Will any of you be at Scent Week in LA in next week? I’ll be at a bunch of events. Look for me if you’re there! I love saying hi and getting to meet you all IRL.

Let me start by saying I don’t subscribe to the idea of seasonal perfume. You can wear a deep, skanky oud in spring or a dewy floral in the dead of winter. There are no rules. Mood is what mostly dictates what I reach for. That said, my mood is often influenced by the weather. These longer, sunnier days, that hint at summer even in our seasonless Bay Area, have me craving lighter, brighter scents. And whenever I’m going down a perfume rabbit hole, I text my frag friends to get their thoughts. After my ramblings you’ll find a bunch of great recs from some of the people I trust most when it comes to fragrance.

If you consume any bit of perfume content online you’ve probably noticed a tropical trend is happening. New releases like Tropical by Arquiste, R&B by Zernell Gillie, Jasmine Freak by Room 1015, and Delulu by .Oddity all feature some big juicy fruits and I’m not mad about it. I left Ministry of Scent this weekend with Tropical, which might be my favorite Arquiste yet. (Closely tied with Indigo Smoke and Almond Suede.)

Tropical evolves like magic on my skin. It opens with a blast of juicy guava, pure vacation-in-a-bottle vibes, like freshly sliced fruit in the sun. Then it softens into lush florals that gently sweep away the fruitiness. Suddenly I’m on a beach, surrounded by plumeria and a salty breeze. There’s guava blossom, jasmine sambac, and warm, white sand in the distance. But the real surprise comes in the dry down, those florals are still there, but they’re anchored by a subtly sweet, woody vibe. The whole thing becomes this soft, whispery blend of guava and white blooms with a warm, textured base. It’s stunning. I’d expect nothing less from Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Carlos Huber. You can smell this one and order samples from Ministry of Scent. Honestly, this could’ve been a blind buy for me, but it’s also rare that I don’t love a Rodrigo Flores-Roux creation.

The other fragrance that got me excited for summer was Zernell Gillie’s newly released R&B. It’s such a playful departure from Zernell’s previous work. I was intrigued when I saw notes like white chocolate and opoponax, but on skin they sing. This is TROPICAL FRUITY in all caps—but it’s not cloying or overly sweet. It’s textured, humid, and rich, like fruit ripening in heat. It has notes of honey tangerine, guava, papaya, bulgarian white rose, and more. One spray lasted on my skin for hours. I normally avoid longevity talk, because scent wears differently on everyone but ZG fragrances do tend to stick around a long while on me. I also think they’re a steal at $120 for 30ml, but I know, my mind is warped when it comes to fragrances prices.

I also want to give a shout out to Roan and their three perfect tea scents. I smelled through the discovery set recently and am such a fan of all of them. These would be perfect for summer too. AND there is still a place for leather in summer (I mean forever and always) and Blocki has just come out with a really beautiful light and sunny leather that evokes warm nights at a baseball game and picnics in the park. It’s called Fielder’s Leather and I am a big fan so you will hear more about this one soon!

Jen Siems (Immortal Perfume)

Chiara 41 by Spezerie Palazzo Vecchio. It's a perfect summer skin scent. I tell everyone it's a rorschach test. It's got sandalwood and coriander. I smell peaches. Other people tell me they smell cucumber, melon rind, tomatoes...runs the gamut!

Celina (Ministry of Scent)

I’ve been loving Flower Lust by D’Orsay on hot days. It’s such a juicy white floral and smells amazing on sweaty hot skin lol. Venus in Tuberose by Universal Flowering is also such a fun girly pop Lana Del Rey type summer scent. And I’ve been loving Thundra by Profumum Roma for a “summer” patchouli because it has white musk and mint which keeps it fresh enough

Jennifer (my bff who pulled me down the perfume rabbit hole)

I have a few fragrances that I always reach for in warmer weather. One of my faves is 1921, part of The Alchemist’s Garden line by Gucci. It’s all neroli, citrus, and oakmoss and is just so bright and green and zesty. Picture the cinematography of Call Me By Your Name--this is what I imagine that version of Italy smells like. Warm sun, ripe citrus, breezy and green. Another one I love is Stussy Laguna Beach by Comme des Garcons, a discontinued collab between Stussy and CdG. I smelled this once at Dover Street Market and could not stop thinking about it, so had to go back for it! It’s one of my favorite aquatic scents. It smells like salt and marine air and sunscreen, just really evokes being at a crowded beach on a hot summer day. It also reminds me a little of Davidoff’s Cool Water, one of my earliest perfume obsessions as a teen. And lastly, a new one to my collection that I’m reaching for on warm days is Clue’s The Point. It’s all brine and tea and just a hint of animalic funk from the ambergris. A really interesting, lovely perfume!

