Summer 2022 Perfume Series: 12 Best Aquatic Perfumes

Hey guys! Happy mid-August and P.S. how is that even possible?? Blink and it will be Christmas – there’s already Halloween candy and pumpkin spice k-cups at the grocery store! But for now, it’s in the 90’s around my house and I’m still here for the refreshing summer perfumes. Today we’re all about aquatic fragrances!

The perfumes in this week’s list can be described as clean, fresh, aquatic, watery, and sea salty. You’ll see a lot of the same notes listed again and again but while the genre is similar, these fragrances definitely each have their own vibe going on. The fragrances here tend to be quite unisex and/or masculine-leaning so there’s lots of good options for the fellas today!

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt

• Top Notes: ambrette seeds
• Middle Notes: sea salt
• Base Notes: sage
• Other Notes Perceived: grapefruit, seaweed

This refreshing fragrance is a staple in many folks’ fragrance collections for good reason. It is so fresh, clean, and refined. It opens with the beautiful, herbal sage which quickly blends into the other notes perfectly. I get plenty of sea salt, a clean musky feel from the ambrette, and a beautiful woodsy impression. It also has a feeling of clean minerals and reminds me of the feeling of being pampered at an expensive spa!

Definitely unisex and this is THE perfect summer daytime/office fragrance – clean, fresh, inoffensive. Projection is on the lighter side and performance is decent for a Jo Malone fragrance; they tend towards colognes which are lighter concentrations and usually not as long-lasting. I do tend to get a solid 4+ hours from this one. If you like clean and minimalistic fragrances like D&G’s Light Blue and JHAG’s Not a Perfume, this will be in your wheelhouse. Read my review of more Jo Malone fragrances here.

Find it here:

Wood Sage & Sea Salt – 30ml, 50ml, 100ml (at Jo Malone)

Wood Sage & Sea Salt – entire line (at Jo Malone)

Wood Sage & Sea Salt – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants (at Scent Split)

Wood Sage & Sea Salt 9ml, 30ml, 100ml (at Macy’s)

Wood Sage & Sea Salt – entire line (at Macy’s)

Wood Sage & Sea Salt – 8ml decants, 100ml, 100ml unboxed (at FragranceNet)

My favorite Swedish Dream Sea Salt candle by Kalastyle – 10oz (at Amazon)

BDK Parfums Sel D’Argent

• Top Notes: essence of Italian bergamot, grapefruit, salted accord
• Middle Notes: Tunisian orange blossom absolute, Madagascar ylang-ylang essence, Iranian galbanum essence
• Base Notes: ambroxan, cashmeran, timbersilk (Iso E Super variation; ambery, velvety, woody, dry), white musk

This fragrance, which translates to ‘silver salt,’ was an instant love for me! It opens with a beautiful citrus combo of grapefruit and bergamot and a boatload of sea salt. The clean, musky ambroxan quickly joins in along with some pretty floral mid-notes. Finally, the woodsy base notes complete the clean, refreshing feel. Salty, clean, citrusy, and fresh, this is an ideal fragrance for a hot day.

This truly unisex fragrance also strikes the perfect balance between masculine and feminine and works for everyone. My husband & I both love and wear this. This one’s admittedly more of a special treat if you decide to spring for a full bottle but guys, it’s really nice. If you can’t swing a full bottle, may I suggest a decant for a more doable price? Both options listed below.

Find it here:

Sel D’Argent – 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Sel D’Argent – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants & 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Goldfield & Banks Pacific Rock Moss

• Top Notes: Australian coastal moss, Italian lemon
• Middle Notes: French sage, Egyptian geranium
• Base Note: Virginia cedarwood

This popular top seller from Australia’s Goldfield & Banks is citrus aquatic perfection. This fragrance opens with lots of bright lemon and earthy moss. I get the impressions of an aquatic sea breeze as the sage enters the picture. There’s also tons of cedarwood that helps add to the clean and refreshing feel.

This beachy scent is another great unisex choice that smells good on everybody. There’s maybe a teeny-tiny masculine lean but I, personally, would definitely wear this. Projection is typical for a citrus freshie, on the lighter side, but it has great longevity for me and lasts for hours. Read my review of the Goldfield & Banks line here.

