Katie Berohn
Got your sunscreen, new bikinis, and post-beach dinner outfits packed? Check, check, and check. Before heading to the airport, there’s one thing you’ll need before embarking on your island adventure—and that, my sand-lazing friend, is a good beachy perfume.
There's something about a beachy scent that's just so irresistible. I'll chalk it up to the fact that most sea-inspired scents have whimsical notes like citrus, tropical fruit, and salt—each accord swimming in harmony on a mainsail breeze. Good aquatic scents are somehow both splashy and subtle, alluring without being too sumptuous. In short, these bottles are fitting no matter if you’re headed for the seas or not, because each spray immediately puts you on island time.
Ahead, my 16 favorite scents to spritz at the beach (and the vacation spots they remind me of).
The Best Beachy Perfumes, at a Glance
- Best Overall: Maison Margiela Replica Beach Walk Eau de Toilette
- Best Splurge: Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc Eau de Toilette
- Best Budget: Sol de Janeiro Água Mística Hair and Body Fragrance Mist
- Best Coconut: Heretic Dirty Coconut Eau de Parfum
- Best Salty: Ellis Brooklyn Salt Eau de Parfum
Best Overall: Maison Margiela Replica Beach Walk Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Bergamot, heliotrope, coconut milk | Size: 0.34, 1, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Turks and Caicos
Beach Walk is the quintessential beachy fragrance. Fresh, solar, and bursting with bergamot and coconut milk, one whiff takes you to a lazy afternoon walking along the beach.
Customer review: “I can't stop spraying this on myself. The scent is both cool and comforting. Makes me feel like I'm back on a beach and the notes encapsulate sunblock, salty air, and of course, the water.”
Best Splurge: Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Coco de mer, ylang-ylang, bergamot flower | Size: 0.33, 1, 1.7, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: The Bahamas
Designed to make you feel like you're lounging on a private island, this tropical perfume delivers. Citrus keeps this scent crisp, while coco de mer, or sea coconut, offers a grounding warmth.
Customer review: “Tom Ford Eau De Soleil Blanc Eau De Toilette is a citrus scent that is bright, crisp, and refreshing. It is a vibrant twist on the floral amber warmth that mirrors the crystalline reflection of the white sun. It has an impressive longevity and you can still inhale its final touches long after sunset.”
Best Budget: Sol de Janeiro Água Mística Hair and Body Fragrance Mist
Key notes: Neroli water, tangerine, salt skin accord | Size: 3 oz.
Where to wear: Prainha Beach, Brazil
The perfect throw-on-and-go scent, Sol de Janeiro’s newly launched Água Mística hair-and-body mist is just begging for a spot in your beach bag. Its fresh, citrus-heavy scent is inspired by the iridescent seas of Brazilian beaches, inviting you into the water with its tropical siren song. Just a few spritzes will freshen your sandy skin and hair in seconds.
Customer review: “Such a fresh clean scent. Originally got it for my sister but when I tried it at the store I knew I had to get an extra one for me.”
Best Coconut: Heretic Dirty Coconut Eau de Parfum
Key notes: Cedar, vanillin, coconut, sandalwood | Size: 0.5, 1.7 oz.
Where to wear: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
If coconut and wood notes climbed into bed together, this elevated scent would be the vacation-ready outcome. Not too heady or overly sweet, the tropical fragrance of coconut meets its match in masculine sandalwood—making this the perfect perfume for someone who wants to wear this island-inspired scent everywhere, not just the beach.
Customer review: “I was totally surprised by this product. I had received a sample of it in an order and usually am not a fan of tropical/coconut type scents but this is the most elevated coconut scent you can imagine. So warm and fresh. Like you're being hugged by a coconut tree.”
Best Salty: Ellis Brooklyn Salt Eau de Parfum
Key notes: Ylang-ylang, Tahitian tiare, ambergris | Size: 0.34, 1.7, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Santorini, Greece
It wouldn't be a list of beachy perfumes without this scent from Ellis Brooklyn. This perfume encapsulates one of those long, dream-like beach days perfectly. It's a bottle full of salty skin, foamy waves, and golden sun.
