As we fully come into May, one can’t help but think of summer. Along with transitioning wardrobes, packing away snow shovels, hauling out bikes, and spring cleaning in general, it’s also time to switch out your heavier winter scents for a fresh warm-weather fragrance. Smell can be such a subjective thing, and thanks to those good old olfactory memories, it can carry a lot of emotion. Along with the feelings associated with scent, other things to consider when choosing a perfume include ingredients, price, application, and how it contributes to your “smell story.” Here’s a breakdown of things to look for in your signature summer scent.
First, ingredients. There are five main ingredients in perfume: Musk (generally made from a mixture of synthetic and plant-based material), Coumarin (a vanilla smelling ingredient found both synthetically and in natural sources such as vanilla grass and sweet clover), Vetiver (a grassy fibrous root that can be distilled into an oil that smells of woody, earthy, leather, and smoky tones), Aldehyde (a product of organic chemistry, which has a very extensive Wikipedia page I won’t get into, but it creates notes of rose, cinnamon, and orange, to name a few), and lastly Oud (a dark, dense, and super-fragrant resin from the Agar tree in Southeast Asia). Knowing all of that, any perfume you pick up could contain a geography and/or science lesson, among other things. Of course, other ingredients should also be considered, not just for their smell but also for how they react to the human body and their impact on the environment. Synthetic products usually aren’t very Earth-friendly. However, if you’re allergic to sandalwood, even the most ethically sourced ingredients may still cause itching, nausea, and an upset stomach. So read the ingredients list of your potential scent and consider what works (and smells) best for you.
Next, price. The cost and the ingredients for perfume are closely linked. Traveling to Asia to collect resin from an Agar tree doesn’t come cheap. Perfumes that contain rare flowers or the essence of unusual roots will also increase the price.
Then, on the other hand, less expensive fragrances made from synthetic ingredients may cause skin rashes, so if you are prone to sensitive skin, regardless of the actual scent, you may find yourself paying for a more costly perfume to avoid hives. Of course, things like packaging and marketing also play into the price; think about those perfume inserts in glossy magazines. If you don’t have a skin concern to consider, I recommend paying whatever you want for a perfume. From my experience, the more expensive fragrances have less of an expiration date. So, if you do invest in a luxury scent that you will have it for years to come that you want to save it for special occasions, you can spend a little more so that it’s fresh when you need it. For your everyday aroma, you can look for more of a bargain.
Most often, perfumes come in a liquid/spray form. They are packaged in a bottle, and you spritz it on your “pulse point,” your wrists, and your neck. Or you may spray a cloud of perfume in the air and walkthrough. For summer, especially on the hot, humid, and thick days, the idea of adding more liquid to your body may not be very appealing. Scented body powder is a great alternative to a spray. Some products come with a puff, or you can shake it into your hands and rub it into your skin or apply it directly on the skin. There are also roll-on scents; essential oils, in particular, are sold with this delivery method. Sunscreen has its own particular scent, but now some beauty brands offer signature scent sunscreen with summery notes like citrus and lavender.
Lastly, your “smell story.” This concept has both practical and whimsical elements. On the practical side, consider all the products you use and how their smells interact with each other. If you use scented soap, the smell of your hair products, body lotions, and even laundry detergent can all carry scent. How does an additional fragrance play with/add on to these other smells? Everything you use will be at its strongest at the beginning of your day. As morning rolls into afternoon and evening, what you eat, drink, where you’ve been, and your sweat will charge and dull the mixture of those odors. You may find (in summer especially) that you won’t need fragrance in the morning but may want to spritz, powder, or roll on a scent as the day progresses.
The narrative part of a “smell story” brings in the whimsical factor. How you want to smell can say something about you and/or your personality. If you love the beach, you may prefer the notes of a traditional sunscreen layered with a sea-salt textured hair spray. For summer, if you want to smell clean and fresh, then you may opt for a powdered fragrance that has a cotton, soapy aroma. Hot summer nights may find you wanting to spice things up with notes of neroli and honeysuckle. Basically, if you want, fragrance can help you create a vibe.
One of the things I most love as summer starts is the reinvigorating smell of sunshine. What does sunshine smell like, you may ask? For me, it’s a mix of freshly cut grass, sunscreen, warm skin, sandalwood, and a hint of vanilla.
