This summer, niche perfumery is highlighting several fragrance themes: skin-like scents; salty seaside moods; juicy fruit notes; and lighter, cooler gourmand-style fragrances with nuances of tea, coffee, creamy musk or dry vanilla.

SUMMER FRAGRANCE TENDENCIES: HOW TO CHOOSE A SCENT FOR A NORTHERN EUROPEAN SUMMER

This summer, several fragrance themes stand out in niche perfumery - skin-like scents; salty seaside moods; juicy fruit notes; and lighter, cooler gourmand-style fragrances with nuances of tea, coffee, creamy musk or dry vanilla.

Fragrance tendencies move quickly on social media. At one moment, people are talking about clean, almost invisible scents that stay close to the skin. Soon after, the focus shifts to peach, fig, salty seaside moods, cool tea or lighter gourmand-style fragrances.

At the same time, fragrances behave differently in summer. This is not only because the air is warmer and more humid, but also because we wear lighter clothes, move more and spend more time outdoors. A fragrance enters different conditions - warmer skin, moving air and an environment that feels brighter, greener and more open than in winter.

That is why it is worth being careful with fragrance tendencies. Not everything that looks good in a short video or sounds appealing in a description works equally well on skin in our climate. Especially in a Northern European summer, which is often cooler, more humid and more changeable than a classic southern summer.

That is why this is not just a list of what is currently popular. It is more of a short guide to understanding current tendencies and choosing a fragrance that will actually be wearable in everyday life in our climate.

1. SALTY AND SKIN-LIKE SCENTS

One of the most noticeable summer fragrance themes are scents that do not try to be very “loud”. They create more of a feeling of clean skin, fresh sea air, salt on the skin after swimming, a dry airy T-shirt after a day outside and a light mineral freshness.

These are not classic summer “fresh citrus” fragrances. They are softer, closer to the body and often more elegant for everyday wear. A scent like this does not fill the whole room, but creates a clean, natural feeling of freshness around the person wearing it.

For a Northern European summer, this fragrance theme feels especially suitable because it connects well with the air of seaside towns. Here, fragrances often have to work not in intense heat, but in wind, changing temperatures, on clothing and during cooler evenings. In these conditions, sharp freshness can become intrusive, while a salty, clean and skin-like scent often feels calmer and more natural.

OUR PICKS FOR THIS THEME

PIERRE GUILLAUME 29.1 À L’HEURE DES CATLEYAS : A clean, salty and calm scent with the feeling of a day spent by the sea.

MAISON VIOLET RIVAGE : A skin-like musk with a light mineral freshness - discreet, but noticeable up close: 

Explore more Salty & Skin-like fragrances

2. FRUITS RETURN, BUT NOT IN A SWEET VERSION

Fruit notes are very current this summer, but in niche perfumery they are rarely only about sweetness. The most interesting fruity scents often work with contrast: peach with musk, fig with green leaves, citrus with bitterness, blackcurrant with woods or tropical fruits with a saltier background.

This is a good fragrance theme for those who want something livelier and juicier for summer, but do not want a scent that feels like a sweet cocktail or candy.

Balance is the key here. If only sugar and sweetness remain after the first impression, the fragrance can quickly become tiring in summer. If there is greenery, musk, woods, tea or a light bitterness in the background, the fruity scent becomes more grown-up and much easier to wear.

OUR PICKS FOR THIS THEME

PIERRE GUILLAUME MAD ABOUT YOU : A juicy, but not overly sweet fragrance - fruits with a clean, greener or woodier background:

NEIL JACQUET OUD LUWATU : A summery fragrance for those who want the feeling of a fruit cocktail, but not candy-like sweetness:

Explore more Fruity Summer fragrances

3. SUMMER GOURMAND FRAGRANCES BECOME AIRIER

Gourmand fragrances are still current, but in summer the more interesting ones are not thick vanilla, caramel or dessert-like scents. Instead, lighter and airier versions work better - tea, coffee, rice milk, almond, dry vanilla, creamy musk or light cocoa.

This is a good fragrance theme for those who find classic fresh scents too sharp, but wintery sweet fragrances too heavy. It gives a sense of comfort, but does not necessarily become warm, sticky or dense.

In a Northern European summer, these fragrances can work especially well in the evening, after rain or on a cooler day. The key is not to look only for sweetness, but for texture - softness, creaminess, the dryness of tea or musk and a clean dry-down.