Customer review: “I must say, I have never worn a marine accord before, but other accords were calling to me. I am an avid white flower girl: gardenia, tuberose, orange blossom flower, you get it. LOVE at first spritz! Well, needlessly to say I have found my new fragrance.”
Best Solar: Juliette Has a Gun Lust for Sun Eau de Parfum
Key notes: Ylang-ylang, coconut water, vanilla | Size: 0.25, 1.7, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Miami, Florida
Imagine a pool party: Flamingo floats dot the water, friends are strewn across lounge chairs (wearing their newest bikinis, of course), drinks are flowing, and the is sun beaming. Sunny, sassy, and a little sultry, Lust for Sun is the liquid version of summer’s most salacious swimwear-clad soirée. Fresh enough for daytime wear but mysterious enough for night, this scent will take you through the warm seasons seamlessly.
Customer review: “I find it to be a sophisticated take on a summer fragrance. It avoids being overly ‘beachy’ in a typical sunscreen-like way, instead offering a more refined and elegant experience. It lasts a long time and I always get compliments when I wear it! The scent is a nice balance of floral and creamy notes that I want to wear everyday!”
Best Marine: Maison Margiela Replica Sailing Day Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Aquatic accord, coriander, red seaweed | Size: 0.35, 1, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Montauk, New York
This scent is exactly what it sounds like. Clear blue water, sun-bleached sails, and ocean air. It smells like it should cost a lot more money than it does, which is something I can always appreciate in a fragrance. One spritz sends me to the furthest tip of Long Island, skimming atop the blue waters away from a hydrangea-lined coast.
Customer review: “I’ve owned Sailing Day for about two years now and I adore it! It’s my go-to summer scent. The aquatic notes almost play off an ozone note in the fragrance that makes it read very fresh and clean on the skin. It’s a delicious wet, salty and fresh scent that can easily be layered in the spring and summertime. I got the big bottle and I wear it daily 90+ days out of the year, the dent hasn't even reached the label.”
Best Perfume Oil: Orebella Salted Muse Parfum
Key notes: Sea salt, olive tree accord, lavender, sandalwood | Size: 0.25, 1.7, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Mykonos, Greece
Sultry and sea-deep, this marine scent is every bit as beautiful as its packaging. An intoxicating mixture of sea salt, lavender, and sandalwood swirls in a summer storm to create this sun-soaked fragrance, which wears even stronger on your skin than most due to its oil-based formula. A few shakes and a spritz leaves your skin glowing, anointed by an ethereal scent that whisks you away to the city of Atlantis.
Customer review: “Salted Muse is officially my signature androgynous scent, because it smells pretty feminine, with a masculine musk that appeals to my desire for balance between my two energies. When I left after trying the fragrance out at Ulta I felt as if I had an aquatic aura bursting out of me. I found myself looking up at the sunset colored sky with a renewed sense of ethereal confidence.”
Best Sunscreen: Vacation Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Coconut water, bergamot, solar musk, sea salt | Size: 1 oz.
Where to wear: Malibu, California
Transport yourself to the set of Baywatch with this perfume, which smells exactly like Vacation's sunscreen—widely known as one of the best-smelling sunscreens you can buy. It's lycra, pool water, and sunscreen wrapped into a perfume.
Customer review: “The best way I can describe this perfume: It reminds me of when I go on vacation, and I walk into the shops at the resorts. The doors are open, and you catch a breeze that picks up the ocean air, mixes it with the flowers and foliage outside, and hits the product scents in the shop, all mixed together. And when you get home you wish you could have bottled those scents into a fragrance!”
Best Luxury: Chanel Paris Riviera Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Sicilian orange, neroli, sandalwood, musk | Size: 1.7, 4.2 oz.
Where to wear: Côte d’Azur, the French Riviera
It’s as if Charli XCX’s “Everything Is Romantic” should start playing when you spritz this Chanel body spray. Inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s sprawling villa on the French Riviera, this scent bottles the notes of citrus fruits and blooming flowers that dance along the coastline’s breeze. Each spritz envelopes the skin in a ray of sun-soaked warmth that smells and feels as luxe as its brand name.
