If your heart is with the coast, this is your corner of the fresh family. Aquatic fragrances capture the crisp, cool sensation of a sea breeze – open, airy and instantly awakening. Here's what makes an aquatic, and how to find the one that's yours.
What do aquatic fragrances smell like?
Our aquatic fresh fragrances artfully blend salty accords, sea spray and delicate water lily. They capture that crisp, cool sensation of a coastal breeze, leaving you feeling instantly wide awake.
What's interesting about aquatics is that they're the most abstract of all fragrance styles. Water has no smell – so what perfumers are really capturing is the impression of water: salt on skin, damp air, wet stone, the mineral coolness just before rain. It's less a list of ingredients than an atmosphere, which is why aquatics feel so spacious compared with other fresh scents.
When should I wear an aquatic?
Summer and heat, above all – aquatics are one of the few styles that seem to get better the warmer it gets, staying crisp where richer fragrances turn heavy. They're excellent for travel and for any occasion where you want to feel clean and awake rather than perfumed. Daytime suits them best; their coolness can read as a little austere after dark.
How does aquatic differ from the other fresh scents?
The fresh family divides by where its freshness comes from. Aquatic draws on sea air and water accords, for cool openness. Citrus draws on fruit, for zest and brightness. Green draws on leaves and stems, for dewy crispness. Aromatic draws on herbs, going warmer and more daring.
Of the four, aquatic is the coolest and cleanest – the one to choose when you want a fragrance that feels like fresh air rather than a scent.
Discover our aquatic fragrances, or explore the full fresh family.