Find it here:

Pacific Rock Moss – 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Pacific Rock Moss – 50ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Pacific Rock Moss – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants & 50ml, 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Pacific Rock Moss – 50ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Pacific Rock Moss – 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Maison Margiela Replica Bubble Bath

• Top Notes: soap bubbles accord, pink pepper, bergamot
• Middle Notes: rose super-essence, lavender, jasmine
• Base Notes: coconut, patchouli, white musks

This perfume could not be more accurately named; the star of the show here is definitely the ‘soap bubbles accord.’ This fragrance perfectly captures the clean, soapy feel of a bubble bath. There’s also a LOT of musk here. I have tried this fragrance several times and have never been able to pick up the coconut, which is so disappointing because it’s one of my favorite notes and I think it would be really interesting combined with everything else here. Overall, the feeling of this fragrance is soapy, slightly musky, and lightly white floral/lavender.

Definitely unisex but the prominent musk and lavender notes nudge this one a tad towards the masculine side of things. Decent projection and lasts about 3 hours for me before really fading. Pro-tip: if, like me, you find yourself a bit disappointed that the coconut note isn’t really that noticeable, try layering it with one of my many coconut fragrance recommendations here to give it that extra little tropical oomph. Read my review of more Replica fragrances here.

Find it here:

Bubble Bath – 1ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Bubble Bath – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants & 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Bubble Bath – 30ml, 100ml (at Macy’s)

Bubble Bath – 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Bubble Bath – 100ml (at FragranceNet)

Bubble Bath – 160g candle (at ZGO Perfumery)

Bubble Bath – 185ml room diffuser (at ZGO Perfumery)

Maison Tahité Officine Creative Profumi Sel_Vanille

• Top Notes: sage
• Middle Notes: jasmine, aquatic notes, marine notes
• Base Notes: vanilla, cedarwood

My fellow vanilla lovers, there’s even an aquatic fragrance for us! This unique scent is like a cross between the Wood Sage & Sea Salt mentioned above and vanilla saltwater taffy. Looking at the notes, it’s easy to see that this scent does, indeed, have much in common with WS&SS. I get lots of sage and sea notes as it opens with the vanilla hanging out quietly in the background. The clean cedar appears as the fragrance dries down. There’s almost a licorice-like vibe here, too, which is really interesting.

Another unisex fragrance with a slight masculine lean. The projection and sillage are decent. This is also long-lasting, I always get at least a good 6+ hours of wear from it. This high-quality and interesting fragrance has a very unique combination of notes that I don’t come across very often and I don’t really have anything else quite like it in my collection.

Find it here:

Sel_Vanille – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants (at Scent Split)

Sel_Vanille – 2ml sample, 100ml (at Lucky Scent)

Skylar Isle Escape (previously known as Isle)

• Top Notes: bergamot, orange mist, fresh quince
• Middle Notes: cardamom, peony caress, ginger root
• Base Notes: sandalwood, subtle musk, golden amber
• Other Notes Perceived: sea notes

If you long for the feeling of ocean breezes in your everyday life, this is the fragrance for you. It opens with tons of tart citrus and spicy cardamom. As it dries down, I get ginger, some watery florals, and the impressions of a gentle, salty sea breeze. The sandalwood brings to mind some worn driftwood you’d find on the seashore. This refreshing fragrance perfectly captures the essence of saltwater and sea breezes.

Also worth mentioning is Skylar’s other beachy/aquatic fragrance, Salt Air. With notes of Italian bergamot, sea salt, seaweed, cotton blossom, water lily, cyclamen, drift wood, vanilla, and musk, it smells exactly like what the name suggests. It brings to mind the tangy smell of the sea right before a storm’s about to brew. Salty, clean, woodsy, and a great choice if you love the smell of a rainy day at the beach.

Both fragrances are easily unisex. Projection is fair and I get a good couple of hours of regular wear before they fade to a skin scent. Read my review of more Skylar fragrances here.

