Summer Scents: 18 Of The Best New Fragrances To Wear Now
Can you feel it? There’s a shift in the mood. It’s time to overhaul the cabinet: chuck out the empties and the flash-in-the-pans, and get rid of the ones that no longer serve. It’s time to elect a strong leader and move in a fresh direction.
Taste is subjective, so Ape would never dictate who to choose. Still, we can steer you towards our honest selection – guaranteed free from any snake oil, stinkers or false advertisers – of the very best candidates worthy of your vote. Usher in a new era with 18 quality scents that guarantee good vibes only.
BOSS Bottled Triumph Elixir
Timed to coincide with Euro 2024, BOSS has made a bet on Eduardo Camavinga, Phil Foden and Kai Havertz to score for BOSS Bottled Triumph Elixir.
Fresh and vibrant, this ambery-green fragrance is ostensibly made with just three ingredients: top notes of violet leaf and heart notes of vetiver essence layered over a base of patchouli essence.
Smooth and smokiness with a touch of sweetness and long projection, this unexpected scent hits the back of the net for us.
Montblanc Legend Blue
Montblanc, on the other hand, has opted for the more mature footballing hero, Zinédine Zidane, to put the ‘legend’ into its new scent, Blue.
The fragrance is a refreshing dive into spearmint and lavender, cedar wood and sandalwood, with depths of ambroxan and moss that would suit any occasion.
Acqua di Parma Crystal Incense
Looking for something with a little more depth? Acqua di Parma’s latest scent will take you to church. The central feature of Crystal Incense is olibanum, or frankincense, which is an aromatic resin derived from the Boswellia tree.
In this case, the notable olibanum is obtained via CO2 extraction, where the resin crystallises on contact with the air, preserving the essence in its purest form.
The packaging is decorated with gold brush strokes in a design by Central Saint Martins’ graduate Ellen Huynh, as part of Acqua di Parma’s collaboration with the prestigious London College for Creatives.
It is wrapped in Atlas cedarwood oil and cardamom and underscored by patchouli, benzoin Siam and musk. The spicy depths are lifted by the ginger oil in the opening notes, giving it a freshness to temper the earthiness—it’s a religious experience.
Buy now exclusively at Selfridges
Louis Vuitton LVERS
As Men’s Creative Director of Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams’ fingerprints are all over LVERS, a fragrance created with the house Master Perfumer, Jacques Cavallier. His brief? To bottle sunshine.
Cavallier turns the abstract into the olfactory, using green, earthy and smooth notes. It opens softly with galbanum and bergamot and lifts with a heart of ginger.
Grounded in cedarwood and creamy sandalwood and housed in prismatic glass, LVERS radiates warmth and positivity.
Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò Profundo
Dreaming of the ocean? Immerse yourself in the latest offering from Giorgio Armani, Acqua di Giò Profundo, composed by Alberto Morillas.
Master of the marine scent, some of Morillas’ greatest hits include the original CK One, Bvlgari Man and both Versace Pour Homme and Dylan Blue.
A deep love for the sea is evident in Profundo, which opens with fresh marine notes, zingy bergamot accord and lemon essence, violet leaf absolute and Saint Jean lavender in the heart notes, over an amber base of cistus absolute, patchouli, vetiver essence and a woody mineral accord.
This refreshing fougère conjures up salty skin, surf and sun, as worn by the campaign’s frontman, Aaron-Taylor Johnson.
Burberry Hero Parfum
A new parfum to intensify the Hero story, this woody, spicy number from Burberry plays on the original composition of Atlas, Virginian and Himalayan cedar wood, by adding layers of depth using notes of amyris (an intensely scented flowering citrus tree) and cypriol oil, which lends a woody, earthiness with a trace of spice.
Fresh and masculine, it has a moderate performance, so it won’t swamp your style or wilt in the heat.
Ferragamo Red Leather
Salvatore Ferragamo’s Red Leather is coming in hot for summer, with a spicy arrangement of ginger, vetiver and leather.
The opening fizz of Italian bergamot, mandarin pulp and fresh ginger gives way to a soft, green heart of jasmine absolute Egypt, orris ultimate and rosemary, revealing Haitian vetiver, soft leather and New Caledonia sandalwood in the dry down.
Light and leathery, with just enough spice, it’s a go-to everyday scent.
Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc Eau Intense
Embrace the inevitable wave of Wimbledon fever with fresh tennis whites in the form of Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc Eau Intense. L.12.12 is the name for the brand’s original piqué polo shirt style.
