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Best Beach Perfume 2021 – Top 13 Beachy Fragrances

The smell and sounds of the water, sand under your feet and a blazing hot sun. The beach truly is something special. To make it even more special, we have reviewed the best beach perfumes – to help you find the one that fits you the best.

There are several reasons to why you’d need a perfume specific for beach days.

Mainly, the sun, water, sand and different smells affects the oils in your skin and the way you smell. Thus, you need a fragrance that can handle all of that.

Not to mention that vanilla and cinnamon rarely are good during summer time.

Your perfume should always reflect the season and occasion. Beach day is something very, very special and for that, we need extra care when picking a fragrance.

13 Best Beach Perfumes

To help you find the best beachy fragrance for you, we have gathered all the 13 best beach perfumes on the market today.

We have carefully reviewed and categorized every scent, to make it easier for you to identify your favorite-to-be.


1. Maison Margiela Beach Walk

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Sweet, coconut, yellow floral, musky
Keywords: Relaxing, pleasant, gentle, peaceful

Maison Margiela’s Beach Walk comes in an interesting flacon, particularly thanks to the label. The label appears similar to what you might find on a specimen bottle, except giving insight into the fragrance.

This fragrance comes from the Replica series, which is meant to evoke memories of a certain scenario. In this case, it’s a beach walk. The important part is how closely it can nail this.

The notes in this are unusual if that is the scent it is trying to replicate.

The top is lemon, bergamot, and pink pepper, for a generally sharp tone. Coconut milk, heliotrope, and ylang-ylang make up the heart, and musk, benzoin, and cedar, form the base.

We found that it definitely nails the scent that it goes for. The interesting thing is that it does this by smelling more like suntan lotion, which for most people, is very reminiscent of a beach.

The florals of ylang-ylang and heliotrope stick out more, with the top notes and coconut milk adding a gentle backdrop to that.

Performance is not fantastic and is just barely average, lasting about five hours on the skin. For the price, we’d expect something a bit more solid in that regard.

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2. Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Aromatic, salty, citrus, marine, musky
Keywords: Delicate, unisex, memorable, classic

Jo Malone scents always come in that classic understated bottle. We have no reservations there. It is a almost formal-looking addition to your perfume shelf.

This fragrance, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, was launched in 2014, making it a relatively new perfume. The inspiration for this was the scent of a British beach.

The notes in this aren’t broken down into tiers, but just looking at them, you can tell you’ll be getting a very ‘beachy’ fragrance.

This uses sea salt, seaweed, sage, ambrette, and grapefruit, to achieve its scent.

The scent is true to an evening on a shore, with a delicate crispness to it. There’s also that scent of salt that helps it nail the beach imagery perfectly.

This is a light scent, so it won’t dominate any spaces for you. This is better if you want some delicacy to your perfumes or if you’d prefer to layer.

Performance could be better, but we don’t think this is the kind of fragrance you wear to announce your presence. Also, don’t expect this to last more than just a couple of hours, or three at most. Jo Malone scents aren’t famous for their longevity and sillage.

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3. Tom Ford Soleil Blanc

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Coconut, white floral, sweet, amber
Keywords: Luxurious, elegant, rich, comforting

White and gold, that is a color combo that is a sure winner if you do it right, and Tom Ford does it right here. It is simple, but it hits all the right spots for us.

Soleil Blanc means ‘white sun’ in French. Think of those beautiful private islands where the sand is almost ivory and the sun is radiant but not harsh. That is what Tom Ford is going for here.

This unisex scent goes for aromatic choices in the top notes, with pink pepper, cardamom, bergamot, and pistachio playing their parts.

The middle is exclusively floral, thanks to tuberose, ylang-ylang, and jasmine. Then the base is formed with coconut, amber, tonka, and benzoin, for a distinctive sweetness.

This smells very luxurious. The beach is here thanks to the coconut, as well as the spices in the top and the lotion-like effect of the floral heart notes.

In terms of performance, this goes exceptionally when on clothes, for the whole workday. When it is on the skin, you’ll get just a little north of five hours.

Ultimately, this costs a lot of money, but it is an exquisite fragrance which is totally worth it.

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4. Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gioia

Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Aromatic, citrus, green, sweet
Keywords: Pleasant, casual, feminine, simple

One of our absolute favorite things about Acqua di Gioia is the cap. It is surely one of the most beautiful we’ve seen, thanks to that irregular shaping and the wavy, mineral finish. It looks like jasmine!

Acqua di Gioia means ‘water of joy’ in Italian. Sea aromas were the inspiration here, though with a seductive twist on them. This is a feminine fragrance which is meant to be independent yet natural.