Find it here:

Isle Escape – 10ml travel rollerball, 50ml (at Skylar)

Isle Escape – 10ml travel rollerball (at Macy’s)

Isle Escape – 50ml (at Macy’s)

Salt Air – 10ml travel rollerball, 50ml (at Skylar)

Salt Air – 10ml travel rollerball (at Macy’s)

Salt Air – 50ml (at Macy’s)

Imaginary Authors Every Storm a Serenade

• Top Notes: Baltic sea mist, eucalyptus
• Middle Notes: vetiver, Calone (a synthetic note composed to reproduce the light, airy and aqueous feel of watermelon/melon)
• Base Notes: ambergris, Danish spruce

This deep, woodsy/aquatic fragrance is chock full of eucalyptus, spruce, vetiver, and sea notes. Definitely all of the notes mentioned are well-represented here. This decidedly masculine scent is woodsy, fresh, and has tons of clean aftershavey vibes. I’m sticking with my earlier assessment of this fragrance: perfect for an ‘outdoorsy dude’ who equally loves his mountain-skiing and water-skiing.

Performance is the typical great quality of Imaginary Authors’ fragrances; it both projects and lasts well. Read my review of several other Imaginary Authors fragrances here. I have another I.A. sampler waiting in the wings to be reviewed soon so stay tuned!

Find it here:

Every Storm a Serenade – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants & 50ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Every Storm a Serenade – 15ml travel-spray (at the Imaginary Authors’ Amazon store)

Every Storm a Serenade – 50ml (at the Imaginary Authors’ Amazon store)

Anthropologie Nostalgia Eau de Parfum Beach Trip

• Top Note: spicy cardamom
• Middle Note: ylang-ylang
• Base Note: coconut
• Other Notes Perceived: sand, sea notes, cotton

The feel of this more feminine-leaning aquatic is fresh, clean, and lightly tropical. I definitely get all of the listed notes; it’s a beautiful combo of the tropical ylang and coconut with a light touch of cardamom. It has a bit of cottony, fresh laundry feel. It also gives off a ‘refreshing morning stroll on the beach’ vibe, with hints of sand and light marine air, along with the floral and clean feel.

As mentioned above, this fragrance has a feminine lean, in fact, I think it’s the only truly feminine-leaning fragrance on this list. This affordable line from Anthropologie is great for those who prefer lighter fragrances and don’t want to overwhelm themselves or others with their perfume. It has pretty light projection for the first hour or two and then fades to a skin scent for at least another 2-3 hours.

Find it here:

Beach Trip – 30ml (at Anthropologie – be sure to select ‘Beach Trip’ from the scent options)

Dolce & Gabbana Anthology Le Bateleur 1

• Top Notes: juniper berries, cardamom, birch
• Middle Notes: water notes, coriander
• Base Notes: Virginia cedar, vetiver, olibanum

‘Le Bateleur’ translates to a juggler or magician in French. This fresh, masculine-targeted fragrance successfully juggles notes of juniper, birch, spicy cardamom, and coriander for a pleasant, crowd-pleasing aquatic. The dry down features cedar and an ever-so-slightly sweet olibanum resin. A classic aquatic, the overall feel is fresh, clean, and slightly woodsy.

This one is on the lighter side and very safe for office wear. Though this fragrance was originally marketed to men, anyone who loves aquatic fragrances could absolutely wear this. When I tested it on my own skin, it was like having my favorite Sea Salt candle (shown above) with me all day. Unfortunately, this is a discontinued fragrance but I can still usually find it at Amazon or the discounters and I’ve linked to that below.

Find it here:

Le Bateleur 1 – 100ml (at Amazon)

Jusbox Feel ‘N’ Chill

• Top Notes: bergamot, watermelon
• Middle Notes: coconut water, fig leaves
• Base Notes: vetiver, musks
• Other Notes Perceived: cardamom, pine needles, amber

Guys, this next one is from a house with SUCH a cool concept! Jusbox, a fragrance offshoot brand under design house CoSTUME NATIONAL, combines my two top loves: perfume and music! Music and perfume can each bring back intense memories, so it makes sense to partner them up! The name itself is a play on the word Jukebox; perfume is often referred to as ‘jus’ (juice). Each scent by the house is matched up with a musical inspiration. This particular fragrance is inspired by a mellow reggae groove. The super cool bottles and packaging also cleverly follow along with the musical theme and feature caps that are shaped like little records.

This fresh fragrance opens with lots of bergamot and fig. A warm, spicy feel (I think it’s cardamom?) quickly joins in, along with a touch of coconut and some woodsy vibes. There’s so many interesting notes here and I definitely sense them all. The inspiration here is of sipping a mojito while listing to a mellow reggae groove and I think they’ve captured that feeling perfectly. This high-quality fragrance performs well and is admittedly priced on the higher side but well worth it for a unique niche fragrance that will get you into the groove.

