Here are my five favorite French perfumes that I wear on repeat in summer and highly recommend! Summer is the season that requires the biggest shift in our beauty stash, from skincare and makeup to fragrances. It’s a wonderful opportunity to embrace scents that remind us of our favorite outdoor pastimes—days at the beach, vacations in exotic destinations, or quiet evening walks along the French Riviera.
Personally, in summer, I love vibrant, refreshing, and natural scents that blend freshness, sweetness, and a touch of sophistication. Think fragrances that combine citrus notes like grapefruit and bergamot, fruity notes like green mango, fig, and peach, with floral elements such as jasmine, peony, lotus, and hyacinth, along with grounding woody undertones like patchouli and fig tree. I’m always looking for fragrances that offer a refreshing escape in the heat of summer. I also love green notes like tomato, bulrush, and prickly pear.
So, if you’re looking for a new scent this summer, today’s article is a round-up of my five favorite French perfumes for the season ahead. I promise, these summer perfumes bring an air of holidays and faraway places. Bon voyage!
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- Un Jardin sur le Nil by Hermès is my absolute favorite summer perfume! Every summer, I return to this beautiful fragrance, which I’ve been wearing for over ten years. It’s incredibly fresh, with citrus, green, floral, and woody notes. The fragrance features green mango, lotus, calamus, and sycamore wood. It was created by my favorite perfumer, Jean-Claude Ellena <3.
- Diptyque Ilio (in limited edition) — To celebrate summer, Diptyque releases a limited-edition fragrance named Ilio each year around June or July. In Greek, “ilio” evokes the sun. The fragrance notes include iris, prickly pear, bergamot, and jasmine. I’ve loved this fragrance since its release! It beautifully captures the essence of the Mediterranean, bathed in light and scent. Ilio always reminds me of my summer vacations spent in Mykonos a few years ago. My partner loves it when I wear this fragrance and always says, “C’est le parfum du bonheur!” (it’s the scent of happiness!).
- Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Toilette was the first Diptyque perfume I fell in love with a few years ago. The smell is absolutely divine! It’s a soft, aromatic, and woody fig scent that is refreshing in summer. If you love the scent of fig, I’m sure you’ll adore this fragrance!
- L’Artisan Parfumeur À Fleur de Pêche is a beautiful fragrance I discovered at Le Printemps during a trip to Paris. I love this scent, especially since peach is my favorite fruit! It’s a fruity, floral, and woody blend that feels juicy and earthy. The fragrance notes include salty peach, jasmine, and patchouli. It’s on my wishlist of perfumes to add to my ever-growing collection. I cannot wait to wear it this summer!
- Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune is a gorgeous summer perfume! I discovered this scent thanks to my mother-in-law, who used to wear it, and I purchased it right away. It has a citrusy, fruity, and sweet aroma with notes of bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, blackcurrant bud, and patchouli. This fragrance reminds me of my last vacation in Seville, Spain, where the sunsets are orange and the air is sweet.
Et voilà! I hope this helps you choose your signature scent for summer. Please feel free to share any perfumes you love for the summer season in the comments below. Merci!
Great selections and I’ve tried the Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil (liked it) but I love Nuxe Prodigieux le perfum for the summer. Love your blogs, keep up the good work 🙂
I love Nuxe Prodigieux’s perfume as well 🙂 Thank you very much Monica for your lovely comment <3
Good afternoon Leonce, your bulletins are just a joy both visually and to read. So, thank you and please keep them coming! In regards, to the fragrances in this post, I have both of the hermes scents (Jardin sur …) and, much as I do love them, they don’t last on my skin. I was wondering if you might have some hints and tips that you know of and use to lengthen the life of the scent on one’s skin. Thank you for any advice you might have to share!
Bonjour Katherine, thank you very much for your comment. I’m glad to hear that you love both Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil and Un Jardin sur la Lagune perfumes! Both are Eau de toilette. An Eau de toilette is generally lighter and fresher but less lasting, as it contains less fragrance oil than an Eau de parfum.
Also, a fragrance reacts to heat, so in order to make your perfume last longer, I’ll recommend applying your perfume to your pulse points: the nape of your neck, and insides of your elbows, wrists (or even the back of your knees). Finally, you can spray fragrance onto your hairbrush and brush it through your hair, or you can use a hair mist.
Voilà! I hope this will help you 🙂
Have a lovely day, xo
Bonjour! I am so excited to visit France this summer with my husband. I have been learning a little Parisian french in preparation. I HAVE ENJOYED YOUR ARTICLES ABOUT SUMMER FASHION AS I BEGIN TO PACK, IT HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL. THANK YOU FOR WRITING YOUR BLOG.
Bonjour Leonce – what a little discovery this blog/site is, done with flair and elegance. I am looking forward to trying some new summer fragrances, I would not have known about them until you described them here. I have already tried Hermes Un Jardine sur la Nil, this is one of my favourite summer scents – to me it is very green and lovely but agree it doesn’t last very long – I put a small amount in my hair and for me this helps it last! I have also tried the Dior portofino and enjoy that one a lot. Thank you for this blog, it is a gem.
Bonjour Grace, Thank you so very much for your comment!
Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil is one my ultimate favorite fragrance! If you like this fragrance, I recommend Diptyque Ilio (a floral and fruity fragrance that will transport you to sunny Greece), Diptyque Philosykos (an aromatic green fragrance all about the fig), and all others Hermès Jardins (de Monsieur Li, Après la Mousson, Sur la Lagune, Sur le Toit, en Méditerranée).
I just recently bought the Chanel Les Eaux Paris-Venise eau de toilette for the summer and am loving it! I’d seen that new range in a different post you’d made, so tried it out last time I was at Nordstrom (I’m in California) – a difficult choice between Venise and Paris, it is a great new line, with options I think for all seasons.
I love Chanel N°5 L’Eau as well as the Caudalie Fleur de Vignes and Thé de Vignes. I put the Caudalie in the fridge for a cooling spritz. The Caudalie fragrances are light, airy and perfect for hot humid weather. The Chanel N°5 L’Eau reminds me of Monet’s Giverny water gardens paintings.
Thank you for your lovely comment Gail <3 I definitely need to try Chanel N°5 L’Eau after reading your recommendation :). Putting the Caudalie fragrances in the fridge is such a great idea! Merci!