The 12 Best Summer-Ready Colognes to Spritz When It's Warm Outside

Jo Malone's light, earthy fragrance might remind you of heavily pockmarked cliffs, driftwood, and salty sea air, but subtle notes of sage give it a herbal tinge.

There's nothing worse than a heavy fragrance in the middle of a heat wave. Clean Reserve always feels fresh and light, and its Solar Bloom scent incorporates notes of orange blossom to smell extra summer-appropriate.

Turns out, in the hands of the expert apothecarists at Malin+Goetz, cannabis actually makes for a hell of a cologne, and a surprisingly subtle one at that, too. 

Acqua di Parma fragrances often invoke the lush beaches and vegetation found on the coast of Italy as inspiration. Chinotto de Liguria is the label's latest citrus-inspired offering, bringing to mind leafy mandarin trees and early morning strolls on the beach.

Inspired by the scents of the Mediterranean coast, Tacit employs hints of citrus to accent notes typically found in a more classic cologne, making for a contemporary mix that's perfect for summer.  

Un Jardin sur le Nil incorporates vegetal scents like green mango, lotus, calamus, and sycamore wood to paint a lush olfactory picture of the island-gardens on the Nile. 

Tom Ford's private-blend Costa Azzurra fragrance also takes inspiration from the Mediterranean, and in particular the thickly forested areas of the region known as the macchia. Hints of salty beach air and driftwood mix comfortably with the smell of juniper and herbs for a scent that's earthy and refreshing. 

Maison Margiela’s Replica line is meant to bring you back in time and place and Sailing Day does that, and more. More specifically, the fragrance references a trip taken to the Greek Island of Paros with its hints of fresh marine notes mixed with coriander and seaweed essence. 

Summer fragrances need not all invoke sunny beachside scenes. Cowboy Grass references the American prairie with hints of rosewood, wild thyme, and bergamot, mixed with a touch of sagebrush and vetiver for good measure, to create an earthy composition that still feels summer-ready. 

Basically anything Byredo does works in the summertime, but Velvet Haze uses hints of coconut musk to conjure up all the happy associations of coconut-scented sunblock absent any of the stickiness. 

Diptyque's Eau De Minthé prominently features a particularly crisp mint in its top notes, with a healthy amount of floral scents mixed in, and base notes of patchouli for added depth.

Tamarindo smells less like the beach and more like the cocktails you drink lounging on the beach. It's tart, musky, and fresh, but with way more staying power than your average summer citrus. Notes of bergamot, cardamon, guancaste leaves, jasmine, and pineapple are a (polyamorous) marriage made in olfactory heaven.