Find it here:

Feel ‘N’ Chill – 1.5ml decants, 78ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Maison Margiela Replica Sailing Day

• Top Notes: aquatic accord, aldehydes accord, juniper pure jungle essence
• Middle Notes: coriander EO, iris absolute, rose super-essence
• Base Notes: red seaweed pure jungle essence, ambergris accord, Orcanox (100% upcycled synthetic note extracted from clary sage; has an indulgent woody scent with musky and powdery tones)
• Other Notes Perceived: red pepper, Amyl Salicylate (a fresh, fruity, floral, green fragrance reminiscent of unripe banana), cedar, amberwood

Although I’ve already listed one scent from Maison Margiela’s Replica line, no aquatic fragrance list would be complete without this one. Sailing Day is the quintessential classic aquatic fragrance. It opens super fresh and ozonic with aldehyde and sea accords. The juniper is clean and crisp. There’s a musky vibe from the Orcanox and seaweed accord. I also get a lot of spice from the coriander and there’s got to be a pepper of some kind here, as well. As it dries down, I get a soapy, clean laundry vibe.

The projection is not wild here, I’d say it’s on the lighter side and I usually get about 2-3 hours of longevity. This masculine-leaning fragrance is clean, fresh, and bracing. If you love aquatics, you cannot go wrong with this one. Read my review of more Replica fragrances here.

Find it here:

Sailing Day – 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants & 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Sailing Day – 30ml, 100ml (at Macy’s)

Sailing Day – 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Sailing Day – 8ml decants, 30ml, 100ml (at FragranceNet)

Zoologist Seahorse

• Top Notes: Guatemalan cardamom, fennel, ambrette absolute
• Middle Notes: clary sage, tuberose, neroli
• Base Notes: algae absolute, vetiver, ambergris accord

Ending this list with a bang! For my more adventurous fragrance-seekers, I give you: Zoologist’s Seahorse. Ok, I have to talk about this unique niche house for a hot minute! Zoologist is a super creative Canadian fragrance house with an incredibly cool vibe and gorgeous, vintage-style aesthetics. Each fragrance is named for a different animal. At Zoologist, they truly love everything about animals and their notes are always responsibly sourced, never animal-derived, and completely cruelty-free. My favorite fragrance of theirs is the delicious Bee, an addictive honey bomb.

As is the norm with Zoologist fragrances, this extrait de parfum is chock full of strong and unique notes and won’t be for everyone. Full disclosure: it’s definitely a bit much for me! But I wanted to feature it here anyway because A) it’s super interesting, high-quality, and unique and 2) I think this perfume house is so cool and creative. The fragrance opens with aromatic cardamom (which we’ve seen a lot here today!) and fennel (which I don’t think I’ve EVER seen in another fragrance!) They have created the algae accord so accurately that if I close my eyes, I instantly feel like I’m exploring sea stars in a tidepool. It really is incredibly impressive! Fragrances from this unconventional house do not come cheap but if you’re looking for an aquatic that’s truly unique, artistic, unusual, and that no one else will be wearing, this is the one!

Find it here:

Seahorse – 1.5ml spray sample (at Zoologist)

Seahorse 10ml travel-spray (at Zoologist)

Seahorse – 60ml (at Zoologist)

Seahorse – 1ml decant, 60ml (at Lucky Scent)

Shower Gels to Pair With These Fragrances

If you’re like me and like to layer your perfumes with similar body products, I’ve got a couple of shower gels that pair perfectly with the aquatic fragrances listed here:

• Summertime Surf, with notes of vanilla breeze, sea salt sands, and sunny coconut
• Midnight Swim, with notes of blue waters, beach flower, fresh coastal air

Both of these fragrances have a lovely, fresh, aquatic vibe that will instantly transport you to the beach!

So there’s my picks for the best beachy aquatic fragrances! Even though this is admittedly NOT my go-to genre, there’s still plenty of gems to be found, as evidenced here with this extensive list. How do you feel about aquatic fragrances? Do you reach for them in the summer or maybe even year-round? Share your thoughts with me in the comments! 🌊⛵🐠⛱🏊‍♀️🐳

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