Blanc Eau Intense offers an energetic blend of mandarin orange, warming turmeric, lavender, cardamom and clary sage over a base of white leather, sandalwood and vetiver. This combination echoes the leather shoes, wooden racquets and clipped grass of the court.
It’s game, set and match for this summer scent.
Akro Smile
Comprised of three headline notes of bergamot, raspberry and musk, Smile does exactly what it says. This bright summer cocktail, which contains ambrette seed and sage, was originally composed by Olivier Cresp for his daughter, Anaïs.
In a bid to spread the vibes, Smile is now available to all. If you like fruity, upbeat fragrances, this one walks the careful line of not being overly sweet.
Fornasetti Giardino Segreto
The fragrance collection from Fornasetti is everything one would expect from the playful surrealist and design icon. The bottle is a work of art, with an octagonal shape, green malachite style cap, and the face of Lina, the house Tema e Variazoni motif, etched on the back.
Giardino Segreto matches the artistry on the outside with a lush, fruity green scent on the inside. Akin to wandering through a secret garden in full bloom, brushing past the rhubarb stalks, tomato leaves, blackcurrant and wild black raspberry in the top notes, walking through galbanum, petitgrain, geranium bourbon and carnation in the heart, over a base of opoponax, myrrh, sandalwood, ebony and agarwood.
It’s an immersive experience.
Montblanc Black Meisterstück
With our mixed summer weather in the UK, it’s easy to forget that the searing temperatures in the rest of the world often require something a little stronger than a floaty cologne.
Citrus and herbs might seem the default choice, but there’s always a yin to the yang. In this case, the Meisterstuck Collection from Montblanc is a refined set of scents that draw on the craftsmanship behind the famous writing instruments.
Black Meisterstück is a masterstroke of absolute incense, nutmeg and vetiver with a rich, inky signature.
Michael Kors Pour Homme
Marking a new era for Michael Kors fragrance, Pour Homme aims to serve the same jet-set aspirations as the New York-based fashion house.
Adorned with a hefty chain link, the men’s scent carries a marine theme, with top notes of bergamot, lavender and pink pepper, heart notes of geranium, sage and sea wave accord, with a dry down of patchouli, vetiver root and grey amber.
It’s got the warmth of the sun and the spray from of the sea – private yacht sold separately.
Rabanne Invictus Parfum
It’s an Olympic summer. While only the very few make it to the podium, there’s every chance you’ll get the opportunity to raise the Invictus cup.
Cast in gold and deep blue, the parfum edition of the ever-popular scent takes a darker, more intense route with fresh lavender, bright pink pepper and a hazy marine accord, a heart of sensual black soap, myrtle essence and violet leaf accord with final notes of cashmere, musk and sandalwood.
Soapy and aquatic, it’s a comfortable scent for everyday wear.
Hermés H24 Herbes Vives
There’s nothing like the reprieve offered by a shady tree when you’re trying to escape the punishing heat of the sun.
H24 Herbes Vives captures the cool greenery of a temperate wood using just three ingredients: herbal bouquet, pear granita and Physcool®, a high-tech molecule that lends a long-lasting cooling sensation.
It’s like carrying the feel of the forest wherever you go.
Jo Malone Orange Marmalade Cologne
Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and nothing brings joy like something we remember from our childhood. This limited edition Paddington collection from Jo Malone is for fans aged 9-99.
Orange Marmalade captures the Peruvian bear’s favourite sandwich filling, with bitter, zesty orange peel and sparkling orange biogarade in the heart notes, along with soft cashmere woods in the base.
Clad in red gingham, it’s juicy, woody and more-ish, like a summer picnic in a bottle.
Eight & Bob La Musique de Christie
From Eight & Bob’s luxury Les Extraits Collection, La Musique de Christie is inspired by the symphony of the open-air opera at Glyndebourne in Sussex.
Crafted with notes of Greek saffron, nutmeg, leather, patchouli, and moss over a musk base, like donning a tuxedo, it conjures a real sense of occasion with every spritz.
Prada Infusion de Gingembre
The style of Prada’s Les Infusions is to let the idea of the named ingredient take centre stage without hogging the limelight. Ginger has an appealing hot-cold quality, and in this scent, it’s overladen with thirst-quenching notes of green mandarin and wrapped around geranium and earthy vetiver.
Warm, spicy and woody, for a unisex scent, it leans masculine.
Ralph Lauren Polo 67
Preppy outfitter Ralph Lauren hopes to hit a home run with a new scent, Polo 67.
Sporty and youthful, it performs well. The opening features a fruity pineapple accord and Calabrian bergamot, followed by geranium and sage in the middle and vetiver, patchouli and sandalwood.
