It's True: This Underrated Scent Is the Secret to Always Smelling Sophisticated

Key notes: Lime, sea salt, coconut water

Imagine you're laying on a beach. Your work email is a distant memory. You feel the warm sun on your skin and the sand beneath your toes. You hear waves hit the shore and seagulls call to one another. You take a sip of a cool, slushy margarita. That's actually what this perfume evokes. Fresh, zesty lime combines with sea salt and coconut water for a chic, vacation-in-a-bottle scent.

Key notes: Lime, bergamot, tropical fruits, coconut milk, coconut water, jasmine, white flowers, tonka bean, white musk

Some scents smell like things, and some smell like memories. Creed's Virgin Island Water somehow does both. On first spray, you pick up the lime—zippy, vibrant, and alive—followed by spiced rum and coconut. It's like the first long cocktail sipped on the beach. No rush, just warm and sweet air, swaying coconut trees, and gently lapping waves.

Key notes: Lime, lemon, orange, musk, buchu, sandalwood

Zesty and woody without veering into air-freshener territory, Tom Ford's Azure Lime perfume is sensual and sophisticated. Think bright and clean freshness, a little kick of sweetness, and tons of dry, musky wood when it dries down.

Key notes: Lime, Sicilian lemon, green ivy, Brazilian orange, bergamot, fig leaves, rose centifolia, black tea, violet, cedarwood, amber, musk, cashmere woods

An expensive-smelling fragrance at a fraction of the price, Beauty Pie's Brazilian Lime, Fig Leaves & Tea perfume is fresh and green and chock-full of citrus, jammy fig, and warm cedarwood underneath. Late summer in a bottle? We think so.

Key notes: Mango, lime, black pepper, mint, freesia, vetiver, thyme

If you love juicy, tropical perfumes, Jo Loves's Mango Thai Lime fragrance is on the money. Ripe, dewy mango and zingy lime complement each other, eventually drying down to a green, soft citrus scent.

Key notes: Lime, bergamot, mandarin orange, basil, thyme, iris, lilac, vetiver, patchouli

An edit of lime fragrances wouldn't be complete without a mention of the cult favorite Lime Basil and Mandarin Cologne. Fresh and seasonless (it works just as well in high summer as it does on Christmas Eve), LB&M is green, clean, and crisp. It's the perfume equivalent of a perfectly starched white shirt.

Key notes: Lime, Italian lemon, coconut, mint, eucalyptus

A bottle full of vibrancy, this perfume encapsulates the joyful abandon of high summer. It's succulent thanks to the eucalyptus and has a splash of minty, limey citrus floating over the top. Think fruity and slightly watery with a delicate warmth underpinning it.

Key notes: Lime-flower water, coriander seed, pear, mandarin, bell pepper, pea flower, basil, nutmeg, moss water

When you think of lime, you'll likely conjure up images of bright fruits ripe for the picking. You probably won't think about the flowers that bloom on the tree—lime blossoms. Well, D.S. & Durga did. Bistro Waters is a fresh, spicy, and herbaceous fragrance that brings together lime-flower water, coriander seed, green pepper, mandarin, and basil.

Key notes: Lime, bergamot, mandarin, coriander seeds, vetiver, cedarwood atlas, sandalwood, patchouli, amber

Brilliant lime fragrances often have something to bring them back to Earth, like woody and green notes. Goldfield & Banks's Bohemian Lime does just that. It's smooth and grounded thanks to vetiver, sandalwood, and cedar and includes bright, fizzy, tropical notes of lime. Soft and elegant, it's a citrus fragrance that transfers easily from daytime to evening.

Key notes: Lime, petitgrain, cardamom, green tea, mate, coriander, white musk, cedar, rock rose

Light and breezy, Margiela's Replica Under the Lemon Trees actually relies on lime, not lemon, for its crisp, energizing zestiness. Green tea and cardamom bring together the daydream of being ensconced under a lemon tree somewhere in Italy, watching the day slip away in a warm, balmy haze. Heavenly.

Key notes: Lime, grapefruit juice, juniper berry, ginger leaf, freesia, labdanum, patchouli, smoky oak, musk

While we might not spend the majority of our lives sipping fishbowl-sized gin and tonics in a Spanish plaza, finding a fragrance that inspires the same feeling is no bad thing. This refreshing, citrusy, fizzy blend uses lime and grapefruit juice to bring zest to the smooth, deep juniper berry and patchouli notes.