Sweet scents of summer: Five fresh fragrances for 2026
Our selection of the most delicious fragrances to take you from the beach to an alfresco dinner.
Settling on a scent for the summer is a delicate pursuit. The warmer months call for bright, clean perfumes to wear on coastal holidays and weekend escapes. From a chilli-and-lime-infused scent by Australian perfumer Flâner to a heady combination of fig and cedarwood from Italian luxury house Bottega Veneta, we have selected our favourite options for your seasonal rotation.
Five of our favourites are listed below, and the full ten feature in Med, Mountains & More, our seasonal summer newspaper. If you’re not a subscriber, pick up a copy of the paper here. Subscribers can enjoy the printed copy delivered to their door, and read the digital version here.
1.
Iris Root
by Loewe
“I love the contrast between the soft powdery elegance of iris and the fresh, pomelo facets of timut pepper,” says Loewe perfumer Núria Cruelles. “It gives the fragrance a luminous, effortless quality that feels perfect for warmer days.” Part of the Spanish luxury house’s Crafted Collection, Iris Root comes in a glass flask that features trapped bubbles in its surface – inspired by the bullicante technique used in traditional glassblowing – and with a granite cap.
perfumesloewe.com
2.
Balliamo
by Bottega Veneta
This summer, the Italian fashion house is expanding its perfume offerings with Alta, a new collection of 10 scents. Each combines an ingredient from Italy with a far-flung counterpoint (think blood orange with North African neroli or plum with Spanish labdanum). We will be wearing Balliamo – a heady combination of Italian white fig with American cedarwood – to the aperitivo. bottegaveneta.com
3.
Neroli 36
by Le Labo
“A scent that I always gravitate toward in the summer is Neroli 36, a fragrance centred around the luminosity of orange blossom but with a solar, slightly salty, mineral quality underneath,” says Deborah Royer, the global brand president and creative director of Le Labo Fragrances. This particular perfume has a white floral component, with top notes of orange blossom and mandarin, plus a musky, tonka-bean base. “Neroli is a note that you expect to read as purely radiant or floral but this has a quality that feels sun-warmed and intimate.” lelabofragrances.com
4.
A Sigh of Dawn
by Frassaï
For Natalia Outeda, the Argentine founder of Frassaï, the key to a good summer perfume is balance. “It should have presence without weight,” she says. “I like a fragrance that has some transparency and breathes throughout the day.” Her pick is A Sigh of Dawn, a crisp scent that combines notes of green mandarin, fig and cedarwood. Her advice on how to wear it in the sun? “When temperatures rise, I like to spray perfume on my clothes and in my hair.”
frassai.com
5.
Bergamot
by Perfumer H
When the mercury climbs, the founder of Perfumer H, Lyn Harris, reaches for the citrus scent of bergamot. “I have always loved the freshness of old Italian colognes and wanted to capture that feeling in a way that felt natural and effortless,” says British perfumer Harris, who added sprinklings of clove, frankincense and lavender to the bergamot to achieve this nostalgic scent. “It reminds me of swimming in the sea.” perfumerh.com
