These Eight Summer Fragrances Are Like Sunshine Bottled
Floral Street founder Michelle Feeney is an advocate for tapping into different moods or seasons via fragrance. “Fragrance plays a major part in my everyday life. From burning a clean, grapefruit bloom candle while I do early morning yoga to create optimistic energy to matching my scent to my mood and what I’m wearing each day,” she tells us.
Whether you're on the hunt for your next summer perfume or keen to expand your fragrance wardrobe, you’re in the right place. Discover summer-ready scents that are guaranteed to yield compliments – ranging from luxury releases by Diptyque and Acqua di Parma to affordable body mists from rising stars like Kopari and Sol de Janeiro. Prefer to shop by note? Explore warm-weather favourites like ylang-ylang, orange blossom, vanilla, and musk to find your perfect seasonal match.
Meet the scents we’re loving right now – from the summer classics to the newly launched.
Our Favourite Summer Fragrances for 2025
Glossier
Glossier You Fleur Eau de Parfum, £32.00
Best Overall Summer Perfume
If you love the original Glossier You and have a penchant for floral scents, just go ahead and add this lilac beauty to your basket. It’s grounded by the same skin-like, ambrox base the brand is known for, but now topped off with a creamy, floral layer as notes of ylang ylang, fuzzy apricot skin and cashmeran come through. It’s one you’ll reach for on bright, blue-skied mornings, balmy evenings and all moments in between.
Key notes: Mineral salt accord, osmanthus, ylang ylang, apricot skin, cashmeran.
You’ll like this if...You enjoy feminine, floral scents with a difference.
PHLUR
Vanilla Skin Eau De Parfum, £32.00
Best Vanilla Summer Perfume
Vanilla lovers, gather. This saccharine scent from Phlur wears like a dessert, bursting with pink apple, dusted with sugar crystals and anchored in creamy vanilla. What keeps it feeling fresh for summer, though, are the bright, happy-making accords of lily, jasmine petals and pink pepper. Expect impressive staying power (seriously, you’ll be smelling this when you go to bed) and a head-turning sillage that lingers long after you've left the room.
Key notes: Vanilla, pink pepper, pink apple, lily, cashmere wood.
You’ll like this if...Sickly-sweet fragrances are your thing.
Sol de Janeiro
Cheirosa '68 Perfume Mist, £38.00
Best Floral Summer Perfume
Once you catch a whiff of this addictive blend of pink dragonfruit, lychee, jasmine, and hibiscus, you'll want to drench yourself in it. Luckily, this perfume mist is made for just that – it’s designed for both hair and body, so you’ll find that its vibrant notes reemerge throughout the day as your hair swishes, or your body moves. Perfect for slipping into your beach bag, gym bag, or handbag, you'll find yourself reaching for it again and again.
Key notes: Pink dragonfruit, lychee essence, Brazilian jasmine, ocean air, hibiscus.
You’ll like this if...You’re looking for a light, fruity everyday scent.
Diptyque
Ilio Eau de Toilette, £135.00
Best Fresh Summer Perfume
Diptyque Ilio is unlike most quintessential summer fragrances. Rather than relying on the syrupy notes of vanilla and coconut (which might feel a little too sweet for some tastes), this airy scent features prickly pear for a fresh, green twist, balanced by bergamot and soft iris to capture the abundant nature of the Mediterranean. Every year the Parisian fragrance brand collaborates with a different artist for its summer collection and this year the artwork is courtesy of Marie-Victoire de Bascher.
Key notes: Prickly pear, bergamot jasmine, iris.
You’ll like this if...You’re a fiend for fresh, unique scents.
Tom Ford
Eau de Soleil Blanc, £127.00
Best Citrus Summer Perfume
If looking, feeling and smelling sun-kissed (yes, it’s a thing) is your summer MO, meet Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc. Inspired by a sunny day at the beach, this citrus scent opens with fresh vert de bergamot, citron and bitter orange, but gradually mellows out on the skin with soft, beachy facets of pistachio and coco de mer accord. It’s golden hour in a bottle.
Key notes: Vert de bergamot, orange bitter, ylang ylang, pistachio accord and coco de mer accord.
You’ll like this if...You like warm, sun-soaked scents with a sparkling citrus edge.
Kopari
Hair & Body Mist Malibu Peach, £13.00
Best Fruity Summer Perfume
Kopari – the brand on everyone’s lips – now brings you the fruity fragrance set to be on everyone’s body this summer, Malibu Peach. Juicy mango, peach, and pineapple deliver an instant hit of serotonin, while a bouquet of tuberose, jasmine, and white flowers evokes blooming summer gardens and a touch of amber adds warmth and lasting power. Even better? It’s made with responsibly sourced and upcycled ingredients, so you can smell good and do good.
Key notes: Mango, peach, pineapple, tuberose, jasmine, coconut, amber, praline.
You’ll like this if...A fruit salad in body mist form sounds up your street.
Maison Margiela
Replica From The Garden Eau De Toilette, £62.00
Best Green Summer Perfume
Fresh from the farmer’s market, netted bag slung over your shoulder, perfumer Olivier Cresp combines crisp notes of tomato leaf and green mandarin with grapefruit essence. On the dry down, the comforting, familiar scent of white musk comes to the forefront and lingers for hours next to bright, verdant hints of patchouli and geranium. If you like the sound of From The Garden, you should see what the other Maison Margiela fragrances smell like.
Key notes: Green mandarin essence, grapefruit essence, tomato leaf, geranium, rose, patchouli, white musk.
You’ll like this if...Crisp, citrusy aromas scream summer to you.
Acqua Di Parma
Mirto di Panarea La Riserva Eau de Parfum, £143.00
Best Aromatic Summer Perfume
While many summer fragrances lean on tropical notes, this aromatic composition from Acqua di Parma draws its inspiration from the rugged landscapes of Panarea, blending rich, earthy tones for a more grounded, evocative scent. What you’ll note first is the slightly bitter cedrat (blackcurrant and citrus) and juniper opening, but it’s the rich heart of myrtle and lavender, and the labdanum base that really sticks around. Knowing that this fragrance underwent a two-month maceration process, you can expect an intense, multi-faceted composition.
Key notes: Cedrat, juniper, sage, myrtle, lavender, patchouli, labdanum.
You’ll like this if...This sunny season is calling for something warm and earthy.
How to find your perfect summer fragrance
Choosing a fragrance at any time of the year is always a personal decision. Some of us gravitate towards bright, cheery floral perfumes, while others like to live in holiday-mode permanently from May to September with the help of coconut and musk notes. Knowing which fragrance notes you like will go a long way with helping you find the best summer scent.
If you’re not sure which fragrance family or notes you like, shopping for a summer perfume online might be tricky. We have created helpful guides to the Best Byredo Fragrances and What Every Floral Street Fragrance Smells Like, but we highly recommend popping into your local Space NK store to have a spritz and a sniff. Our beauty advisors are on hand to help guide you through our fragrance brands, which include Diptyque, Acqua di Parma, Byredo, Maison Margiela Replica, Sol de Janeiro and many more.
Read More
• The Six Fruity Perfumes We're Rotating This Summer• The Best Phlur Body Mists Everyone Is Shopping • Best Sweat Proof Makeup Products
• Six Summer Skincare Essentials • Our Honest Sol De Janeiro Perfume Review
