Let me paint a picture. It's Tuesday afternoon in the office. No air conditioning, no cracked window and someone is wearing a perfume so overpowering it entered the room before them and will leave long after. Obnoxious, cloying or just plain loud, there's little worse, at least in my opinion, than a fragrance that takes over the wearer. It might be an unpopular notion to hold, depending on the scents you like, but it's one I'll shout from the rooftops nonetheless.
Instead, I like to gravitate towards the lighter side of scent (especially for enclosed environments). To the types of fragrances that mimic the clean, the soft, the airy and the featherlight. Some are huge successes, others slightly slept-on and underrated, and some, once popular perfumes, but since faded amongst the thousands of new fragrances released over the years, not that that should dissuade you from giving them a spritz.
Josh Carter, co-founder of the fine fragrance platform Fiole and fragrance expert trained under Roja Dove, says not to rely on a perfume's virality when picking. "Perfume is an art form like any other, and virality is not always indicative of long-term success. Many hyped products disappear quickly, proving that even though it's sparked conversation, it hasn't necessarily connected with people." Facts.
So, here are the best light perfumes I would reach for in a heartbeat, all tried and tested by yours truly—a fragrance-obsessed beauty editor—and a few other fellow journalists who also like to keep things light when it comes to scent.
Shop the Best Light Perfumes
1. Acne Studios by Frédéric Malle
Key notes: Aldehydes, peach, bergamot, rose, musk
A relative newcomer compared to some of the other scents on this list, the Acne Studios x Frederic Malle collaboration smells like powdery fresh laundry muddled with a sweet, perfectly ripe peach. Uplifting and light, it'll cut through the most stifling of heatwaves.
"I have to agree, this fragrance is a work of art. One of my most complimented scents, it's fresh and clean yet with a subtle sweetness that makes it incredibly moreish to wear." – Jazzria Harris, Freelance Beauty Editor
2. Kilian Roses on Ice
Key notes: Cucumber, violet leaf, rose, ozonic notes, musk, sandalwood
"If you thought rose perfumes had to be heavy and rich, allow me to prove you wrong. Kilian's Roses on Ice is the perfect antidote to syrupy sweet rose scents, and instead, it gives the note a crisp, airy quality. This is a rose-infused gin and tonic sipped ice cold on a bright day—indulgent yet refreshing." – Jazzria Harris, Freelance Beauty Editor
3. Maison Francis Kurkdjian 724
Key notes: Aldehydes, jasmine, bergamot, sweet pea, white musk
Getting engaged in March brought one question to my mind: what perfume (or eau de toilette, cologne or extrait) would I wear on my wedding day? I'll tell you, this Maison Francis Kurkidjan scent is a frontrunner at the moment. It's airy and soft, crisp without smelling brittle or sharp and settles into the skin beautifully. Aldehydes (organic chemical compounds often used in clean-smelling scents) and Calabrian bergamot are made smoother with jasmine, orange and sandalwood.
4. Loewe 001 Woman
Key notes: Tangerine, bergamot, sandalwood, jasmine, vanilla
"For a light perfume with a touch of sweetness, I love Loewe's 001. While it opens with a vibrant, zesty quality courtesy of bergamot and tangerine, this quickly dries down into a scent that's delicate yet juicy with a comforting vanilla sweetness. For me, this is a great light scent for wearing on holiday or on sunny days as it channels the tropical mood without feeling too heavy or cloying." – Jazzria Harris, Freelance Beauty Editor
5. Byredo Gypsy Water
Key notes: Amber, orris root, pepper, incense, vanilla, sandalwood
A gentle fragrance that whispers rather than shouts, Gypsy Water is one of Byredo's most popular scents. Lightly spiced thanks to notes of pepper, incense and amber, it's made smoother with vanilla and sandalwood, sweeter with lemon and more interesting with pine needles and juniper. A heady mix, it's clean and refreshing, reminiscent of a long draw of tonic water mixed with cucumber when the sun's beating down.
