When you think of shopping for the summer season, you think of all the S’s: shorts, swimwear, shades, sunscreen. What you probably forget about is another important S: scent.
When the weather warms up, your wardrobe changes. Your winter clothes were dark and heavy; your summer clothes are lighter, brighter and more airy. The same goes for your fragrance. In winter you can get away with darker, deeper, more powerful scents, but when summer comes around it’s time for something different.
In fact, it’s even scientific. Fragrance reacts differently in heat. It intensifies and disperses more quickly, meaning that heavier scents can easily become overpowering in warm weather. Besides, all that heat means you’re probably naturally producing a little more musk of your own, which is better balanced out by fresh and clean smells rather than cologne weighed down by vanilla and amber.
As your wardrobe lightens up, complement it by swapping your signature scent for a summer fragrance that contains seasonally appropriate ingredients.
Key Summer Notes
There are three basic things to keep in mind when choosing the perfect aromatic accompaniment to your summer style. First, keep it fresh and energising. Second, embrace nature. Third, don’t be afraid to go a little bolder when the sun goes down. Look for fragrances with these notes:
Citrus
Citrus notes are what keep you feeling so fresh and so clean clean during summer. Think bergamot, blood orange, grapefruit and neroli. Citrus is fresh, lively and uplifting, which is exactly how you want to feel when the weather is nice. Combine citrus notes with warmer, more comforting elements like cedar or sandalwood for a well-balanced scent.
RELATED: Top Citrus Fragrances For Men
Flowers
What could possibly be more suitable for a summer scent than flowers? No, they are not necessarily sweet, and no, they are not only for women. It’s time to let those Neanderthal ideas go. Florals can be fresh and subtle, and far more masculine than your prejudices would have you believe. Rose, jasmine, lavender, geranium, freesia… you’re only limited by how bold you’re willing to be.
RELATED: Top Floral Fragrances For Men
Woods
At night, you want a fragrance that’s going to make a bigger statement. In winter there’s more leeway to go crazy with your interpretation of “bigger statement,” but in summer restraint is a virtue. Sticking with notes from nature is a safer bet to make sure your fragrance isn’t overpowering. Try vetiver, and woods like sandalwood and cedar.
RELATED: Top Woody Fragrances For Men
This column was originally published in D’Marge.