Customer review: “I love this for summer. Very light scent and you can spray it all over and will not overwhelm. A large bottle and it seems to be lasting a long time even though I spray it lavishly.”
Best Sultry: Loewe Paula's Ibiza Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Coconut water, galbanum, Madagascan mandarin oils, driftwood, frangipani flowers | Size: 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Ibiza, Spain
If all of these recs have felt too daytime for your taste, let’s kick things up a notch with this evening elixir that comes alive at night. Aquatic with a healthy dose of florals and amber, this sensual Loewe scent is perfect for the sun worshipper once the sun goes down. Notes of coconut, greens, and driftwood embrace the pulse points, making for an effortless day-to-night scent that wears beautifully under the sun but sparkles under the stars.
Customer review: “This is an unusual fragrance, and can definitely transport you to your summer vacation. I find it quite addictive...”
Best Floral: Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle Eau de Parfum
Key notes: Bergamot, honeysuckle, grapefruit | Size: 0.27, 1.7, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Positano, Italy
If you can't take a Mediterranean vacation, a spritz of this citrusy scent is the next best thing. It essentially lives where a citrus grove meets the shore—oceanic, airy, and floral.
Customer review: “A truly sparkling fragrance. The citrus keeps the honeysuckle from falling flat, the honeysuckle and gardenia keep the grapefruit from going sour. It's fresh, gorgeous and actually lasts! It layers gorgeously with Jo Malone Frangipani.”
Best Sweet: Kayali Mini Maui in a Bottle Eau de Parfum
Key notes: Sweet banana, coconut cream, jasmine | Size: 0.33 oz.
Where to wear: Maui, Hawaii
If you favor sugar-spun scents over anything, you’ll want to add this miniature bottle to your cart during your next beauty haul. This effervescent solar scent is the byproduct of sweet banana, coconut cream, and fresh notes of jasmine, offering a purely tropical aroma that transports any wearer to the white sand beaches of Maui in the span of a spritz. Plus, its miniature size is perfect for travel.
Customer review: “Maui in a Bottle is a nice fresh scent that isn't overpowering. [It] is a perfect summer scent, and I love how sweet and fruity it is without being too sweet. I love the mini size bottle, it's perfect for traveling and to carry in your purse so you can reapply when needed.”
Best Lemon: Armani Beauty Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum
Key notes: Jasmine, gardenia, warm woods | Size: 0.34, 1, 1.7, 3.4 oz.
Where to wear: Amalfi Coast, Italy
Acqua di Gioia is the perfume equivalent of sparkling, clear blue water on a cloud-free day. It's both refreshing and thrilling at the same time, with fragrance notes that transport you to an ideal day on the Italian coast.
Customer review: “I absolutely love this perfume! Acqua di Gioia is fresh, gorgeous, and the perfect choice for summer. The scent is refreshing yet elegant, making it ideal for warm weather. One of the best things about it is its longevity—I can smell it on my clothes for up to 12 hours, which is impressive.”
Best Citrus: Snif Citrus Circus Eau de Toilette
Key notes: Grapefruit, lime zest, cyclamen, white amber, atlas cedar, patchouli | Size: 1 oz.
Where to wear: Copacabana, Brazil
Not sour, but not overly sweet, this summer-in-a-bottle fragrance is the orange Creamsicle you bought off the boardwalk ice cream truck, its cold sweetness a welcome taste after a hot summer day. Snif’s elevated iteration of this nostalgic treat leans into the brightness of lime and grapefruit and grounds itself in woody notes of amber and cedar. Though playful, this fragrance is the perfect option for those who want something fruity-sweet without smelling childlike.
Customer review: “It starts off very citrus forward, namely oranges and tangelos, transitions through a complex but delicate floral blend, and then softens to a creamy white amber with hints of a vanilla so specific to a creamsicle. I say this with all of Snif's scents, but truly, get this. You won't regret it.”
