Atreyee Poddar
Look, florals are lovely. They're also everywhere come summer — every drugstore cap, every hotel lobby diffuser, every third person on the subway. If you're floral-fatigued, good news: the fragrance world has plenty of other summer-appropriate lanes. Here are seven.
The OG summer alternative. Bergamot, grapefruit, yuzu, lemon — sharp, sunny, done in ten minutes (which, honestly, is the point). Reapply from a travel spray around 2pm and no one will judge you.
Sea salt, ozone, 'rained-on rock' — the scent equivalent of AC. If you want to smell like you just stepped off a boat and not like a garden, this is your lane.
Fig leaf, cut grass, tomato vine, galbanum. Crisp and slightly bitter-green, like walking through a garden without actually smelling the flowers in it. Underrated and criminally easy to wear.
Melon, coconut, mango, berry — think vacation and not dessert. Skews playful. Best worn with confidence and, ideally, sunglasses.
Basil, mint, rosemary, a whisper of lavender used as seasoning rather than the main event. Fresh with a savory edge — smells expensive without trying hard.
Cedar, driftwood, vetiver — kept airy, not dense. This is "clean" energy rather than "cozy November" energy. Great transitional pick if you're wood-curious but heat-averse.
Coconut, vanilla, tonka — but sheer, sunscreen-adjacent, nothing like a candle. The difference between a beach vacation and a bakery.