6. Tommy Girl
Key notes: Apple tree blossom, lemon, honeysuckle, rose, jasmine, cedar
I'll agree that Tommy Girl is something of a throwback fragrance. Released in 1996, it's light, clean and citrus-laden, brimming with sparkling aquatic notes. For me, it's always been the Rachel Green, white t-shirt and jeans, ultimate cool 90s girl scent. It punches well, well above its price point and remains a staple in my perfume wardrobe.
7. Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Cologne
Key notes: Pear, melon, freesia, rose, musk, amber
Think of a freshly washed pear—sweet and succulent with a little firm crispness. That's what this Jo Malone cologne reminds me of. It's juicy and cooling, bursting with sensuality and floral sweetness thanks to the freesia, melon, rhubarb and amber. It's not a sexy scent but a gloriously pretty one; light on first spray, settling into a lush, flowers-in-summer-rain dry down hours later.
8. Maya Njie Les Fleurs
Key notes: Bergamot, neroli, fig, magnolia, musk
If floral perfumes make you think of petticoats and chintz chairs, allow this one to change your mind. A younger, more energetic floral scent, it's jammy without veering into the thickness that fig and magnolia can sometimes encourage. Instead, it's freshly cut flowers carried home from the market, full of cool water with an organic burst of sweetness that makes you want to bury your nose into the stems.
9. Philosophy Amazing Grace
Key notes: Bergamot, grapefruit, jasmine, rose, musk
There's just something about Philosophy's Amazing Grace. It's comforting without being overpowering or overbearing, clean without smelling sharp and wonderfully, gloriously powdery. It's a simple scent, don't expect any bolshy top notes, only airy, vintage florals.
10. Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning
Key notes: Aldehyde, lily-of-the-valley, pear, iris, white musk
If you've ever wanted to smoosh your face into a pile of freshly laundered sheets, this eau de toilette is for you. Created to emulate the feeling of a languorous Sunday morning spent in bed, it's clean and relaxed with none of the zippy citrus that other light perfumes champion. Instead, it's a skin scent made delicate with a subtle floral undertone.
"I like to think I'm somewhat of an expert when it comes to the best laundry detergent scents, having been wearing them for years, and Lazy Sunday Morning is an excellent example. It's a soapy scent and clean yet uplifting at the same time. Rather than a languorous Sunday Morning, instead it takes me to a slow one, sitting outside in the sun while washing dries on the line. It is a morning with no plans and nowhere to be." – Jazzria Harris, Freelance Beauty Editor
11. Glossier You
Key notes: Iris, pink pepper, ambroxan, ambrette
No edit of light perfumes would be complete without the astronomically successful Glossier You. Like most perfumes, it smells slightly different on everyone, mostly due to how it plays with the other fragranced items you use (like body lotion, deodorant and shampoo), but one thread remains throughout the rave reviews: it smells like your skin but better, which is Glossier's entire MO. Warm, soft, radiant and floral, it encapsulates the blissed-out way you feel after an everything shower.
12. Jones Road Shower
Key notes: Grapefruit, sea notes, neroli, patchouli
Cotton, wild blossom and sea spray intermingle in Bobbi Brown's debut fragrance for Jones Road. It smells, unsurprisingly, like the feeling of being thoroughly, wonderfully scrubbed clean—light and unburdened.
13. Merit Retrospect
Key notes: Pear, aldehydes, orris, jasmine, musk, vanilla
Since launching in October of last year, Merit's Retrospect has been on a flying upward trajectory to cult status. Combining notes of powdery orris root and musk with fresh pear and aldehydes, it has an airy quality unlike any other.
"Rather than possessing freshness, this is a light scent with a little body. It's cashmere, silk and a bouquet of white flowers—a scent that whispers luxury without being overpowering." – Jazzria Harris, Freelance Beauty Editor
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