The glorious, balmy days and long pleasant nights have well and truly arrived. You can enjoy that liberating feeling of stepping outside your door in shorts and T-shirt as the breeze gives your exposed, warm skin a comforting stroke. Excitement fills the air, your calendar is jam-packed with upcoming beach parties, garden barbeques and nights on the town. With so many opportunities to impress, you need your summer fragrance to be on-point. Check out our guide to finding the perfect men's summer fragrance.
What makes a great summer fragrance?
When hunting out the best summer fragrances, you want a fragrance that is light and doesn’t overwhelm the noses of those standing close to you. The toasty temperatures tend to amplify a fragrance’s power due to your increased body heat, so it does help to consider what ingredients are in your summer colognes. When searching for summer scents, look for citrus notes such as pineapple, lemon, blood mandarin and also floral fragrance notes which can include lavender, orange blossom, jasmine and rose. Some of the best summer fragrances will also include a smattering of herbal elements such as rosemary and juniper berries. Lighter notes like this provide a delectable, summer appropriate aroma which won’t assault the senses on a warm day. Men's summer fragrances then usually also include elements from the oriental fragrance families such as white musk to give that dusky, masculine edge.
Taking into account a cologne’s increased strength during the warmer months, opting for an Eau De Toilette over an Eau De Parfum could be helpful for you reaching that nose-pleasing range. Many fragrances are created with Eau de Toilette options and are a lighter version of the equivalent Eau De Parfum. An Eau De Toilette is made with a lower concentration of the oils which give a fragrance its smell, approximately 8-12% of the bottle vs 12-18% actual fragrance for the Eau De Parfum.
If there’s a scent that you really want to spritz all over yourself prior to a day on the beach but is more on the heavy, potent side, always check for an Eau De Toilette option. You will be beach-ready, smelling fantastic and turning heads and noses your way as you strut along the golden sands, thanks to your perfect summer fragrance.
Here are some of the best summer fragrances that are perfectly poised to thrill the noses of all of those around you this summer season.
The Best Summer Fragrances for Men
Executive Inspired By Aventus - The All-Round Best Men's Summer Fragrance
Pour luxury and summer-vibes together into a bottle and you get Executive, there's no wonder it's considered one of the all-time best summer fragrances for men. Top notes of blackcurrant, apple, bergamot, lemon and pink pepper combine to introduce this with a fruity, yet elegant entrance. Heart notes of jasmine, pineapple and patchouli follow and turn the scent into a subtly sweet yet musky experience. The base notes of birch, ambergris, cedarwood, oakmoss and musk mean that Executive stays with you for a long time, matured as a dusky, sultry essence and a perfect all-round summer fragrance.
Virgin Island Water - Perfect Summer Fragrance for Sunny Season
Does it get much more blissful than Virgin Island Water? This care-free scent literally embodies cocktails in shells supped whilst admiring the Puerto Rican sunset from a beach-side hammock. The top notes here are coconut, lime, white bergamot and Sicilian mandarin, treating the senses to a tastefully sweet Caribbean experience.
This exotic adventure doesn’t end after freshly spritzed though! Heart notes of ginger, ylang ylang, Indian jasmine and hibiscus mean that you continue on enjoying the sensory treat of the tropics right through to the opposite end of this scent’s spectrum where you meet the complementary base notes of sugar cane, musk and white rum.
Grey Vetiver - Masculine Fragrance Hidden Gem
Despite the least number of fruit ingredients of any of the fragrances on our list, Grey Vetiver still manages to withhold its position as one of the best summer fragrances for men. It beckons you in with an introduction of grapefruit, orange blossom and sage.
The heart notes follow with a pleasant kick thanks to spicy pimento, delicious orris root and earthy nutmeg. The journey you’re taken on concludes with an aromatic selection of nature-inspired ingredients. Woodsy notes, oakmoss, amber and vetiver give a deep, warm base aroma that keeps delivering on and on through the evening and long beyond the party ending.
Bitter Peach - Smells Good in the Summer Heat
This deep, ripe and sensual fragrance is truly the forbidden fruit that you need to help you make your summer sizzle. The obligatory peach top note combines with blood orange, cardamom and heliotrope to give you a succulent, ‘good enough to bite’ smell as you freshly spritz it on yourself. Already you’re hard enough to resist, that doesn’t stop there however.
The middle notes of rum, cognac, davana and jasmine transform your smell into a divine seduction…How can those in your vicinity take much more? Finally, the arsenal of base notes that include sandalwood, cashmeran and tonka bean take this scent to a climatic height, leaving your aromatic admirers yearning to be as close to you as they can possibly be. The perfect scent for you to smell good on date night.
Mandarin Di Amalfi - Your Next Signature Scent
A serene, yet masculine fragrance that transports you to a light blue, calm ocean scene where the traces of woodland float past you on the breeze. With top notes of bergamot and sea notes of marine accord, heart notes of mint, thyme and wildflower, then enduring woody base notes, Mandarin Di Amalfi will give you the fragrance equivalent of a crisp, fresh summer evening amongst untouched nature. This could be one of the best summer fragrances out there.