OUR PICKS FOR THIS THEME

PIERRE GUILLAUME 12.1. UN CRIME EXOTIQUE : A creamy, calm fragrance with the feeling of tea, coffee, musk and dry vanilla:

TEO CABANEL BONSOIR TEO : A good choice for an evening or a cooler summer day - warm, but not too heavy:

Explore more Airy Gourmand fragrances

HOW SUMMER CHANGES THE WAY WE EXPERIENCE FRAGRANCE

In summer, the fragrance itself does not change - the conditions around it do. Air temperature, humidity, warmer skin, lighter clothing, wind and more time spent outdoors all affect how a scent evaporates, spreads in the surrounding environment and how we experience it.

In warmer air, the more volatile parts of a fragrance - citrus notes, green notes, light fruits, aromatic herbs or fresher tea nuances - often become noticeable more quickly. This is why some fragrances can feel fresher, more energetic and more alive in summer than they do in winter, but this impression may also disappear faster. Heavier notes - musk, woods, amber, patchouli, leather, vanilla or sweeter gourmand nuances - usually last longer, but on a warm and humid day they can also feel denser, sweeter or more intrusive.

This is why the same fragrance can give a very different impression from one season to another. Some scents that feel clear, intense and multi-layered in winter may become flat or too heavy in summer. Others, which seem quiet, cool or almost closed in winter, may suddenly start to breathe in warmer weather - revealing greenery, saltiness, flowers, tea, musk, woods or creaminess that was barely noticeable before.

The emotional background also matters. A fragrance is not only something we smell on the skin - it connects with the environment, memory, mood and the way the body feels on a particular day. In summer, there is more light, more greenery, more movement, more wind and more fresh air around us. Because of that, we often want a fragrance to play a different role than in winter - not to warm and enclose, but to bring lightness, cleanliness, air and a feeling that it belongs naturally in the surroundings.

That is why salty seaside themes, skin-like scents, clean musk, greener fruits, lighter flowers, tea, mineral freshness and airier gourmand fragrances often work better in summer. Very sweet, resinous, dense or strongly warming fragrances may feel too heavy in summer - even if they are exactly what we want in winter.

A testing tip: paper shows the beginning of a fragrance well. Skin shows its true character. If possible, test the fragrance on skin and return to it after one or two hours. In summer, this often tells you more than the first impression in store.

HOW TO WEAR FRAGRANCE IN SUMMER

In summer, it is worth being more thoughtful about how fragrance is applied. A larger amount does not always mean that the scent will last longer or be easier to notice. It is better to adapt the way you wear fragrance to the weather, the intensity of the scent and the places where it is applied on the body.

In summer, a smaller amount is often enough. In warmer weather, fragrance moves into the air more actively, so one or two precise sprays can often feel more pleasant than applying too much in the morning. If the fragrance is light, it can be refreshed during the day. This is usually better than applying too much at once and expecting the scent to last all day.

The place of application changes how a fragrance opens, how long it seems noticeable and how quickly you become used to it yourself. On warmer areas of the body, often called pulse points, a fragrance can open more actively. This is why the wrists, the inside of the elbows or the neck area can help a scent show its character more quickly.

However, in summer it is worth being more careful with areas very close to the face. If a fragrance stays close to the neck, hair or chest area for a long time, you may stop noticing it sooner, because the sense of smell adapts to a constant scent in the background. This does not mean the fragrance has disappeared. Very often, others can still smell it, while the person wearing it notices it less.

A good balance in summer can be one spray on the skin, where the fragrance can open, and one very light spray further away from the face or on clothing, if the fragrance is suitable for that. On skin, a scent opens more vividly and changes more clearly; on clothing, it often lasts longer and radiates more softly. After applying fragrance, it is better not to rub it - let it dry naturally.

In summer, fragrance should be adapted to the specific day, not only to the season. On a hot and humid day, heavier, sweeter and more resinous fragrances are usually better worn in a smaller amount or in the evening. On a cooler day, after rain or in the evening, deeper fragrance themes can also work well - tea, musk, woods, dry vanilla, patchouli or leather.

In summer, you do not have to look only for a “fresh” fragrance. It is more important to find a scent that works well for the specific day, place and feeling.

WANT TO FIND A SCENT THAT SUITS YOU PERSONALLY?

If you would like to understand which of this summer’s fragrance themes suits you best - salty and skin-like, juicy fruit, cooler gourmand or clean, calm musk - come and visit one of our shops in Riga: 

SPOTS Miesnieku 14, you will find a smaller, carefully selected fragrance range for those who want quality and something different without too many complicated choices; 

SPOTS Elizabetes 83, our fragrance store offers a wider selection and a more in-depth consultation experience.

We will help you find a fragrance that is not only current, but also well suited to everyday wear.

To explore these fragrance themes further, you can also order samples of the fragrances mentioned in this article and test how they open on your own skin in different summer conditions.

Summer fragrance samples