Summer Perfumes for High Heat: Designer, Niche and Arabian Picks

Summer is coming, El Niño is coming, and it's going to be ridiculously hot. High, high, high temperatures. So I needed something light and refreshing for November, December and into January.

Full disclosure: I did this exact thing last year. I sat down, asked myself what I wanted for summer, and then went with dark roses and a heavy patchouli. Not summer friendly. At all. So this year I put the list together with the high heat in mind. Whether I actually stick to the list is a different story.

This was supposed to be a short list with 5 designer picks. Then I started reading, got overly excited, and it grew into designer, niche and Arabian options across five categories. There might be some overlap between categories, but bear with me.

One thing to note: my focus was refreshing scents for the heat, not longevity. I'm not touching how long any of these last. Not touching it. If something intrigues you, the longevity study is on you. Prices are roughly what I found in rand, give or take, depending on where you buy.

A lot of these are unisex, and here's how I feel about perfume: if you like it and you can rock it, rock it. Whoever it's advertised to. Do what makes you happy.

1. Aquatic and marine

Watery fragrances: think sea spray, ocean breeze, salty air and fresh water.

Designer

• Davidoff Cool Water Woman (about R1,400). Aquatic notes meant to remind you of an ocean breeze and cool sea water, with hints of fruit and woods.
• Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò Parfum (about R2,500). A woody, aquatic fresh scent with aromatic elements.
• Bvlgari Man Rain Essence (about R2,000). Oh guys. I added this one myself. I wouldn't mind owning it, but I also don't want to buy it for myself, so if I had a boyfriend (or a friend) who wore it, I wouldn't mind stealing it every now and then. It's a fresh, woody musk and the kind of clean I like: not soapy clean, fresh-shower clean.

Niche

• Maison Margiela Replica Sailing Day (about R3,000). Conjuring up memories of places is Replica's whole thing. This one puts you on a boat in open water, and if you've never been on a boat, it helps you imagine it.
• Tom Ford Oud Minérale (about R3,000). A woody marine scent blending rich oud with cold oceanic minerality and salty sea notes. Very intriguing. I would like to sniff that.
• Amouage Reflection Woman (about R8,000). Not oceanic as such, but lush green freshness like a spring morning, with a dewy, raindrop vibe.

Arabian

• Rasasi Hawas Atlantis (about R800). An aromatic marine fragrance with a mineral, salty heart and a bit of ginger. I wonder how close it is to Acqua di Giò, since it has that aromatic thing.
• Lattafa Khamrah Waha (about R800). Ha ha ha, I need to get this one. Everyone knows Khamrah. Probably everyone owns Khamrah. Waha takes that warm spiciness and adds an oceanic vibe for a "water in the desert" effect (waha apparently means oasis in Arabic). Cucumber, sage, sea salt and iris. It might lean masculine from what I've heard, but I'm willing to give it a shot, and if I have to, I'll layer some florals over it.

From this category, I'd buy the Lattafa, of course, and the one I'd want to own is Bvlgari Man Rain Essence. Amouage is Amouage, though. If someone gives me an R8,000 fragrance, I'm not going to complain. We'll see, we'll see, we'll see.

2. Fresh and green

Think crushed leaves, green stems and juicy vegetation: nature vibes. Most green perfumes tend to be unisex.

Designer

• Elizabeth Arden Green Tea (about R600). Meant to smell like a bright, chilled glass of citrus tea.
• Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil (about R1,500). Unisex, and evokes a botanical garden with river banks and lush vegetation.

Niche

• Nishane Wulong Cha (about R5,000). Guys, I want it. I want it. When I first heard about it I thought: just close your eyes and buy. My heart wants this, my soul wants this, my mind wants this. I'm sure my money wants this as well. It's a fresh, luxurious tea scent, described as the smell of a five-star hotel. I like white tea and some green teas, so I'm not opposed.
• Creed Green Irish Tweed (about R5,500). A classic fresh, clean scent with woody elements.

Arabian

• Afnan 9am Dive (about R800). Yet another fresh-out-of-the-shower clean. If it says shower, I'm safe. I feel like, okay, I can do this.
• Al Haramain L'Aventure Fraîche (about R800). A cool, spicy tea scent, maybe similar to Creed Silver Mountain Water. Afnan and Al Haramain tend to sit on the pricier side of Arabian perfume, but look out for specials. Around R700 is the cheapest I've seen.

3. Airy florals

Florals can get heavy, so here I wanted transparent, breezy florals, almost like the scent of flowers in the wind. A lot of these lean soapy clean, which is different from the shower clean I mentioned.

Designer

• Chanel Chance Eau Tendre (about R2,300). A soft, romantic fruity floral.
• Versace Pour Homme (about R1,900). A neroli aromatic fougère that is a bit soapy.

