I've Tested Hundreds of Summer Perfumes—These 19 Will Guarantee You Compliments

Best Overall Summer Perfume

Key notes: Rhubarb, lychee, bergamot, Damascena rose, vanilla, cashmeran, musk, vetiver

I normally steer clear of perfumes that go viral, like Parfums de Marly Delina, because I really hate smelling like other people, but when this scent took off on TikTok last year, I succumbed to the hype. And trust me when I say that it's worth the buzz. To me, this is like summer in a fancy English stately garden—there's crisp rhubarb, sweet lychee, and a fresh floral bouquet of roses. However, there's also a softness underlying it that stops the whole thing from getting too saccharine. In fact, once it's dried down, you're left with an almost skin-like sweet musk which lingers for hours. You might pass countless other people who smell like this during the summer months, but it's so delicious that I, for once, don't mind at all.

Best Lightweight Summer Perfume

Key notes: Bergamot, yuzu, Ceylon tea

This Loewe perfume was the fragrance of summer last year, with the fashion set sharing it all over Instagram. This year, I've fallen back in love with it, and see this being a staple scent for years to come. This is a universal summer scent that I truly think anyone would adore. It combines notes of bergamot, yuzu and Ceylon tea to make for a lively and refreshing spritz that smells great without being overpowering.

Best Fresh Summer Perfume

Key notes: Sea salt, citrus, jasmine, pine tree, labdanum

Forget coconuts, pineapples and all of those other sweet accords that often creep their way into summer perfumes. This offering from Dior is fresh, woodsy and decidedly more sophisticated than that. It smells like warm, salty skin at the end of a long day at the beach with a welcome hit of greenery from sun-dappled trees. 

Best Woody Summer Perfume

Key notes: Woody, vegetal accords, mimosa blossom

Picture this. You've just met your friends for that first summer brunch, you sit outside and chat while drinking mimosas all morning in the sparkling sunshine. That's exactly what this scent smells like. It's a bright, fresh, citrusy fragrance with a lingering woody warmth that gives it that expensive-smelling edge.

Best High-Street Summer Perfume

Key notes: Bergamot, rose, musk

There couldn't be a perfume more suited to the British summertime than this London-inspired drop from Zara. Created by Jo Malone CBE, Vibrant Cities is a collection of eight fragrances inspired by the scents of Europe's most fashionable capitals. Fashionably London is a love letter to summer in the city: a juicy blend of bergamot, rose and musk.

Best Earthy Summer Perfume

Key notes: Green tea, freesia, amber

Traditionally, I haven't been a huge lover of matcha, so I wasn't sure I'd love this perfume. How wrong I was. This is a fresh summer scent that, yes, definitely smells of green tea but has so much more going on. It contains sweet and clean freesia and grounding amber that lends the whole thing a delightful earthiness. To me, it smells like enjoying a matcha latte in the garden on a sunny Sunday morning after rainfall—both comforting and uplifting.

Best Oud Summer Perfume

Key notes: Leather, iris, cedar, raspberry

Inspired by journeys through the Middle East, I was expecting this to be a heady fragrance more suited to autumn or winter. In fact, when I read leather, saffron and cedar, I was anticipating an oud-inspired perfume that wouldn't really be up my street. Instead, this is a balmy, vibrant fragrance that smells like strolling through a Moroccan market in the height of summer. If you like your perfumes to have a little spice and a lot of warmth, then you'll adore it. 

Best Citrus Summer Perfume

Key notes: Basil, lemon, jasmine, moss

A homage to the humble lemon, this is a bright, zesty perfume that smells like sunshine in a bottle. And while many lemon fragrances that I've tried in the past can veer into cleaning-product territory, this one transcends its citrus notes with touches of musk and a jasmine and lily floral bouquet.

Best Fruity Summer Perfume

Key notes: Peony, pink pepper, strawberry, jasmine absolute, gardenia, plum, raspberry, green apple, ambroxan, sunny musks

Despite this scent being unashamedly fruity— a cocktail of strawberry, plum, raspberry and green apple—this perfume has a sophisticated complexity to it, which means I'd happily wear it all summer long without getting bored. The addition of spicy pink pepper, warming amber and sun-soaked musks means it's both playful and alluring, and I defy anyone not to fall in love with it at first spritz.

