Our Summer Fragrance Collections Are Finally Complete—16 Sunny Scents We'll Be Wearing All Season Long


As a beauty editor and someone who collects perfumes like they're stamps, baseball cards, or emotional-support water bottles, I could never have a true signature scent. (The closest I've come is Phlur's Missing Person Eau de Parfum. Its notes of skin musk, bergamot nectar, sheer jasmine, and Australian sandalwood make it a beautiful, barely there perfume that envelops the skin. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already.) I just love switching up my scent depending on the day, my mood, and most importantly, the season. Come summer, I bring out the freshest, brightest, juiciest scents.
I'm talking about sparkling citrus notes, soft florals, warm coconut, creamy sandalwood, and beyond. I want my scent to match the spirit of the season—whether that means evoking an expensive vacation at an oceanside resort, a breezy drive with the windows down, or any other summer scenario I daydream about.
This year, I put a lot of time and effort into researching and testing summer-specific perfumes. I also crowdsourced recommendations from my fellow beauty editors. It took a while, but I'm happy to report that my summer fragrance collection is curated and complete. Below, see the unequivocal best summer scents to wear in 2025.
Our Top Picks
- Best Fruit Scent: Ellis Brooklyn Guava Granita Eau De Parfum
- Best Citrus Scent: Phlur Tangerine Boy Eau de Parfum
- Best Fresh Scent: Henry Rose Windows Down Eau de Parfum
- Best Hair & Body Mist: Ouai St. Barts Hair and Body Mist
- Best Layering Scent: The 7 Virtues Coconut Sun Eau de Parfum
Best Fruit Scent: Ellis Brooklyn Guava Granita Eau De Parfum
Notes: Guava juice, banana, vanilla
I love Ellis Brooklyn's other summer-specific scents, like Miami Nectar and Salt, but they're taking a backseat to this brand-new perfume in 2025. It's juicy and fruity, like a freshly made cocktail you'd order at a country club, with notes of guava, bergamot, melon, coconut, mango blossoms, and banana. I honestly can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can spritz this on my skin.
Best Citrus Scent: Phlur Tangerine Boy Eau de Parfum
Notes: Tangerine, lemon, ginger, amber, jasmine, and green moss
This is one of my all-time favorite summer perfumes. Unlike any other citrus-forward fragrance, this one is zesty and zingy with bright notes of tangerine (duh), lemon, and ginger. Each time I wear it, it puts a pep in my step, making me feel fresh and energized. It's a feel-good fragrance.
Best Fresh Scent: Henry Rose Windows Down Eau de Parfum
Notes: Grapefruit, bergamot, honeyed neroli, Earl Grey tea, jasmine, and musk
Henry Rose's Windows Down Eau de Parfum is a fresh summer breeze in a bottle. It was created to convey a sense of freedom, happiness, and togetherness. Think summer road trips, coastal drives, and sleeping with your bedroom window open on a warm night.
Best Hair and Body Mist: Ouai St. Barts Hair and Body Mist
Notes: Dragon fruit, orange blossom, musk
Beauty editors go feral for this hair and body mist. Notes of dragon fruit, orange blossom, and musk give it a beachy scent, while sophisticated tuberose lends it a luxurious edge. Think expensive, Oceanside resort vibes.
Best Layering Scent: The 7 Virtues Coconut Sun Eau de Parfum
Notes: Coconut, frangipani, sea salt, citrus, and vanilla
This perfume smells like sunscreen in the best way—think warm, sweet, sun-soaked days spent on the beach. I can almost feel the warm sun on my shoulders, hear the seagulls, and sense the salty bite of the ocean in the air. Other people seem to love it, too. The last time I wore this, I had two people stop me in a store to ask what I was wearing.
The 7 Virtues Clementine Dream Eau de Parfum
Notes: Cassis, clementine, vanilla
I already penned a love letter to this perfume, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it again. The fresh, summery scent is your basic citrus fragrance. At first, it's bright and juicy, like the fruit of a fresh-peeled clementine. As it lingers, you get the green, herby note of citrus leaves. Finally, you detect grounding notes of vanilla, cassis, and magnolia—together, these are reminiscent of the warm sun that helps the trees bloom and flourish. As the founder and CEO of The 7 Virtues put it, this perfume is "Italian citrus grove meets French Riviera."
Editor's Note: Layer Clementine Dream with Coconut Sun for the ultimate combo.
Jo Malone London Beach Blossom Cologne
Notes: Lime, coconut water, vanilla
Inspired by the Seychelles—islands off the coast of East Africa and the home of turquoise waters and the rare coco de mer—this sun-drenched scent will leave you craving a long, luxurious beach day. Unlike other summery scents, this one is fresh and delicate, as if the notes of lime, coconut water, and vanilla are wafting over your skin in the breeze.