Three perfumers came together to come up with this scent, using eight notes.

Amalfi lemon and mint give a sharp aromatic opening to the perfume, with the sweet floral flavors of jasmine and peony being backed up by the spice of pink pepper in the heart. At the base, Virginia cedar, labdanum, and brown sugar give a unique base.

This scent has a cooling freshness to it, which makes it perfect for summer days, and perfect for the beach. It is aquatic, but we wouldn’t say overwhelmingly so. It doesn’t hit that sea smell spot on.

Despite that, it is still amazing. But its longevity needs work, as it struggles to last anything more than four hours on the skin.

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5. Aerin Lauder – Hibiscus Palm

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Floral, tropical, coconut, white floral
Keywords: Expensive, tropical, elegant, sophisticated

There’s something exquisite about how this flacon is shaped, particularly the cap. The stalk is gold, coming up to a flat, circular base. And perched atop this is a beautiful stone-like piece.

Aerin Lauder Hibiscus Palm is a new feminine fragrance, having just launched in 2017. It is mostly floral in composition, though some other notes help give it variety for the summer.

The top of this fragrance makes use of hibiscus, ylang-ylang, and lotus, with palm leaf and ginger breaking up the floral flow. The middle is all flowers, with frangipani and white floral notes.

The base is the most distinct layer, with only vanilla adding to the florals, the other two notes being coconut milk and musk.

One thing that stands out clear to us here is how great the florals in this smell. It’s not only an attractive scent, but it smells realistic.

The floral notes dominate, but as it dries down, it gives way to a lighter more tropical fragrance. This is likely thanks to the coconut milk and ginger pairing with the floral scents as they cool down.

The scent is expensive, like classy tanning lotion. Longevity is excellent here, lasting half the day on the skin and sillage is equally impressive. You can smell this from over a meter away.

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6. Jones Beach Bond No 9

Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Musky, white floral, fresh, amber
Keywords: Unique, unisex, memorable

That’s an interesting shape for a bottle. But hey, we think anyone would find it to be a fun look.

Jones Beach is a unisex fragrance that only just launched in 2019. Young scents like this always have a lot to prove, so going in, we had high expectations for it.

It is simple as regards composition, but we never fully judge a fragrance based on the notes it uses. In fact, we like to see how well blended less notes can be.

On its own at the top is calone, an odorant with a ‘sea breeze’ smell to it. The middle is orange blossom alone. The base contains ambroxan, white musk, and violet.

There’s something very unique about this. The ambroxan gives it a skin-like scent with just a little bit of musk on it. Imagine someone who has sweat just a little bit at the beach. With the calone mixed in, that’s what it evokes for us.

With the florals added to it, those give the sun tan lotion feel to this, completing the beach aesthetic.

This is an unusual scent and we recognize that it might not be for everyone. It smells ‘human’ without losing that aquatic beach identity.

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7. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Caramel, vanilla, sweet, woody, nutty
Keywords: Simple, delicious, warm, inoffensive

For a summer scent that is bright yet sensual, Brazilian Crush is a choice that should be considered.

This is a feminine fragrance that puts together a lot of notes that you’re likely to want to have a taste of. Before we took a sniff of this, we hoped for something summery yet delicious.

The top is entirely nutty, with pistachio and almond making up that tier. These aren’t notes typically seen, so it is bound to be interesting.

The heart notes are floral, based on heliotrope and jasmine. The base is salt, caramel, vanilla, and sandalwood.

This is clearly a gourmand and it smells delicious, like baked goods. This is an interesting approach for a beach perfume, but it works very well. It is sweet and summery, and instead of trying to imitate the beach, compliments it.

This is an uncomplicated fragrance that has just average performance. It is hard to go wrong with this if you want a fragrance that simply smells good.

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8. Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Coco

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Vanilla, sweet, coconut, lactonic
Keywords: Rich, different, tropical, dessert-like, luxurious

There’s something luxurious about this. From its name to the labelling and bottle. It just seems like the kind of fragrance where you know you are about to smell something expensive.

Made all the way back in 2003, it is clear that the notes in this are going for a gourmand fragrance. In fact, that much is obvious considering only one of the notes is not edible.

The top notes are whipped cream, banana, and heliotrope. The middle is vanilla and coconut, while the base is vanille and coconut. Those ingredients would be enough to make fantastically sweet dessert.

Thank goodness that this smells just as good as the dessert that we imagined.

This is a mature tropical scent, thanks to the creamy sweetness of the vanilla mixed with coconut. It is unique in how it is blended, but most people should love it. We wouldn’t recommend it as a blind buy though.