Best Floral Summer Perfume

Key notes: Iris, mandarin, neroli, benzoin

Floral lovers will adore this elegant iris scent. Honestly, I couldn't really tell you what iris smells like before stumbling across this perfume, but it's this: soft, powdery and subtle. Sure, it's flowery, but the modern mix of mandarin and neroli means that I think this summer perfume will have widespread appeal. 

Best Breezy Summer Perfume

Key notes: Ambrette seeds, sea salt, sage

Inspired by the great British seaside, this Jo Malone London scent is a summer icon. Take in the scent of the coastline with the sea salt notes, whilst the sage notes add a woodiness to balance out the fragrance. This scent almost has you hearing crashing waves. 

Best Universal Summer Perfume

Key notes: Bergamot, bell pepper, grapefruit, ginger, muguet, cardamom, musk, sandalwood, amberwood

In my opinion, all perfumes are unisex, but this fragrance from Mallin + Goetz definitely goes out of its way to avoid any notes traditionally coined as masculine or feminine. Instead, it's a riotous concoction of tangy grapefruit, spicy ginger and fresh bergamot with a musky base of cardamom, sandalwood and amber. I think it's the perfect scent to spray on during a balmy summer afternoon as you transition from day to night. 

Best Tropical Holiday Perfume

Key notes: Bergamot, mandarin, jasmine sambac absolute, amber, tiare flower, vanilla and coconut 

Genuinely, what would a roundup of best summer perfumes be without the iconic Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess? When most people think of summer fragrances, it's this one that springs to mind, and it definitely delivers on seasonal spirit. It's a tropical tirade of vanilla and coconut, sweet tiare flower and sunny bergamot—but it's that amber base that provides its trademark warmth. I come back to it every year, despite smelling it on so many people, because it truly reminds me of summer.

Best Gourmand Summer Perfume

Key notes: Dark rum, davana, honey, cinnamon, sandalwood, vanilla bean, cocoa absolute

For me, this is a summer perfume that's made for when the sun goes down—in fact, it kind of smells like enjoying a dark and stormy at a beachside cocktail bar. It combines dark rum and deep berries with hints of honey and cinnamon for a sweet-yet-spicy warmth. It's delectable, and it comes in a travel-friendly size that is perfect for taking abroad, or popping into a handbag for on-the-go spritzing.

Best Spicy Summer Perfume

Key notes: Saffron, jasmine sambac, mimosa

Warm and spicy, this fragrance evokes the heat of summer with a scent blend that includes notes of pepper, saffron, and cardamom alongside crowd pleasers like jasmine and mimosa.

Best Uplifting Summer Perfume

Key notes: Green rhubarb, magnolia flower, white woods

The Body Shop's new Full Flowers collection has five incredible blossom-centred perfumes that are perfect for summer. I have been happily spritzing all of them so far this year as, despite not considering myself to be a huge floral fragrance fan, these are utterly delightful—and this magnolia one is my pick for the summer season. It contains rhubarb, magnolia and white woods for an instantly joy-inducing, uplifting and lightweight scent that lasts all day.

Best Minimalist Summer Perfume

Key notes: Cedarwood, mandarin

Simple, but effective—this summery twist on the original pared-back skin scent is perfect for those who like a perfume to feel like part of their DNA. It's zesty and bright, but also somehow aromatic, velvety and smooth. Ideal if you like a subtle, fresh perfume, rather than a full-on power perfume.

Best Summer Evening Perfume

Key notes: Cherry, raspberry, praline, palo santo, guaiac wood, patchouli

This is like the perfume equivalent of an all-inclusive resort—it's indulgent, rich and takes a more-is-more approach to fragrance. To me, this is one to douse yourself in before heading out for a fun summer evening. It's deep and fruity, yet has an enticing herbaceous quality thanks to palo santo and patchouli, which makes it feel a bit more grown-up and mysterious. Effectively, this is a perfume to reach for when the sun goes down and you're ready to let your hair down.

Best Beachy Summer Perfume

Key notes: Bergamot, coconut milk, musk, pink pepper, ylang-ylang

Imagine taking a walk along a white sandy beach on a bright summer's day, and that's effectively what Maison Margiela has bottled with this scent. It's bright, breezy and creamy with notes of coconut milk, musk and sparkling bergamot. Take a breath and imagine the salty sea air settling on your skin and relax.