cult favourite D.S. & Durga have their aptly titled Pistachio, £155/$210, a sweet take on the smell of pistachio cream which smells a little more like baklava than the nut in its pure form.

Meanwhile, British heritage house Penhaligon’s, who recently celebrated their 155th anniversary, have just launched their newest scent Fortuitous Finley – it’s a more androgynous take on pistachio with a fresh and sweet opening that dries down into something more opulent, which a smooth leathery smell that makes it the perfect pick for a fancy summer evening.

© Getty Images

Pistachio may be the nut of the moment – but Granado’s new release, Époque Tropical, £125/$180, features an even more unique note: cashew. After an opening of rosy sweetness, a truly outstanding scent arises. As it dries down, it becomes increasingly creamy, first like the smell of blended cashews (in the best way possible) and then into a soft sandalwood. Delightfully unique enough to turn heads, but soft enough not to alienate anyone, it’s certainly a must-have.

On a less nutty front, sesame and rice-forward smells have also become particularly trending, for cosy skin scent with a bit more warmth. Diptyque’s Eau Papier, from £98/$185, is an all-season, all-occasion safe bet, with a gorgeously fluffy crowd-pleasing smell almost recalling freshly cooked sticky rice. 

For something a little more left-field, emerging house D’Annam has an unbelievably photorealistic rice fragrance: White Rice, £130/$160, which recreates the subtle scent of jasmine rice with a slightly milky touch that makes it the perfect summer skin scent. 

BORNTOSTANDOUT’s Dirty Rice, on the other hand, is a woodier, more animalic take on a similar DNA, with a nutty opening and an even milkier dry down – it’s a little more playful and less office-friendly but equally easy to wear.

Wintery notes 

Spices are a staple in a lot of heavier winter scents, especially cardamom and cinnamon for their warm feel, but what if we told you that coriander is the next best thing?

© Getty Images

There are a couple of takes on the herb that we love, but D.S. & Durga’s Coriander, £155/$213.90, might take the throne: with a citrussy opening that evolves into an earthy smell, it’s a light smell with a powerful bubble that’s sure to turn heads on a summer day out in the city.

Cocktail scents

“You smell like booze,” is hard to take as a compliment, but alcohol-inspired cocktail fragrances are sure to change your mind, with a light, heady warmth that’s an amazing fit for those summer evening parties.

KILLIAN Paris has a devoted following, especially thanks to the signature scent of their liquors line, Angel’s Share, from £240/$275,  but the brand new Angel’s Share Paradis, £355/$385, is even more intoxicating. It opens with a burst of raspberry liquor that almost smells like jam and unravels into a creamy rose smell with a woody smell of warm cognac at the base.

For something androgynous or masculine-leaning, a perfect pairing with a power suit, Old Fashioned, £263.50/$275, is the one to go for. After a caramel-like rush, it settles into a heavier, slightly less sweet resinous smell that’s just as addictive.

If you’re looking for the same feeling at a slightly lower price point, Maison Margiela’s REPLICA line has the perfect fit: Jazz Club. Though it’s a little on the masculine side, and is usually considered a scent for autumn and winter, its tobacco-heavy, peppery and boozy smell would be quite perfect for a summer evening at the bar or perhaps even at a jazz club.