When it comes to the scents I wear in the depths of summer I gravitate towards those that remind me of my youth in Florida. I would spend my days on the beach covered in suntan lotion eating an orange. This means my favorite scents are aquatic, reminiscent of suntan oil, and smell of citrus.

 

 

My favorite aquatic fragrance comes from Beth Terry and her Beth Terry Creative Universe label. Mare has only three listed notes; sea salt, avocado, and ginger lily. What is astonishing to me is those three notes combine to make the most evocative marine fragrance I’ve encountered. The interplay of the briny sea salt and the almost oily avocado seem to be the perpetrators of this fragrant sleight-of-hand because the ginger lily floats spicy and floral around the marine accord. Mare is that fragrance I wear when the temperature reaches higher than 90 because it refreshes me like no other fragrance I own.

 

 

Because of my youth surrounded by those who worship the sun I like the smell of suntan lotion. From the earliest suntan oil fragrance,  Jean Patou Chaldee; to the more modern duo of Bond No. 9 Fire Island and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. I’ve smelled all of these fragrances as their suntan lotion realities and enjoy wearing them on a hot day.

 

The fragrance that really takes me back to the beach, (and is my favorite for summer), is CB I Hate Perfume At The Beach 1966. Christopher Brosius created two special accords for this fragrance; Coppertone 1967 and North Atlantic. Coppertone 1967 smells just like the Coppertone suntan lotion combined with the deep marine accord of North Atlantic; this is a fragrance which makes me almost feel as if I can hear the waves crashing on the shore.

 

If Coppertone doesn’t float your metaphorical boat but you want a beach of a more continental variety I can also suggest another of Mr. Brosius’ creations; M. Hulot’s Holiday. In this fragrance, the Coppertone is replaced, mostly, with an old leather suitcase accord. Both conjure up a day on the beach beautifully.

 

 

Finally I turn to my favorite citrus fragrance and this is a difficult choice because there are so many good choices out there. When all is said and done and I am reflexively reaching for a citrus fragrance the one my hand falls on most often is Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums Bigarade Concentree by Jean-Claude Ellena. M. Ellena has used citrus in many fragrances but it is this one for Frederic Malle which captures the whole citrus experience for me. M. Ellena combines the green of the leaves,  the tartness of the rind, and finishes at the sweet pulpy center.

 

 

Bigarade Concentree feels like liquid sunshine to me and that seems like an appropriate thing to wear on the sunniest days of the year.

 

So grab yourself an orange, put on your sunscreen and join me on the beach this summer. All it requires is a spritz.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

 

Editor's note:  The  art of Winslow Homer, born in Boston,  who moved to California and Florida and traveled to Europe seemed perfect for our Sommetroman.

My top three to come, and ironically one is by Beth Terry. Beth has told me privately that she will be  pursuing other passions outside the fragrance industry. 

Her 'shoppe closes' August 31, 2010. When  I was a publicist for luckyscent Mare was on the top pick; it still is. Stock up now, before like the boys of summer,  its gone.

Related links: 

My 2009 interview with Jean Claude Ellena https://cafleurebon.com//rewind-the-perfume-of-the-wind-interview-with-jean-claude-ellena/ 

2007  interview with Christopher Brosius https://cafleurebon.com//flashbackinterview-with-christopher-brosius-of-cb-i-hate-perfume-does-he-or-doesnt-he/

Reviews by  Mark :

Michel Roudnitska's Noir Epices for Frederic Malle https://cafleurebon.com//noir-epices-michel-roudnitska%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cmaster-epice%e2%80%9d/ 

Metamorphisis #4 Room with a View by  CB I hate perfume https://cafleurebon.com//cb-i-hate-perfume-room-with-a-view-metamorphis-4/