It’s the unofficial start to the summer and it’s already looking like it’s going to be a HOT season this year. Why not upgrade some of your summer fragrances with some citrus-fresh options that really shine in the heat? Some of these that are listed below are citrus-based but not 100% citrus-forward. I’m also rating them on a scale of 1 – 5; 1 being the weakest citrus intensity and 5 being the strongest.
I’ve omitted my personally crowned “king of summer” scent because we’ve talked about it here before, but I think it deserves an honorable mention, and that is Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Forever. This fragrance had me from the first spray and I’ve been wearing it a lot during these warm summer months for a few years now and it never ceases to amaze me the number of compliments you get from this. Bright, citrus-heavy grapefruit and bergamot that stay with you from the opening all the way to the dry down is the epitome of citrus fragrances for me so far. Will there be a new contender for my top spot?
Dior Homme was a purchase I made a long time ago. Yes, I did purchase the new 2020 formulation and no, I'm not 100% sure what everyone talks about with the older formulations so I’m 100% keen on what’s current. I don’t really want to jump down a rabbit hole of owning multiple bottles of fragrances with different years, batch codes or formulations because I don’t really have the time to put towards keeping track of them all.
Dior Homme Sport was a no-brainer purchase for me because I really loved the iris in the Dior Homme 2020 version but wanted something fresher that I could wear in the summertime, so I picked this one up. The opening here is lemon and bergamot but for me I’m not really noticing it as strongly as I would have liked. It’s there, but briefly as that alcohol quickly dries and pink pepper, amber and woody notes quickly emerge. It’s a fresh fragrance and a good summer frag, but if I’m rating solely on citrus this one is the lowest ranked out of these 5.
I really would have liked this fragrance to have that citrus carry on throughout and really push forward. It’s still a go-to gym fragrance for me and now that summer is here it’s definitely back in my rotation as a daily driver. Give this one a shot if you haven’t already and see if your experience is any different.
Creed along with Tom Ford are quickly moving up to the top of the tier for me when it comes to fragrances that smell unique, get compliments, and have the endurance to last all day. It pains me to put a Creed fragrance at number 2 but…let me explain.
The opening in VIW is lime, white bergamot, and Sicilian mandarin. But there’s ONE note also in the opening that rules them all, and that’s coconut. Let me get this out of the way before I move on with the citrus aspects of this fragrance. I LOVE this fragrance. If you were to pick two fragrances to wear to the beach, I would tell you to pack two 10ml’s: one of Creed Virgin Island Water and one of Tom Ford Soleil de Feu. These fragrances to me are the epitome of summer in a bottle form and you should have one or the other in your collection.
The reason why these are SO perfect for summer is they both smell like what a beach already smells like: suntan lotion, salty air, and general happiness. But what VIW lacks is citrus. It’s there in the opening much like Dior Homme Sport, but then it’s gone because that coconut and gingery musk take over and yes, it does and will smell like suntan lotion but not in a bad way.
I would highly recommend getting a decant of this fragrance even though it’s so far down in my list. It’s truly a great scent that everyone should at least try this summer!
This fragrance has been slowly moving up in my collection as a solid go-to fragrance for mostly every occasion, season, or time of day. It’s one of those fragrances where you tell someone what it is, and they look perplexed because they’re just not sure who Missoni even is. Dior everyone knows, Creed you don’t really know of them until you start collecting, Versace everyone knows but Missoni is something of a mystery to most people.
I’ve let a few of my friends smell this before and it’s caused them to buy bottles of their own mostly because the price doesn’t match the fragrance…at all. It’s soooo inexpensive for such an amazing scent profile that is so unique and fresh and long-lasting and on and on.
We’re getting into more citrus concentration territory with Missoni Parfum but not quite there yet. Grapefruit and lemon are two of the top notes along with lavender and I feel as though these opening notes work very well together and also sort of seep into the mid and dry down a bit more than the previous two fragrances. Middle notes are ginger, apple and jasmine while the dry down is birch, oak, musk, sandalwood, and patchouli.
All of these notes in my opinion are all notes I look for in fragrances the most and this one just hits a homerun for me. Of course, you can’t have a fragrance have JUST woody smells in it, you need something fresh to liven those woody notes up and that’s why in most fragrances citrus is used to bring that freshness in. Missoni Parfum does a really good job of allowing that grapefruit and lemon to support the birch and other woody notes to create a fragrance that shouldn’t be slept on any longer. Its longevity is super long-lasting, and the projection is really good as well. Definitely give this one a try, I bet you’ll buy a full presentation.
