The smells of summer are unmistakably heady: freshly applied sun cream, salty sea air, bin bags gently steaming in the city heat. The same goes for fragrance; some will smell extra delicious in hot temperatures, some not so much. You just need to know how to choose the right one for you, more importantly than you might think – for the weather.
‘Hotter climates will affect the behavior of perfume when it’s sprayed on to the skin,’ explains Roja Dove, world-renowned fragrance specialist and perfumer. ‘The warmer the climate, the warmer the body becomes. The increased blood circulation heats the skin, which causes the scent to dissipate faster – and the upside of this is that the fragrance becomes intensified.’
The downside of this increased dissipation, though, is that the initial notes that prompted you to buy the fragrance when you tested it in the shop become rather fleeting.
THE EVOLUTION OF A SCENT
‘The first bloom of scent from a freshly applied fragrance is dominated by “top notes,”’ says Will Andrews, director and technical expert of fragrance communication at Coty. ‘Lightweight and volatile, these are usually fresh and citrusy or sweeter floral notes – they set the scene. When the weather is hot, they are gone after 30 minutes. Once evaporated, the “dry down” phase of the fragrance comes through, which is a combination of the heart and base notes. This is the true scent profile you will live with from day to day and you can therefore make a reliable selection based on this.’
Scents fall into three camps – and whether you’re a fan of chypre (we’re talking warm, dry and woody), oriental (spicy and musky) or floral (does what it says on the tin), high temperatures will make your fragrance develop more quickly and could change your scent of choice.
So, how exactly are you supposed to know which one to splurge on when the temperature starts to rise? ‘There is no universal language of fragrance in any culture, which means that descriptions for perfume often resort to metaphor in order to articulate odor character,’ explains Andrews. ‘This frequently falls short of accurately describing the smell of the fragrance.’ You can research the perfumes that sound nice all you like, but smell is one sense that can’t be digitized: you can’t accurately shop for scent online. You have to actually get out there and smell it. In. Real. Life.
‘The best time to shop for fragrance is when you’re hungry, ideally in your lunch hour or early evening, before you eat a meal,’ says Andrews. ‘Your sense of smell becomes heightened when you’re hungry, since you’re effectively hunting down the next meal, and this means you’ll be more discerning when it comes to choosing between fragrances.’
TESTING TRICKS
Already have a signature scent? Don’t spritz before you hit the stores. Skin needs to remain odor-neutral to test accurately those new fragrances. Once you’re in the shop, your nose will tire after smelling three freshly sprayed scents. ‘The alcohol content works like an anesthetic,’ explains Dove. ‘Smelling the perfume on paper after the alcohol has evaporated is the only sane way to test a fragrance. Spray a few scents on blotter cards, taking note of the names, and smell them away from the alcohol-heavy air of the perfumery.’
Now wait. ‘Hold off for 30 minutes until making a decision on which are your favorites,’ advises Andrews. This time delay is necessary to see how the fragrance evaporates and evolves into the heart and base notes once applied. Next, go back to the shop and apply the fragrances you selected one by one to your skin to see how they combine with your natural pheromones (those chemicals emitted by the skin that affect how a perfume will smell on you – and whether your crush will fancy you too). As for where to put them? ‘The back of your hand and the wrist are ideal,’ says Andrews. Moreover, don’t worry about ‘breaking’ fragrance molecules by rubbing your wrists together. ‘It’s impossible,’ says Andrews. ‘The worst it can do is warm it up and make it develop into the heart note more quickly, as it would in a hotter climate.’ Turns out it’s a good thing to do.
Right, now you know what to look for and how to look for it. So stop reading, get out there, and sniff out your new hot weather fragrance. We can almost smell summer from here.
Floral
1. Giorgio Armani Sì Rose Signature 50ml
A sensual blend of green Rose de Mai and exotic Turkish rose.
2. Givenchy Live Irrésistible 75ml
Sexy, spicy, and fruity top notes transform into a sweet rose bouquet.
3. Miu Miu L’Eau Bleue 50ml
Green notes and white flowers; like summer in the country.
4. Dior J’Adore in Joy 50ml
This is a fruity floral with a salty tang that evokes a walk on the beach.
5. Byredo Kabuki Fragrance Blanche 7ml
This is a scented powder with a brush applicator. White florals dry down into a violet heart.
Chypre
1. Jo Malone Oolong Tea 75ml
This is soft notes of cocoa, almond, and oolong with a smoky inflection.
2. Paco Rabanne Olympéa Intense 80ml
Orange blossom, warm amber, salt, and vanilla evoke a day on a tropical beach.
3. Tory Burch Love Relentlessly 100ml
Subtle, spiced pink pepper and orris evolve into warming patchouli and amber.
4. CK All 100ml
Energizing bergamot, mandarin and grapefruit turn into clean notes of lilyflore and rhubarb.
5. Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Cypress 50ml
Herbal, woody, and citrus notes transport you to a Mediterranean garden.
Oriental
1. Valentino Valentina Blush 50ml
Mouthwatering notes of praline, strawberry and blackberry musk – yep, smells good enough to eat.
2. Prada Olfactories Dark Light 100ml
This is a warm ambery, woody oriental, with notes of musk and Madagascar vanilla.
3. Hugo Boss The Scent For Her 50ml
Honeyed peaches and green freesia dry down into sexy, warm notes of floral osmanthus.
4. Atelier Cologne Clémentine California 100ml
Like day turning to night, the initial sunny notes of mandarin develop into pepper, star anise, and sandalwood.
5. Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess 50ml
This is a warming blend of herbal bergamot, amber, white flowers, and creamy coconut.
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