Niche

• Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis (about R4,300). A clean floral. In my head it smells like floral fabric softener, your Sta-soft or your Comfort, but make it luxurious.
• Byredo Inflorescence (about R3,600). Meant to mimic a spring garden with flowers covered in dew. I like that, and I was intrigued.

Arabian

• Afnan Supremacy Pink (about R900). Once again I struggled to find Arabian picks under R500, so forgive me, guys. An airy, romantic rose perfume with a bit of a spicy kick.
• Ajmal Sacrifice (about R500). Apparently similar to Mugler's Alien, but lighter and airier. Alien isn't exactly heavy, but it's not breezy either. This one has a watery jasmine with a musky dry-down.

This category was tricky: a lot of light summer florals are watery rather than airy.

4. Refreshing tropicals

Another tricky one. Tropical ingredients can lean heavy, so look for light and watery, and stay away from creaminess.

Designer

• Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream (about R1,000). I really like this one. An airy fruity floral with a "blue" effect. I googled it, and blue apparently means clean smelling. What kind of clean? No idea. Correct me if I'm wrong. But the blue and white bottle is very cute.
• Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau Paradise Garden (about R2,200). A woody, green aromatic meant to capture the essence of the tropics. The bottle is so pretty. Actually, let me not say pretty. It's gorgeous.

Niche

• Maison Margiela Replica Beach Walk (about R1,500). It has a note called Transluzone, which is supposed to give an ocean-breeze vibe. I found that on their site, so it must be true. It also has coconut milk, which is a bit cheeky because it can lean heavy, but I'm hoping that breezy note carries it.
• Goldfield & Banks Pacific Rock Moss (about R4,000). Inspired by the south coast of Australia: a breezy day by the ocean with aromatic notes. Its sibling Goldfield & Banks Pacific Rock Flower is watery with florals. I've smelled it on someone and oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, guys. Oh my gosh. Rock Flower leans unisex-feminine, Rock Moss unisex-masculine, I believe.

Arabian

• Lattafa Ana Abiyedh Coral (about R500). Juicy watermelon. I looked at this last year like, come on: summer, watermelon, juicy, do it. I didn't do it. But every time I search for a juicy, cool summer scent, this one comes up. It could be a sign.
• Lattafa Asad Zanzibar (about R500). I'd never heard of it until now. Sweet and tropical with some saltiness and a bit of spice. Interesting combinations; I hope it doesn't get heavy and humid like coastal places can.

5. Icy, minty and bitter citrus

The most interesting category for me, and the one I most want to sniff. I searched specifically for perfumes with an icy accord, which turned into minty and bitter citrus. I want something that, when I spray it on, feels like I poured cool water on my skin. Or at least gives me that illusion.

Designer

• Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia (about R2,500). The women's counterpart to Acqua di Giò: a sparkling aquatic floral with a cooling effect, which is exactly what I was looking for.
• YSL Y Iced Cologne (about R2,700). It has an ice note. Literally, an ice note. I need to find this one and sniff it. There's mint in the top, mint in the heart, maybe mint in the base. Mint on its own is cooling, and then they added ice, so it's definitely fulfilling the brief. It might just be a bit much. You need to enjoy mint to vibe with this one.

Niche

• Xerjoff Torino21 (about R4,000). A fresh aromatic, meant to smell like an ice-cold mint tea or a fancy mojito. Fragrantica lists vervain as a note, and I'm currently watching The Vampire Diaries, so obviously I chuckled. Wear this and no vamps will be compelling you.
• Parfums de Marly Sedley (about R5,000). A sparkly, cool mint that a lot of people compare to Sprite or 7Up.

Arabian

• Paris Corner Mawj Moscow Mule (about R500). A crisp take on the cocktail. Funny enough, I had a Moscow Mule at an industry event the other day. I'd just written about this perfume, so when I heard someone order one I was like, hey, I want that. It was non-alcoholic. I think people assumed I thought it was alcoholic. I didn't care. I'd read about the perfume.
• Lattafa Maahir Honor (about R500). Meant to be similar to Xerjoff Torino21 with its own twist.
• Lattafa Maahir Legacy (about R500). Meant to be similar to Parfums de Marly Sedley. If I want that Sprite vibe, I need to find a shop and sniff this one.

The one that got away

The most exciting perfume my research gave me was Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Coconut Fizz. I was so excited I started looking for it immediately, because I was like, this one I'm definitely getting. The bottle is pretty, and the notes and description were exactly what I wanted. Then it was nowhere to be found, only to discover it's discontinued.

What I'll probably end up with

Looking at the whole list, I might default to Lattafa Ana Abiyedh Coral and Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream (I know, I know, Marc Jacobs has a reputation for not lasting... Oops, I know I said I wouldn't mention longevity). If I could, I would get Byredo Inflorescence, and maybe Wulong Cha will land on my lap. I'll do a perfume purchases video for the second half of 2026, so we'll see which of these become real purchases.

There are quite a few options here, and I'm not sure which ones I'll actually end up with.

Thanks for making it all the way to the end of this ramble.