At the beginning of my fragrance journey, I smelled this at a friend’s house and liked it but didn’t ever think I’d own it because my list of fragrances to buy was already so large that I never thought I’d see the day where I’d own a bottle. So, I did the next best thing, I bought a 10ml from Decant House because I wanted to own a piece of it in an amount that was comfortable to me but also wanted to get my high hitters first before now owning my own full presentation. 10ml fragrances are my go-to on fragrance that are next in line for my collection so that way I can wear it regularly without fear of running out quickly. Buying 10mls from Decant House is so easy and inexpensive it’s really a no-brainer for me.
Light Blue, the original was one that I had also smelled and actually liked more than Eau Intense for a short period of time but once I found out how bad the longevity was, I stayed away from the original and moved on to the next best thing. Since this is #4 in my list, I put this on my arm yesterday and spent some time outside in the 92 degree heat to do some testing. I can say with utmost certainty, the projection from this beast is amazing!
The top notes are grapefruit and Mandarin orange, but this fragrance also has notes of aquatics, juniper, musk and amberwood. The opening is harsh. I’ll say it even though it’s at #4 for me, I don’t like the opening one bit. It’s like they were trying to perfect that grapefruit opening like they eventually did in Light Blue Forever but swung on and missed on Eau Intense. The alcohol smell for the first 10 seconds for me is not very good but once you pass that….maaaan oh man is this one a banger.
I’d say that citrus lasts the longest so far and supporting the mid and dry down notes are perfectly done but what’s most important over anything is how that citrus works in the summer heat, which is what we’re all here for in the first place. As I mentioned, I wore it on a hot day and was outside for a few hours late afternoon and once my skin hit that summer heat it activated those notes, and this scent took off like a rocket. What was once a subtle lingering scent now turned into a scent beast once I stepped outside. This fragrance easily lasts all day and if you don’t have a 10ml bottle yet, go grab one. You will be amazed for sure!
Finally, we’re at the number 1 fragrance that’s actually number 5. This fragrance is from a house that holds a special place in my heart as a fragrance line that catered to the mature noses and didn’t use overly sweet notes in their fragrances. It was also the first fragrance I smelled where the only want to describe the scent was an “earthy, dirty orange scent”. Hermes’ Terre d’Hermes line is one that I’ve loved for a long time now and own all of their flankers excluding the now discontinued Eau Tres Fraiche which I covered last year about my disdain for that fragrance but quickly fell in love with its replacement – Eau Givree.
Top note is just citron. Nothing else. Middle notes are juniper berries and timur (grapefruit spice) and dry down notes are woody notes and mineral notes. If you want a dry citrus bomb that will literally last you all day and all night that is citrus-forward, look no further than Eau Givree.
Tres Fraiche has a scent profile that my nose didn’t agree with, and I think it was Hermes’ attempt to take that mature citrus scent that worked so well for them and attempt to make a younger more youthful version of it. For a time, it worked really well but they changed gears and switched over to Eau Givree instead. I’m happy they did because I feel as though Eau Givree has enough to cater to both the older AND younger generations. The citrus is bright, fresh, and sweet but not overly sweet that it overpowers the woody notes and mineral notes of the dry down. It’s not synthetic or harsh but is very pleasant and authentic.
Much like Eau Intense though, when you hit that summer sun this scent activates into an even bigger monster than before. The citron and timur really pack a one-two punch and elevate this fragrance to one that everyone around will smell and notice. I find that I don’t become anosmic as easily with this fragrance like I do with some other summer frags I’ve tested. That citrus just keeps on giving all day long.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it, 5 citrus fragrances that are sure to get you noticed this summer. Eau Givree is definitely my top pick out of these five and has the most citrus-forward approach over the rest. The others are really good summer fragrances as well and you should try them all if you haven’t already. Let me know in the comments below if there’s any that I missed for this list. Have you tried any of these above and have you had the same experience? I’m looking forward to the next blog where I’m hoping we’ll have some new products to review for you! Until then, have a good day and I’ll see you in the next one!
