There’s something about a beachy scent that’s just so irresistible. I’ll chalk it up to the fact that most beachy scents have mouth-watering notes like citrus, tropical fruit, and salt. In my opinion, a good beachy fragrance should do one of two things (if not both): transport you to a specific seaside location, or make you feel like you just spent a day in the sand, your skin warmed from the sun. Good beachy scents are somehow both splashy and subtle, and they’re alluring without being too sumptuous.
Keep reading for my favorite scents to both wear to the beach and remind you of the beach. Just a warning, you’ll probably find yourself reaching for these year-round—they’re basically like an instant vacation in a bottle.
Key Notes: Bergamot, heliotrope, coconut milk. Beach Walk is the quintessential beachy fragrance. Fresh, solar, and bursting with bergamot and coconut milk, one whiff takes you to a lazy afternoon walking along the beach.
Key Notes: Coco de mer, ylang-ylang, bergamot flower. Meant to make you feel like you’re lounging on a private island, this tropical perfume delivers. Citrus keeps this scent crisp, while coco de mer, or sea coconut, brings a grounding warmth.
Key Notes: Jasmine, dragonfruit, sheer vanilla, sun musk, ocean air. Color me optimistic, but to me, this $35 perfume mist smells like a sweeter, more floral-forward version of Maison Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge (for about a tenth of the price). It’s light, airy, and inviting.
Key notes: jasmine, sea spray, mandarin. It does’t get more classically beachy than this elegant scent from Bobbi Brown. This perfume strikes the perfect balance of floral, salty, and citrusy, for an extremely wearable fragrance.
Key notes: jasmine, gardenia, warm woods. Acqua di Gioia is the perfume equivalent of sparkling, clear blue water on a cloud-free day. It’s both refreshing and thrilling at the same time, with fragrance notes that transport you to an ideal day on the Italian coast.
Key notes: ylang ylang, Tahitian tiare, ambergris. It wouldn’t be a list of beachy perfumes without this scent from Ellis Brooklyn. This perfume encapsulates one of those long, dream-like beach days perfectly. It’s a bottle full of salty skin, foamy waves, and golden sun.
Key notes: orange blossom. Plain and simple: this smells like sunscreen. It’s orange blossom forward, and it will bring you back to the pool days of your youth, asking your crush to put sunscreen on your back before plunging into the deep end.
Key notes: salted caramel, pistachio, vanilla. If you’re after a beachy scent with a hint of caramel, this fragrance will do the trick. It’s the scent equivalent of an ice cream sundae after a long day at the beach while the sunset reflects off the water.
Key notes: lemon, mandarin, neroli, jasmine sambac, musk. If you want a perfume that’s reminiscent of lying in the sun on a hot day, this is it. Mandarin and lemon give this fragrance a light, refreshing quality, and the overall effect is like sunbeams dancing across your skin.
Key notes: bergamot, honeysuckle, grapfruit. If you can’t take a Mediterranean vacation, a spritz of this citrusy scent is the next best thing. It essentially lives where a citrus grove meets the shore—oceanic, airy, and floral.
Key notes: aquatic accord, coriander, red seaweed. This scent is exactly what it sounds like. Clear blue water, sun-bleached sails, and ocean air. It smells like it should cost a lot more money than it does, which is something we can always appreciate in a fragrance.
Key notes: petitgrain essence, coconut water, coconut milk, bergamot, solar musk, banana, pineapple, pool water, swimsuit spandex, sea salt. Transport yourself to the set of Baywatch with this perfume, which smells like Vacation’s sunscreen, widely known as one of the best-smelling sunscreens you can buy. It’s lycra, pool water, and sunscreen wrapped into a perfume.
Key notes: sandalwood, musk. This is a scent made for anyone who never wants to stop chasing the sun. Sandalwood grounds this scent, giving it an earthy, woodsy base, but the overall effect is warm, optimistic, and sunny.
Key notes: citrus, apple, bamboo. If your vibe is a summer in Italy but your budget is decidedly not on the same wavelength, try this breezy perfume out for size. It’s fruity while maintaining its elegance.
Key notes: bergamot, mandarin, lavender, sage, vetiver. Grounded by sage and vetiver, citrus bursts through to make this fragrance truly dynamic. It’s a wonderful choice as an every day fragrance, as it goes with everything.
