The 17 Best Summer Perfumes for Women in 2026, Vetted & Reviewed by Our Editors

I don’t think there’s a citrus fragrance more iconic than Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue. Launched in 2001, Light Blue was the brand’s very first fragrance, and it’s been garnering women from all over the world compliments ever since. Boasting notes of apple, Sicilian lemon and cedarwood, this Amalfi Coast-in-a-bottle eau de toilette earned former Beauty and Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario’s stamp of approval: “I've been hearing so much about the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue that I had to get a bottle for myself—and the reviews don't lie. It's literally like summer whipped into a luxury perfume. It has fruity and floral notes that are fresh, long-lasting and makes me want to book a flight to the Mediterranean,” she says. Candelario’s in-depth review of the beloved fragrance—with some handy layering tips—can be found here.

Fast Facts

• Top Notes: Sicilian lemon
• Middle Notes: granny smith apple
• Base Notes: cedarwood
• Fragrance Family: citrus
• Sizes: 0.33 oz, 1 oz, 1.7 oz, 3.3 oz, 5 oz (refill), 6.7 oz

Phlur's body mists are a godsend in summer heat, and this latest release is Executive Managing Editor Catrina Yohay's current spritzer: “When I need something a little lighter, I reach for this new Phlur body mist. It's bright and airy, but no less tropical thanks to notes like coconut, calamansi and ocean mist.” I'm sold.

• Top Notes: bergamot splash, calamansi, coconut
• Middle Notes: ocean mist, blue lavender, plumeria
• Base Notes: sandalwood, marine amber, skin musk
• Fragrance Family: solar
• Sizes: 3 oz, 8 oz

SEO Editor—and resident rose perfume enthusiast—Marissa Wu, swears by Diptyque’s Eau Rose and it’s been her signature fragrance for years. “As soon as I smelled Eau Rose, I knew it was the one. It’s a fresh, bright floral that’s a tad sweet—the top note is very green, and the artichoke notes come through.” Described as an “infusion of the loveliest roses,” Wu reports that Eau Rose is fresh, green and light, but also has good staying power. She continues, “The former has a citrus profile, while the latter is known for its green, honeyed notes. As the day wears on, the perfume settles into more of a sweet lychee scent.” Wu ranks the French perfume house’s best fragrances here, and shared that the brand’s fig-derived Philosykos, musky Fleur de Peau and woody Tam Dao are great summer picks as well.

Fast Facts

• Key Notes: roses damascena & centifolia, chamomille, litchi, artichoke
• Fragrance Family: floral
• Sizes: 2.5 oz

Don't sleep on Bath & Body Works wide range of affordable eau de parfums. VP of Editorial Content Candace Davison loves the brand's latest vanilla scent (with a salty twist) Coastal Dreaming. She writes, “It's a little sweeter and more subtle, combining salt, vanilla and woody notes. The mist is super fine, too, so it's refreshing to spray mid-day as a pick-me-up, especially on a balmy afternoon.”

• Key Notes: crushed sea salt, wave washed vanilla, warm driftwood
• Fragrance Family: fresh
• Sizes: 0.23 oz, 3.4 oz

True to its name, this parfum is the perfect fragrance to stow away in your suitcase (or carry on, since it clocks in at under 3.4 ounces) for your summer vacay. This pick is spot-on for anyone who loves smelling like sunscreen all season long, especially the Vacation classic lotion SPF 50. Candelario is a fan, and suggests both Vacation and After Sun as optimal summer perfumes. “Whether you reach for ‘Vacation’ or ‘After Sun,’ [both] will transport you to a sandy beach. It smells just like their sunscreen, so expect fruity notes (like coconut and pineapple), and yes, a hint of pool water.” You don’t want to leave this one—or the sunscreen—out of your beach bag.

Fast Facts

• Top Notes: coconut water, coconut milk, petitgrain essence
• Middle Notes: bergamot, solar musk, banana, pineapple
• Base Notes: pool water, swimsuit lycra, sea salt
• Fragrance Family: fresh
• Sizes: 1 oz

DedCool's line of milk fragrances are permanent staples in my summer perfume rotation. Each fragrance is designed to mingle with your natural scent rather than hiding it. If you want something that smells like your skin but better, my current everyday musk, Xtra Milk is the scent for you. It's fresh and soft, with a stronger projection than most skin-enhancing perfumes I've smelled. If you want something a bit more beachy, the oceanic Mineral Milk is essentially summer, bottled. It was one of my favorite spring launches and Davison is also a fan: “It combines two big trends right now—solar scents that evoke a feeling of warmth and marine notes—so one spritz, and I feel like I'm lounging on a boat on a breezy summer day. It's an instant mood-booster.” Even better? They layer together beautifully for the best fragrance combo.

