logo
This Beachy Ingredient Is the Secret to 2025's Most-Loved Summer Perfumes

This Beachy Ingredient Is the Secret to 2025's Most-Loved Summer Perfumes

Elle5 days ago
When I think of my favorite summer memories, long beach days and the scent of salty, sun-kissed skin come to mind—and it seems the fragrance world has caught on. Sea salt notes are trending for summer 2025, lending an aquatic touch to beachy florals and woody musks.
"Summer never gets old, and anything that makes us think of the ocean has the potential to bring joy," David Seth Moltz, perfumer and co-founder of D.S. & Durga, tells ELLE. While salt itself doesn't have a strong aroma, ozonic accords and musky notes like ambergris are often used to give perfumes a salty essence.
"Oceanic notes make perfumes smell more realistic," adds Moltz. Just like how salt enhances flavor in food, salty notes can amplify a fragrance's profile, adding a savory, skin-like quality.
From classics like Jo Malone's Wood Sage and Sea Salt to Glossier's buzzy You Fleur, I sniffed my way through dozens of sea salt perfumes—and tapped Moltz and ELLE editors—to determine which ones are truly worth the hype. Discover my edit below.
Tropical florals and marine notes are a match made in fragrance heaven in this bestselling Ellis Brooklyn perfume. Ylang ylang and tiare flower blend with salty vegan ambergris to create a summery scent that's anything but basic.
'Salt Eau de Parfum is the first day of a beach vacation," Ellis Brooklyn founder Bee Shapiro previously told ELLE. "You wake up early on your own, there's no one on the beach yet, and there's still that morning freshness in the air. It's such a unique fragrance because it's not playing on any oceanside perfume stereotypes. It's this gorgeous, sophisticated take on how the ocean makes us feel.'
Key notes: Ylang ylang, Tahitian tiare, ambergris
Sizes: 0.34-3.4 oz.
Want a subtle way to dip your toe into the sea salt perfume trend? The latest iteration of Glossier's cult-loved You is more summery than its predecessors, featuring sea salt accord and apricot skin atop musky ambrox base notes. Personally, I think it's even better than the original.
'This smells like sunshine and showering after a day in the ocean, without any of notes of sunscreen," adds Beauty Director Kathleen Hou. "It is a very soft fragrance that evokes the feeling of freshly laundered towels... It's very comforting and cozy and the quintessential girlhood scent—this generation's Marc Jacobs Daisy.'
Key notes: Apricot skin, osmanthus, sea salt, cashmeran
Sizes: 0.27-1.7 oz.
Rose Atlantic is an ode to Moltz's favorite summer destination: the New England coast. As a New England native myself, I can confirm this perfume smells just like the region's fragrant seaside roses mixed with salty ocean air. It also boasts impressive longevity and sillage—you'll only need a few sprays for this modern rose scent to linger all day.
Key notes: Lemon, rose, salt water, dune grass
Sizes: 0.33-3.4 oz.
On the hottest days, the last thing you want is a heavy fragrance. Enter this refreshing hair and body mist, lightly scented with honeysuckle, lily of the valley, and pink sea salt. It's designed to have an instant cooling effect—much like a welcome breeze.
"This scent is heavenly," raves one Amazon reviewer. "It's light yet floral and sweet with the perfect balance of salt air, so you smell so fresh when wearing it! This one will be a staple for me."
Key notes: Honeysuckle, muguet, pink sea salt
Size: 3.4 oz.
The original sea salt scent, Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt evokes crashing waves on rugged cliffs, blending earthy sage, sea salt, and musky ambrette. To me, it's the quintessential summer office fragrance: sophisticated and memorable, yet not overpowering. (Its eau de cologne formulation is less potent than an eau de parfum, making it ideal for those who prefer a more subtle fragrance.) I keep a bottle at my desk for a midday pick-me-up that won't give my coworkers a headache.
Key notes: Ambrette seeds, sea salt, sage
Sizes: o.3-3.4 oz.
Looking for a gourmand perfume that won't turn cloying in the summer heat? Consider Liis's Choux Choux, inspired by the fluffy French pastry of the same name. This irresistible scent features a sea salt note drawn from fleur de sel caramel, balanced by citrus peel, sandalwood, and creamy, lactonic aromas.
Key notes: Citrus peel, cream, fleur de sel caramel, sandalwood, vanilla
Size: 1.7 oz.
If you're a fan of aquatic, slightly soapy perfumes, Salt Air is worth a sniff. Combining driftwood, sea salt, cotton blossom, and water lily, it's a fresh-out-of-the-shower-skin scent that's as soothing as lapping waves.
'Every time I smell this fragrance, I feel like I should be driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible," says Beauty Editor Katie Berohn. "To me, this fragrance is Los Angeles in a bottle—vibrant, sexy, and a little unexpected.'
Key notes: Sea salt, seaweed, water lily, cotton blossom, driftwood
Sizes: 0.33-1.7 oz.
Made to mimic the scent of perfumed skin after a dip in the ocean, La Mar blends creamy coconut, salt water, jasmine, gardenia, and tuberose. While I haven't had the chance to try it just yet, it seems like the kind of intoxicating fragrance you'd wear while lounging in a private cabana at a five-star resort in the Maldives. Bonus: Its quartz-capped bottle easily doubles as decor.
"It's light and feminine, wearable enough for everyday and special enough for date night," notes one Bloomingdale's reviewer.
Key notes: Jasmine, sea water, tuberose, gardenia, coconut
Sizes: 1.3-2.5 oz.
Salt-forward fragrances ooze sex appeal, since they often evoke the scent of lightly sweaty skin. Described as a "savory skin musk," Eauso Vert's Salvia Salvia smells like humid air after a tropical thunderstorm.
"Salt and mineral accents along with Mexican herbs, like salvia and clary sage, make this scent stand out,' Hou adds. An earthy base of labdanum and ambermax give it depth and longevity, lingering well beyond the six-hour mark on my skin. It's complex but not overwhelming, making it ideal for year-round wear."
Key notes: Mexican green lime, sea salt, sage, labdanum
Size: 1.7 fl. oz.
"Salted Muse smells fresh and a little earthy (in a good way), like that first whiff of ocean air you breathe in on a beach day," says Commerce Editor Sarah Maberry. "There's something a little brine-y about it that makes you want to go back for another smell." If your signature cocktail is a dirty martini, this fig and olive tree-infused scent is a must-try.
Key notes: Sea salt, olive tree, cedar
Sizes: 0.33-3.4 fl. oz.
Like vanilla soft serve on a scorching afternoon, this fragrance mist is equal parts creamy and refreshing. At first spritz, it's pure nostalgic vanilla sugar, but it dries down to cozy sandalwood, keeping it from veering too saccharine.
It also happens to be one of the longest-lasting body mists I've ever tested. I love how it transforms on my skin throughout the day—I can still catch whiffs of it well into the evening.
Key notes: Vanilla, sea salt, sandalwood
Size: 8 fl oz.
After its collaboration with Chloe Sevigny, niche perfume brand Regime des Fleurs has stayed on my radar for its unique, evocative fragrances. Inspired by midnight beaches and bioluminescent surf, Nitesurf Neroli features a rare smoked seashell accord that makes it one of the most distinctive floral perfumes on the market. It's an ethereal scent I love reaching for on sultry summer nights.
Key notes: Neroli, salty mist, citrus, smoked seashells, ambroxan
Size: 2.5 oz.
David Seth Moltz is a perfumer and co-founder of D.S. & Durga.
Lauren Gruber is a seasoned commerce writer and editor with over four years of experience covering lifestyle topics, specializing in beauty and fragrance. For this roundup, she consulted a scent expert about the sea salt perfume trend and tapped her fellow editors for their recommendations. After conducting extensive research on the topic, she personally tested nearly every scent on this list to round up the 12 best sea salt perfumes.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Selena Gomez Reveals Her Surprising Dream Wedding Dessert for Upcoming Ceremony
Selena Gomez Reveals Her Surprising Dream Wedding Dessert for Upcoming Ceremony

