Is there any scent more cheerful and uplifting than that of a freshly cut lemon? I can’t think of any, which is why I try to surround myself with lemon-scented everything during the dreary months of February and March. Just one whiff of a citrus candle, shower gel, or perfume is enough to remind me that winter isn’t endless and that spring is just around the corner.
The following are six of my favorite lemon-scented perfumes. Let me know what you think of my picks, and leave me the names of your own in the comments section below.
Fresh Sugar Lemon
If you’re the type who loves nothing more than a glass of sweet lemonade on a hot afternoon, then you absolutely need to track down a bottle of Fresh’s Sugar Lemon. This perfume opens with a burst of sour, freshly-squeezed lemon and settles into sugary lemonade after an hour or two of wear. This is a fragrance for true lemon lovers only. The notes in Sugar Lemon are of Italian bergamot, yuzu, mandarin, lychee flower, orange blossom, ginger, oak, caramel, and santal.
Demeter Fragrance Library Lemon Meringue
This is the perfect perfume for the lemon fan on a budget. The best way to describe Lemon Meringue would be to say that it smells like lemon cream: it’s citrusy but not at all bitter or overly sugary. This scent is also available as a shower gel, body oil, and room spray (click here if you want to check out the prices on those items).
Chanel Chance Eau FraÎche
If you’re on the hunt for a woodsy, lemon-infused fragrance, look no further than Chanel’s Chance Eau FraÎche. This is a sophisticated and timeless scent with great sillage—one or two spritzes will last you all day. Eau FraÎche would be a great choice for fans of light, airy, and green perfumes. The notes in this fragrance are of lemon, cedar, pink pepper, hyacinth, jasmine, teak wood, iris, amber, patchouli, vetiver, and white musk.
Victoria’s Secret Lemon Iris
I tried to resist Victoria’s Secret perfume for a long time, but I have to admit: their stuff is good. Lemon Iris is no exception—it’s a really pretty and sexy blend of citrus and florals. The notes in this scent are of lemon, bergamot, blue iris, rose water, white vetiver, musk, and cedarwood.
Versace Eros Pour Femme
Eros is one of those scents that I’d buy just to display the bottle on my nightstand. This is a good perfume for floral lovers who want to dip their toes in the world of citrus scents. Eros opens with a burst of lemon, which dries down quickly into musky white flowers. The notes in this fragrance are of lemon, bergamot, pomegranate, lemon flower, sambac jasmine, peony, sandalwood, amber, and musk.
Diptyque Oyédo
Have you ever seen an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Gigi and Bella Hadid’s mother, Yolanda, is one of the stars, and in many of the episodes, she can be seen clipping lemons off of the trees in her orchard (as the Pacific Ocean glitters in the background). If I had to bottle the scent of that image—a woman pruning her lemon trees in a villa by the sea—Oyédo is the perfume I would hope to create. It’s fresh, it’s sparkling, it’s ever-so-slightly aquatic, and it’s insanely citrusy. The notes in Oyédo are of lime, mandarin orange, lemon, yuzu, taramind, thyme, and wood.
(Photo: Instagram & Pinterest)
