The best tropical fragrances for summer, approved by fashion editors
IMAGE VIA @TSULANGEYOR/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MARYEL SOUSA
Beach walks and piña coladas.
Capturing the essence of a holiday in a bottle is no easy task. But as Melbourne defrosts, we’ve been craving a reminder that somewhere, beyond these grey days, tropical holidays await. It’s still too cold for mini dresses and sandals, so instead, we’re on the hunt for fragrances that transport us to warmer places.
A good perfume does more than attract compliments from passersby. It should set a scene: petrichor after a thunderstorm, fresh-baked madeleines at a Parisian café, the soft green floor of a rainforest. Lately, all we’re dreaming of is an afternoon flopped on a beach lounger with a fruit-filled cocktail in hand, skin marinating in salt water and sunscreen.
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And while some lucky team members are about to jet off to Bali to do exactly that (looking at you, Daisy), the rest of us have been excessively spritzing a range of juicy, tropical scents from our desks. From local brand releases to duty-free classics, here’s what we’d recommend to kick-start your summer.
Fuck Boy by Perdrisat
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Marketed as ‘an ode to piña coladas and party boys’, Perdrisat’s Fuck Boy smells like a party at a tropical beach club, where kisses from strangers taste like cocktails and there’s no such thing as regret. With notes of pineapple, cocaine accord, coconut milk, solar notes, sea salt and musk, Fuck Boy is a snapshot of the wildness of youth.
Buy it here.
Undergrowth by Orok Fragrances
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There’s something incredibly erotic about the idea of walking barefoot across the dense, wet soil of a rainforest. Orok Fragrance captures this sensation in Undergrowth, an alluring, verdant scent featuring notes of ripe cherry, florals, amber, musk and nagarmotha (cypriol), combined with a lovely earthiness. It’s a tropical fragrance that subverts expectations of brightness, replacing it with sensuality and mystery.
Buy it here.
Sunbathers by Ficifolia Fragrances
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For vacation-goers who prefer the sunshine to the dark recesses of the rainforest or beach club corners, there’s Sunbathers by Ficifolia Fragrances. With delicious top notes of frozen lemon, ginger and green leaves, heart notes of sea salt, muguet and cyclamen, and a base of sunscreen accord and coconut water, it captures the feeling of hot days on a tropical island with a refined, elevated softness.
Buy it here.
Pool by Tsu Lange Yor
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Pool by Troye Sivan’s Tsu Lange Yor evokes the carefree feeling of lounging by the pool in your tropical villa. Fresh, zesty top notes of cucumber, lychee, raspberry and Italian bergamot pair well with mid notes of tomato leaf, crushed coriander, muguet and cassis. Once these have evaporated from the skin, Pool leaves wearers with warmth and the lingering scent of ginger, capsicum and musk.
Buy it here.
Pineapple by Demeter Fragrance Library
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Sometimes, less is more. Pineapple by Demeter Fragrance Library bursts with the scent of freshly squeezed juice from a ripe pineapple, a simple yet full-bodied cologne that transports wearers to the lush, fertile grounds of the tropics.
Buy it here.
Dirty Coconut by Heretic Parfum
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Inspired by the sensual, sacred stories around the rare Coco de Mer, Heretic Parfum’s Dirty Coconut is a seductive tropical scent with historical roots. Top notes of cedar and clove-derived vanillin blend beautifully with base notes of sandalwood, vanilla absolute and ambrettolide, creating the relaxing feeling of an eternal summer. At the heart is an all-natural CO2 extract of coconut, meaning this scent is complete with the natural calming, relaxation and aphrodisiac therapeutic qualities of coconut.
Buy it here.
Philosykos by Diptyque
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Named after ‘the friend of the fig tree’, Philosykos by Diptyque evokes the feeling of sun baking among the trees somewhere on a Greek island. With fragrance notes of fig, coriander, pepper, blackcurrant, coconut, cedar and benzoin, Phiosykos is a sophisticated, woody scent that conjures memories of holidays and dreams gone by.
Buy it here.
Beach Walk by Maison Margiela
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If you really want to smell like you’ve had a lazy day by the ocean, Beach Walk is the juice for you. Blending bergamot, pink pepper, coconut milk and lemon, it’s a fresh and comforting, easy-to-wear scent.
Buy it here.
Amazinggreen by Comme des Garçons
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Amazinggreen by Comme des Garçons starts with a burst of fresh, vibrant energy, like taking a deep breath after a long hike through a lush, dewy rainforest, before developing into something deeper and more complex. The scent fuses green notes – like palm tree leaves, green pepper, dew mist, jungle leaves, ivy leaves, orris root and coriander seeds – with a smoky, mineralic base of gunpowder accord, vetiver, smoke and white musk.
Buy it here.
For more on smelling like summer, head here.
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