The weather is finally taking at turn for the better. See ya, snow! Good riddance, frostbitten fingers! As the mercury and humidity levels begin to rise, your woody, spicy winter fragrance are going to start feeling a little heavy. So as you start packing away your Woolrich parkas, Carhartt hats, and duck boots, consider also temporarily retiring your favorite oud until next fall. In its place, you can snap up one of these six new options, all of which will serve you well when you’re sweating your ass off.
Malin + Goetz Citron Vert
Consider this a wearable summer cocktail. The refreshing blend of citrus fruits, basil, and bergamot is tempered with woodsy cedar and amber so it doesn’t smell like you’ve drunkenly spilled your drink on yourself.
Maison Martin Margiela At The Barber’s
There is something uniquely comforting about the scent of a vintage barbershop with its warm towels, frothy shaving cream, and leather chairs. And now it’s been bottled.
Lacoste Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Jaune
If summer had a smell, this would be it. The energetic fusion of grapefruit, pink peppercorn, coriander, cypress and vetiver, like your favorite al fresco cocktail, will remind you of the warmer days ahead.
D.S. & Durga Debaser
For perfumer David Moltz, listening to the Pixies’ album Doolittle triggers memories of steamy August nights and summer camp. So when he decided to create a summery scent based on this childhood nostalgia, he christened it Debaser, after the opening track of the aforementioned album.
Atelier Cologne Cèdre Atlas
Colognes are traditionally a fragrance consisting of citruses and the Collection Azur celebrates this notion. This one of the four offerings is both warm and crisp, sort of reminding us of a dapper Italian gentleman strolling along the Mediterranean.
Le Labo for Colette AnOther 13
While this strangely addictive scent, done in collaboration with AnOther magazine founder Jefferson Hack, isn’t traditionally summery (re: light), its sultriness is sort of reminiscent of those dead-of-summer evenings when the breeze dries the sweat trickling down our brows. After popular demand, the initially limited collaboration with Colette is back.
Zola Jesus Taiga x Blackbird EDP
Synth-pop artist Zola Jesus collaborated with Seattle shop Blackbird to craft a scent to represent her latest album, Taiga. As its namesake is the smell of the smoke from the very first fire (yeah, it’s very specific), it’s unsurprisingly smoky, but it’s also remarkably light so similar to that incredible aroma of a campfire in the woods on a cool night.
Carven Vetiver
Though this cult fragrance was created in 1957, its lively expression of vetiver helped by geranium, nutmeg and lemongrass, is modern, not at all old-timey.
