Why do we love the smell of suncream so much, do you think? One whiff and we are taken to happy memories – or hopeful holidays in the near future. It’s time to relax, the waft seems to whisper; a warm, comforting bubble of feeling at one with the world.
The scent of suntan oil is so immediately evocative that numerous fragrances incorporate the notes (and the storytelling) into their perfumes. And it seems we simply can’t get enough of them! According to an article on thehealthy.com: ‘This scent’s positive effects are rooted in its association with stress-free vacation time, when you are typically more relaxed and happy than usual.’
Sometimes, in ascent that’s reminiscent of a a ‘suntan’ holiday moment, there might be ingredients added that also evoke the fluffy towel you’re lying on, or hint at the location in the world. Perhaps there’s a sense of a cocktail nearby, or the particular time of day (is the sun just dawning, is it mid-afternoon in a heatwave, or are we watching the sun set from a balcony?)
Whenever ‘sun-lotion’ notes in scent are referenced, we often see the usual suspects being suggested, but here we wanted to stray a little further into the fragrant genre, and present some perfumes you may not have considered in this category before. Wherever you want to be, these suntan-lotion-esque scents can take you there in a fragrant flash. SPF? In these cases that stands for Scent Perfume Fragrance…
DIOR La Collection Privé Eden-Roc
We rather suspect that Dior’s resident perfumer, François Demachy, enjoyed even more than usual his ‘research’ for this fragrance, a hymn to one of the world’s most legendary hotels, on the rocky shore of the Côte d’Azur. Flooded with sunlight, it’s cooled and ruffled by a salty breeze, revealing an accord reminiscent of nothing so much as expensive suntan oil, suffused with jasmine and a touch of coconut. Truly the stuff of holiday dreams.
From £130 for 40ml eau de parfum dior.com
4160 Tuesdays What I Did on my Holidays
We start with mote attainable destinations, via What I Did On My Holidays – the story of a day at the seaside, but this time it’s summer holidays in Scarborough or Brighton or St Anne’s, somewhere with an amusement arcade, mint rock shop and a candy floss stand. Suntan lotion and rock pools, in and out of the sea all day until the wind gets too strong, the waves are too high and you put your shorts and T-shirt back on, over your slightly damp cooling skin, and head for the café.
£65 for 50ml eau de parfum in our shop
Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up
Now we allow ourselves to dream of a scented destination somewhere more far flung. Close your eyes and imagine an impossibly perfect beach: warm sand, warm skin, an omnipresent hush of crystal waters massaging brightly coloured pebbles and your own deep, contented breaths. Sunny Side Up is all blissfully relaxed limbs glowing with the retro-smelling scent of suntan oil, the softness of the blanket beneath you and a waft of vanilla ice-cream on the breeze as the sun dips its toes in the ocean. Bliss in fragrant form!
£100 for 50ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com
Hollister Canyon Sky For Him
Bursting with optimism the brightness of the bottle is certainly reflected in this juicy composition by perfumer Linda Chinery. Sunshine-filled bergamot segues through vivacious redcurrant and piquant raspberry while the heart shimmies with orange blossom, peony, and sun-lotion-vibes of heliotrope. In the warm, woody trail we’re snuggling close to the sandalwood and musk, laced with praline. Picture a party-lover dancing in the desert from dusk ‘til dawn, bottled.
£23 for 100ml eau de parfum fragrance direct.co.uk
Soki London Aphrodite
An olfactory ode to the Goddess of love, this coconut/mango tropical dream is creamy enough to remind you of a milky sun lotion being smoothed into warm, bronzed skin, while the mango aspect feels like a cool, fruity cocktail sipped pool-side. Picture palm trees and the soothing sibilance of the sea lulling the senses as blossom-y lotus flower and the slight salty tang of the marine air cuts through the sweetness. A perfumed paradise for lovers of juicy scents and exotic escapes, for sure!
£75 for 50ml eau de parfum shop.sokilondon.com
Written by Suzy Nightingale