• Key Notes: amber, bergamot, white musk
• Fragrance Family: sheer
• Sizes: 0.5 oz, 1.7 oz

A few mists of this cocktail-inspired fragrance, and I'm imagining myself relaxing somewhere on a tropical getaway sipping passionfruit margs as the sun sets. Fruity, boozy and a little smoky, the notes of this perfume blend together to give off a unique scent profile that's refreshingly tangy. As the fragrance lingers on my skin after some time, I can still get traces of tangerine, with some depth from the mezcal note. This perfume is a head-turner, for sure.

• Top Notes: passionfruit pulp, tangerine, neroli
• Middle Notes: mezcal, peach blossom, agave nectar
• Base Notes: white cedarwood, crisp amber
• Fragrance Family: fruity/woody
• Sizes: 0.33 oz, 1.7 oz

“I’m obsessed with the new Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc, which smells like the tropical island getaway I'm not taking this summer,” says former Senior Editor Dana Dickey. She notes that the eau de toilette is nice and light, which she likes because she’s not fond of heavy fragrances in the heat (same). Dickey adds, “This one smells like the beach, thanks to a coconut smell—which I usually find cloying, but here it's gorgeously balanced with a bit of spice, a bit of florals and bergamot and bitter orange. It's really sexy and relaxing.”

Fast Facts

• Key Notes: vert de bergamot, orange bitter, petitgrain bigarade, ylang-ylang, pistachio accord, coco de mer accord
• Fragrance Family: fresh
• Sizes: 0.33 oz, 1 oz, 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz

If you love Sol de Janiero’s Bum Bum cream and mist as much as we do, then you’ll love this concentrated, eau de parfum. The yellow-gold, disco ball-capped bottle is currently shining bright on my vanity, and its aroma and aesthetic make it worth buying. But I will also say, if you want an upgrade from the mist to something with more lasting power, this is where you’ll find it. A sweet gourmand meant to invoke the feeling of summer, it has the same notes of pistachio, salted caramel, golden sandalwood and warm vanilla.

Fast Facts

• Top Notes: pistachio, almond
• Middle Notes: heliotrope, jasmine petals
• Base Notes: vanilla, salted caramel, sandalwood
• Fragrance Family: gourmand
• Sizes: 0.27 oz, 1.7 oz

Newest to Glossier's fragrance family, You Soie is a soft solar reminiscent of late-night beach swims and feeling your toes in the sand. As someone who's tried all of the brand's eau de parfums, truthfully, this isn't my favorite. But it is a perfect summer scent, and ideally should be tucked away in your beach day bag. Even after a day of swimming, the rice milk's sweetness can stand out against the scents of sunscreen and salty ocean water on my skin. Have post-beach plans and need a quick refresh? A couple spritzes does just the trick.

Fast Facts

• Key Notes: rice milk, tiare water, ambrox, evening jasmine
• Fragrance Family: solar
• Sizes: o.27 oz, 1.7 oz

“One spritz of [this] body mist, and I’m mentally on a beach somewhere. The blend of ripe mango, star fruit, frangipani and vanilla orchid feels tropical without veering into sunscreen territory," says Fashion and Beauty Director Deena Campbell. Nest New York is one of the many brands to hop on the mango perfume train this season, with several of its top fragrance products available in this yummy aroma, including the long-lasting perfume oil.

• Key Notes: mango, sparkling star fruit, frangipani, vanilla orchid
• Fragrance Family: fruity
• Sizes: 4.23 oz

Parfums de Marly’s best-selling Valaya comes highly recommended from Candelario and Wu, even with its steep price tag. “Parfum de Marly’s Valaya is really good. If you're looking to splurge, consider this floral-musky combo. It has notes of bergamot, mandarin and sweet white peach, along with white flowers, musk, vanilla and vetiver. Plus, the bottle is stunning on my vanity,” says Candelario.