LoveShackFancy Love on the Beach Eau de Parfum
Notes: Frangipani, coconut, salt water
If I could describe this perfume in one word, it would be "warm." With notes of frangipani, coconut, and salt water, it evokes the sea, sun, and most of all, sun-kissed skin. As such, it's one of the sexiest summertime perfumes I own. I love spritzing this scent from the unapologetically feminine, bow-topped bottle.
By Rosie Jane Leila Lou Perfume
Notes: Pear, jasmine, freshly cut grass
It's the early 2000s. You're on summer vacation. You're wearing your cutoff denim shorts, sitting with your friends in the park, and running your hands through the blades of grass as you laugh and gossip. That's the exact scenario I think of when I smell this fresh-floral scent. It's fresh, sweet, and nostalgic. The brand says it best when it says it feels like "The perfect pair of blue jeans. Casual, sexy, and an everyday essential."
Cult Gaia Zan Eau De Parfum
Notes: Pink pepper, Guatemalan cardamom, white incense, ambrette, Virginia cedarwood, ambrox, musk
Who What Wear's associate beauty editor, Alyssa Brascia, loves this perfume from Cult Gaia. She describes it as "warm," but not in a cozy, fall and winter way. In a "sun hitting your skin" way. This scent is equal parts sensual, earthy, and spicy, and is beautiful as the bottle it's housed in.
Perfumehead Somewhere Extrait de Parfum
Notes: Dewy palm leaves, bergamot, blood orange, lemon blossom, neroli, palo santo, and skin musk
If you're like me and you're a sucker for warm, sophisticated scents, you'll appreciate this expertly crafted and extremely luxe bottle. When I smell it, I'm instantly transported to a beach vacation, but not just any beach vacation—think a luxury seaside resort with a killer spa surrounded by dewy palm trees. To put it simply, it's an expensive-smelling summer perfume.
Vyrao Sun Ræ Eau de Parfum
Notes: Bergamot oil, lemon oil, turmeric leaf, turmeric root, fresh ginger oil, cardamom oil, black pepper, basil oil, and sandalwood
This fragrance has been scientifically proven to boost joy and self-confidence. Yes, really—it was studied by International Flavors & Fragrances' proprietary Science of Wellness program, and the findings were that it had an uplifting effect. It was designed to be "like sunshine in a bottle," and as such, it's bright, warm, and earthy. Lemon and bergamot are balanced with warming ginger and black pepper. Sandalwood, turmeric, amber, and musk round it out, giving it a comforting, earthy base.
Victoria Beckham Beauty Portofino '97 Eau de Parfum
Notes: Calabrian bergamot, cedrat, black pepper, amber, vetiver, and patchouli
To me, this perfume smells just like summer without screaming "beach," "sunscreen," or "tropical vacation." It's understated, elegant, and refined. Inspired by Victoria and David Beckham's trip to Portofino in 1997, there's the scent of fresh flowers mixed with candles and, most importantly, the fresh breeze coming off the Italian coast.
Victoria Beckham Beauty San Ysidro Drive Eau de Parfum
Notes: Passion fruit, saffron, rose, jasmine, black amber, and agarwood
If the aforementioned Victoria Beckham Beauty perfume is reminiscent of the Italian coast, this one is reminiscent of driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, which makes sense, considering it was inspired by the Beckhams' move to Los Angeles. It's a SoCal summer in a bottle.
Vacation Vacation Eau de Toilette
Notes: Coconut, banana, pineapple, orange blossom, pool water, pool toy, and swimsuit Lycra
I grew up by the water, slathered in Banana Boat and Coppertone sunscreen. As an adult, I find those classic sunscreen fragrances comforting, joyful, and nostalgic. Maybe that's why I love this perfume so much. It mixes classic sunscreen notes (coconut, banana, pineapple, and orange blossom) with classic poolside notes (pool water, plastic pool toys, and swimsuit Lycra). I guarantee that you'll be whisked away to a summertime pool setting at the first sniff.
Henry Rose Mustang Sally Body Spray
Notes: Petitgrain oil, Valencia orange flower, ambertonic
Here's another Henry Rose scent I'll be spritzing this summer. It's inspired by the blooming orange tree orchards in Valencia, Spain. Notes of petitgrain oil, orange flower, and ambertonic capture every element—the fresh fruit, the green leaves, and the Mediterranean breeze.

Kaitlyn McLintock is a Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. She has 10 years of experience in the editorial industry, having previously written for other industry-leading publications, like Byrdie, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, and others. She covers all things beauty and wellness-related, but she has a special passion for creating skincare content (whether that's writing about an innovative in-office treatment, researching the benefits of a certain ingredient, or testing the latest and greatest at-home skin device). Having lived in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas, she has since relocated back to her home state, Michigan. When she's not writing, researching, or testing beauty products, she's working through an ever-growing book collection or swimming in the Great Lakes.
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