Jalil Johnson (Consider Yourself Cultured)

Eau de Magnolia! During the warmer months, I tend to reach for more floral scents. I wear rose year-round, but in June, July, and August, I find myself drawn to those other florals that seem made for summer. Magnolia, in particular, reminds me of Southern summers, where time feels like it slows to a standstill for three long, dreamy months.

Chelsea (@thebeastof_gevaudan)

Right now I’m really really loving Aziyade by Parfums d’Empire. On paper I didn’t think it was going to hit because it’s so fruit forward, but something about the plum and date and flushed skin spices is really doing it for me this season.

I’m also having a yellow floral moment— Canaan by Maison d’ETTO. Tuberose pimento. Yes. Underworld by Christele Jacquemin is my current favorite weirdo. I love her. Carrot, aromatic spices, patchouli , yellow floral.

Marlou Heliodose. Screams salty sweaty oily beach skin. And I’m ready for it.

Lastly, as I get outside and start taking inventory of the garden this time of year and I always crave Rose. My first go-to is always always Rose Highland by Jorum. It’s a mineralic ambergris Rose. I just love Jorum. Even when they’re delicate they’re bold af.

Phway (CEO & founder of Gabar)

Even though I like the idea of fragrances being non-seasonal, I do find myself going to two different extremes in the Summer! I love both lighter, fresher & nature-adjacent scents as well as deeper, warmer and enveloping notes. Both 03 Swim, with wild fig & green tea, and 02 Ground, a warm, complex woody fragrance, from our current Gabar line encapsulate this. I find the mix of nature-leaning scents and human skin, sweat & warmth so satisfying — the human equivalent of a damp grass field being dried by the kiss of the sun.

Asia Grant (Scent Social Club, It's Called Taste)

I’m looking for ripe, juicy and refreshing. I’ve been loving Da Lat from d’Annam and Orange Crush from Fugazzi a combo that smells like a berry compote drizzled over an orange creamsicle without any of the sweet. Just purely fruity.

Emma Vernon (Perfume Room Substack, Perfume Room Pod)

I don’t follow any strict seasonal scent rotations. In warmer months, I gravitate towards florals (all kinds), green scents, vegetal scents, fruity scents, citruses, fluffy gourmands, anything musky, and soft woods (so…basically everything, lol). Here are just a few that I’m excited to wear (which I picked mainly because they were the first ones I saw in my fragrance cabinet.)

Juliet in White from St. Rose - I was gifted this scent in PR over a year ago and had kind of forgotten about it. What a pleasant re-discovery! It’s a floral citrus, the latter of which recalls drinks likes Orange Juliuses and Tang (for those born before 1995). The jasmine is clean but gently grapey, and rose adds a familiar romance. Underneath these florals exists a certain waxy, balsamic quality. A true medium-bodied, sexy but bright, transitional floral.

ELOREA Gentle Shower - Gentle Shower is built around the Korean Perilla leaf (comparable to Shiso). It’s immediately spicy, redolent of that piercing freshness of breathing in a chilled eucalyptus towel at a spa (is my free one week trial at Equinox showing?). Despite this sharpness, Gentle Shower, as its name would suggest, feels serene and dewy. It's striking, calming, and perfectly refreshing.

SANA JARDIN Berber Blonde - The Bitter Orange Tree is the Giving Tree of fragrance. From it, we get 4 key notes: orange blossom, neroli, bitter orange, and petitgrain. Berber Blonde contains all four and feels like a true homage to the source. Equally fresh, floral, stemmy, woody, and citric, and anchored by a clean musk base, the result is modern (but classic) and effortlessly chic. In short: just a REALLY good neroli.

What are you reaching for this summer? Do you have a go to summer scent? Tell me in the comments!