Wu recently put this musky perfume to the test alongside Delina, another popular fragrance from the brand. She writes, “What I most appreciate about Valaya is that it’s not overly sweet. The sugary notes are inherently fruity, derived from the white peach, and it plays well with the musks and other white flowers. Overall, it’s an elegant scent I want to spritz when I don my all-white summer outfits for sunset cocktail hours and evenings at the theater.” Valaya was her personal choice out of the two, and had a lot to say about its longevity, noting it even outperformed her signature Eau Rose. “Valaya, in particular, lasted an incredible 14 hours—which included a lingering on my skin after I had gotten out of the shower.” Talk about staying power.

Fast Facts

• Top Notes: bergamot, mandarin, white peach
• Middle Notes: orange flower, nympheal, vetiver
• Base Notes: akigalawood, ambrofix, musk
• Fragrance Family: fresh
• Sizes: 1 oz, 2.5 oz

Take the name of this fragrance at face value—it truly does smell like a fresh load of laundry after a rinse cycle. The top notes may seem fruity, but they come together to leave a dry down that smells like an expensive bubble bath you'd hate to run out of.

• Top Notes: guava, Anjou pear, lemon
• Middle Notes: musk flower, pink waterlily, cherry blossom
• Base Notes: sandalwood, liquid musk, vanilla bean
• Fragrance Family: fresh
• Sizes: 0.5 oz, 1.69 oz

Ellis Brooklyn makes some of the best summer-ready fragrances. My top pick this season is the brand's best-selling Miami Nectar. Pink pineapple, coconut water, vanilla—it's a summery gourmand that doesn't overpower your olfactory senses. The vibrant pool-water-colored glass bottle is also worth noting, which gives serious Miami Vice energy.

Fast Facts

• Top Notes: pink pineapple, palm leaves, coconut water
• Middle Notes: wild jasmine, plumeria, lily of the valley
• Base Notes: tree moss, salted woods, sweet amber woods, vanilla
• Fragrance Family: fruity
• Sizes: 0.34 oz, 1.7 oz

Noteworthy has a long list of summer-approved scents, but Crescendo is a personal favorite of Freelance Commerce Editor Natalie LaBarbera, even for year-round wear. “It's so unique and doesn't feel artificial at all (something that bothers me with a lot of perfumes). It's a bit floral but the sandalwood really stands out too!” Citrusy, flowery and woody to boot, Crescendo will have you singing its praises of elegance and freshness as you sport it during even the worst summer days.

Fast Facts

• Top Notes: bergamot oil, mandarin oil
• Middle Notes: pear blossom, peony, jasmine sambac
• Base Notes: sandalwood oil, vanilla
• Fragrance Family: floral
• Sizes: 0.27 oz, 0.54 oz, 3.30 oz

It's always a plus when someone stops you to ask about the scent you're wearing. That’s exactly what happened to Senior Commerce Editor Stephanie Maida after wearing this rhubarb-forward fragrance from Heretic. “I spritzed on a sampler of this while shopping a few weeks ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since. It's tart, citrusy and rebelliously complex. One of the most unique fragrances my nose has ever come across. I got my nails done a few hours later and the manicurist caught a whiff and was like 'What perfume are you wearing?' so I had to pull it up for her,” she raves. If this perfume sounds like a must-have, be prepared for compliments.

• Top Notes: grapefruit peel, cedar, angelica, thyme, verbena, carrot seed
• Middle Notes: rhubarb, pink jasmine, cypress
• Base Notes: elemi, oakmoss
• Fragrance Family: fruity/earthy
• Sizes: 1.7 oz

From Rihanna’s seductively sweet staple to Beyoncé’s warm-and-spicy signature scent, Kilian Paris has a range of top-shelf fragrances loved by many—including the stars. But to me, their most underrated offerings are the reimagined Eau Fraiche fragrances, crafted specifically for warmer weather. The original Princess, a dreamy blend of green tea, marshmallow and ginger—which smells like an edible cloud—has been my go-to for years with several empty bottles to prove it. But it’s not something I'd want to wear in 90-degree heat. Princess Eau Fraiche, however, still has that faint sweetness like the original, but the ginger note is swapped out for a lemon-tinged bergamot, making it fresh and light, rather than sweet and spicy. Trust me, this one deserves all the praise and more.

Fast Facts

• Key Notes: bergamot, green tea, marshmallow
• Fragrance Family: gourmand
• Sizes: 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz (refill)