This is a good beach perfume as it augments the beach experience. It’s not trying to be true to the scent of a beach with salt or an aquatic tone.

Performance, unfortunately, isn’t anything spectacular. It is just average, if not slightly below. For a few hours at the beach, it should suffice though. For a full work day, definitely not. At most, you’ll get six hours.

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9. Bobbi Brown Beach

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: White floral, sand, marine, aromatic
Keywords: Simple, nostalgic, pleasant

Bobbi Brown comes in a cylindrical bottle, with nothing wild to it. This might not be unique, but it looks great regardless.

The notes in this can’t get better if you’re looking for a perfume to remind you of the beach. It uses jasmine, mandarin orange, sand, and sea water to achieve its fragrance.

This is a fragrance for women and it manages to distinguish itself as that with just a few notes. Even better is how good a summer fragrance this is with just those same few notes. It also avoids mainstays of summer scents like coconut.

It goes for a suntan lotion fragrance, though very lightly so. The sea water in it gives an aquatic mix. Truth be told, despite the relative simplicity of the formulation, it is hard to describe this beyond ‘smells like beach’.

If you have had good times at the beach in the past, then this will bring those back. It will bring back that fun and that summer joy rushing back all with its scent.

Performance here is moderate, and some might say pretty good, in colder weather. Once it starts getting sweltering, it almost seems to disappear off your skin.

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10. Montale Intense Tiare

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: White floral, sweet, vanilla, coconut
Keywords: Feminine, dominant, gorgeous, sunny

From the house of Montale in Paris comes this unisex fragrance. The bottle is done in a chrome-finish and has a cool little pendant hanging near the top.

Florals dominate this summer scent, with rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vanilla, and the titular tiare flower. The only note that keeps away from flowers is the coconut.

This fragrance is amazing for the beach and for summer. The coconut adds the tropical vibes to this, while the flowers provide a summery sweetness to the entire mix.

The gender balance for this leans strongly feminine, so we were a bit surprised to see that Tiare is considered to be unisex. It is interesting to imagine how to pull it off on a man.

There’s a reason why this goes around with ‘Intense’ plastered to its name.

Performance on this scent is absolutely excellent. This is one of the best performing fragrances from this list. You’re getting over 10 hours on the skin, and you should expect this to fill a room out easily.

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11. Creed Virgin Island Water

Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Citrus, sweet, coconut, vanilla
Keywords: Expensive, tropical, exotic, unisex

Sometimes you want the scent of the beach, but you want it expensive. You want the scent of the beach of a tropical island, with all the associated opulence. Virgin Island Water is the way to go if that’s what you want.

The notes to this are clearly tropical, with coconut, lime, white bergamot, and Sicilian mandarin making up the top. All of those could go into a very delicious cocktail, we’d say.

The heart notes are ginger, ylang-ylang, Indian jasmine, and hibiscus. At the base is white rum (to complete the cocktail), and sugar cane and musk.

This fragrance is unisex, and we see pretty much anyone being able to pull it off superbly. As with pretty much all Creed fragrances, the asking price on this is high up.

Taking this in in the summer is enough to transport you to the clear waters of the Virgin Islands, drinking an expensive tropical drink.

This Creed fragrance performs nicely, casting a nice wide cloud of its perfume around you. The longevity is just above average, lasting over six hours on the skin. This can push through most of the day at work or on the beach.

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12. Paco Rabanne Olympea Aqua

Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Citrus, vanilla, amber, salty
Keywords: Sweet, refreshing, luxurious, feminine

Olympea is the feminine counterpart to Paco Rabanne’s famous Invictus line, and Olympea Aqua is the aquatic flanker to it. This fragrance came out in 2016.

Four different noses came together to form this scent, so it’s no surprise that there are a total of sixteen notes put together in this.

Water notes are prominent in the top, with the other four being citrus scents including orange and grapefruit.

The middle is mostly floral, with rose, jasmine, ginger flower, and orange blossom. Peach is the odd one out at the heart of the fragrance.

The base, like most bases, doesn’t have much congruency to it. Salt, ambergris, vanilla, and sandalwood are just some of the notes there.

The water notes and the salt come together to provide the smell of the sea. This gives the fragrance a freshness that makes it great for the summer.

The other notes, particularly vanilla, jasmine, and citrus, add on top of that for a characteristic sweetness.

Longevity is pretty good with Olympea Aqua, lasting about seven hours on the skin. Sillage is just a bit above average, so in terms of performance, there is little to expect with this.

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