Best Nostalgic: Bobbi Brown Beach Fragrance
Key notes: Jasmine, sea spray, mandarin | Size: 1.7 oz.
Where to wear: Palm Beach, Florida
It doesn't get more classically beachy than this boardwalk-inspired scent from Bobbi Brown. This perfume strikes the perfect balance of floral, sunscreen-y, and citrusy for an extremely wearable fragrance.
Customer review: “If you’re a big fan of the smell of sunscreen, then this is for you. My go-to perfume for the summer (and sometimes in the winter too when I need to remember what it feels like to be warm). This lasts all day, and I always get so many compliments.”
Which Notes Make a Perfume Beachy?
The perfect beachy perfume will smell like something different to everyone—some may associate the hydrangea blooms of the East Coast with summertime, while others might prefer the sunscreen scent that Vacation is famous for. But a few notes made repeat appearances, and you’ll find a handful of them in the list above.
- Coconut: It seems as if no tropical scent is complete without traces of this island fruit. This grounding, slightly sweet note can usually be found in the middle or base notes of your favorite beachy scents, including winners like Maison Margiela Replica’s Beach Walk and Kayali’s Maui in a Bottle.
- Salt: Reminiscent of the sea, salt is a recurring ingredient in many of our favorite beachy fragrances. From the salt skin accord in Sol de Janeiro’s Água Mística to sea salt being, well, the entire point of our Ellis Brooklyn pick, salt takes on many variations in our favorite marine-inspired beach perfumes.
- Citrus: Florals such as ylang-ylang, bergamot, and jasmine are repeat hits within the beach category, but nothing screams summer quite like citrus. From just a quick glance you’ll spot notes of grapefruit, neroli, and Sicilian orange littering our picks, with Chanel’s Paris Riviera and Snif’s Citrus Circus being two of the biggest offenders. If fresh scents are your beach jam, then you should look for citrus-forward scents when picking your perfect beach fragrance.
What to Look For
Aside from the right combination of notes, there are a few things you should keep in mind when shopping for your ideal beach vacation perfume.
- Formula: The most common type of “beach” perfume is often followed by the term “eau de toilette.” These fragrances are less potent than eau de parfums, which have a higher ingredient concentration and therefore offer stronger, longer-lasting scents. Another common formula is an oil-based fragrance, much like Orebella’s Salted Muse, which has a higher sillage than your typical spray perfume.
- Size: If you’re shopping for a beach perfume, you likely are about to hop on a plane to get to your sandy destination. (Or if you already live in paradise and are shopping for your new signature scent, well… I’m mad at you.) Before embarking on your sunny adventure, you’ll want to make sure your scent of choice comes in a TSA-friendly bottle, aka anything under 3.4 fluid ounces. Luckily, most of our picks are available in travel, 1-ounce, and 1.7-ounce sizes that comply with air travel regulations.
- Price: Fragrance can get expensive, and quickly—I get it. To appease a wide range of budgets, I pulled together a list of editor- and shopper-loved fragrances that range from $25 to $200 (ahem, Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc), with a median price of $110. However, there’s a handful of top-tier scents in this bunch that fall below the $100 line and smell like they cost triple.
Why Trust Us
Alyssa Brascia is an associate beauty editor atBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing with an extensive background in product testing, a large sector of her beauty collection belonging to her sprawling assortment of perfumes. From coconutty scents to orange-fresh fragrances, Brascia is a routine spritzer of beachy perfumes in futile attempts to take her mentally out of New York City and onto the white-sand beaches of Hawaii (or any tropical destination, really—she’s not picky).
For this piece, she took stock of her own collection, using an expert’s nose to decide which are and aren’t worthy of a winning slot, before doing a bit of research and seeing which are the newest, hottest beach perfumes on the scene—better yet, the ones that people actually like. From there, she decided on the 16 above, appeasing a range of budgets, offering options for different fragrance preferences, and giving suggestions of where to wear each perfume based on the vibe of each scent. (Or if you have a trip coming up for one of these locations, now you know which scent to bring along.)
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