With plenty of warmth and vacation time still left to be enjoyed, our beauty team have shared the four fragrances that have accompanied them across the globe and scented every sunny day this summer.
When it comes to investing in one of the best long-lasting perfumes, sometimes selecting a blend based on the season you're in is a good way to go. After all, many of us like to switch out our warmer, woodier blends, for instance, for lighter notes that feel more reflective of the weather. Solar perfumes and fragrances that smell like suncream are always popular options, as are classic fruity perfumes and, of course, florals. If you're heading on holiday soonish though, and don't have the time to mooch around the fragrance counters or order discovery sets online, our beauty team have a handful of tried and tested suggestions.
Four, to be exact, all of which have accompanied them on many a sunny day in the UK and on trips across the pond, and have proven themselves to be long-lasting and quite the compliment-bringers.
The 4 holiday-ready scents our beauty team has been loving this summer
From woody-florals to radiant, suncream-y blends and even a modern twist on rose, there's something for every preference amongst our team's picks - and many of them are available in very handy travel sizes.
Fiona's summer holiday perfume
RRP: from 10ml for £20 | Notes: ylang ylang, vanilla bean extract, neroli, coconut water accord, petitgrain, jasmine and tuberose
Travel option: This scent is available in a handy 10ml for £20, which is actually the size Fiona has.
"In my ongoing effort to rebrand as a 'chilled' holidaymaker who never overpacks, I've boldly booked a week on the Côte d'Azur, boyfriend and pre-school son in tow, with zero checked luggage," says Digital Beauty Editor, Fiona McKim. "This means the criteria for my 2026 holiday perfume is 'small', followed by 'summery' and 'can withstand being trundled over cobbles in an overstuffed carry-on'. Et voilà: Charlotte Tilbury Joyphoria Eau de Parfum in dinky 10ml.
"This is a pleasingly old-school, beach-in-a-bottle kind of scent, all fleshy white flowers, sun-creamy coconut and a zip of neroli that nods to my Mediterranean destination. It also has the correct amount of lasting power for a holiday perfume. As in, it dries down to something that lingers, but won’t bother the nostrils of fellow diners at that nice little fish restaurant on the front - nothing more annoying, is there?"
Sennen's summer holiday perfume pick
RRP: from £175 for 30ml | Notes: bergamot, pink peppercorn, lychee, pear, Damascena rose, peony, white musks, vanilla and vetiver
Travel option: the 30ml is a good option for on-the-go, but the original Delina is also available in the trio travel set for £210.
In Digital Beauty Writer Sennen Prickett's case, a very chic French perfume has been a non-mover in her suitcase and on-the-go handbag: "The frosted bottled sister to the original Delina fragrance, Parfums de Marly’s Delina La Rosée is a lot lighter, fresher and boasts a romantic ethereal edge, making it a great choice for the sunnier days of summer. It’s a vibrant floral that remains delicate with its velvety white musk base, which is typically something I look for in all my fragrances.
"Aside from loving this gorgeously luminous scent myself, it's also gained me so many compliments from random strangers that I've passed in the street – which, in my books, is a sign of an excellent perfume."
Aleesha's summer perfume pick
RRP: £235 for 75ml | Notes: apple, pink pepper, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vanilla absolute, amyris, benzoin, labdanum, patchouli and sandalwood
Travel option: Alas, there's no travel-size of this exact scent, but Aleesha is also a fan of the best Diptyque perfumes, and you can grab a mini trio of the brand's summery scents for £70.
"Cap Camarat found me mid perfume-rut, when every bottle on my shelf suddenly felt like more of the same salty, citrusy summer scent I could recite in my sleep," says Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha Badkar. "I tried this new summer 2026 release on a whim, hoping for something that would shake things up a bit, and it did exactly that. It's soft and cosy, but summery in a quiet, understated way rather than shouting "beach holiday" at you the second you spray it. There's none of that in-your-face sunshine-in-a-bottle feel some summer scents lean on.
"I'll admit, spotting vanilla listed on the box made me a little wary; it's a note I usually can't stand. But here it's blended so seamlessly that you can't actually pick it out on its own; it just melts into everything else, creating one warm, rounded impression rather than a single element trying to steal the show. It's less "sun cream," more aged fine wine, the kind of scent that feels chic and considered rather than obvious. The special edition summery label was just a bonus."
Naomi's summer perfume pick
RRP: £225 for 50ml | Notes: white peach, rum, rose, ambrette seeds, papyrus and cedarwood
Travel option: You can nab it in a 7.5ml bottle for £45, which is still a little pricey, but it really is a glorious fragrance and a great size for travel.
"From Lisbon to Santorini, this warm, musky floral has been my constant companion this summer," says Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson. "Having worn it at the beginning of the season whilst visiting Portugal, I very quickly began to associate its radiantly sweet and softly spicy blend with sunny afternoons spent strolling through tiled streets, sipping on icy drinks and the overall balminess that summer brings. It layers juicy white peach with elegant rose, but it's far from your average rose perfume. Ambrette seeds, rum and cedarwood add this rich, almost creamy quality to it - notes you might typically reserve for the colder months, but balanced with those fruity-florals, the result is truly luminous.
"It makes my skin smell sun-warmed in a very expensive way, and speaking from experience, it pairs beautifully with the nostalgic smell of freshly applied suncream, too."