Elle

time4 hours ago

  • Elle

Selena Gomez Reveals Her Surprising Dream Wedding Dessert for Upcoming Ceremony

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. THE RUNDOWN Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco got engaged in December 2024, but not yet revealed their wedding plan. Fans have been wanting to know more details about the upcoming event, and the Only Murder in the Building star finally shared some this week. On her Rare Beauty brand's TikTok account, Gomez shared some of her thoughts on the reception, saying she had some ideas for the dessert. Traditionally, a big wedding cake is expected, but Gomez has other dreams. 'My preferred dessert would be biscuits and gravy,' she shared. 'My Nana's biscuits and gravy. That sounds like dessert to me.' She also explained, 'Whenever that day comes, I do know I don't want a big cake. I think I'd want a mini one, for just us, that we can freeze.' Gomez previously discussed the first dance between the bride and groom on an episode of Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware, saying she was probably going to skip it. 'I don't think we're looking at having one of those 'cause they're a little—I feel embarrassed,' she said. But she was hoping to be escorted down the aisle by her grandfather. 'He never got a chance to walk my mom down the aisle,' she explained. 'I wanted to give [my grandfather] the opportunity to have that.' In July, Blanco discussed how planning is going on Jake Shane's podcast, Therapuss. The music producer said that they have both been so busy since the release of their album, I Said I Love You First. 'That's why we both need to chill,' Blanco explained. 'We've both been working so much. We got engaged, and then we were filming music videos for our album. Then it's holidays, then right after the holidays, we had to start all the promo for our stuff, do that. Then she left to film her show Only Murders [in the Building] and then I met her, then we hung out for a week, and then right after that, it's promo. And then I'm writing another book, so then I had to write a book, and then she came back for one day here. And then it was my birthday, and you know.' He continued, 'We're both working on so many things that we hadn't even had time to get into it, but we're so excited. I think this summer we're going to sit down and be like, 'Okay, what are we doing, hun?''

Here's What's Happening With AI Models Inside The Newest Issue Of Vogue
Here's What's Happening With AI Models Inside The Newest Issue Of Vogue

Yahoo

time19 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Here's What's Happening With AI Models Inside The Newest Issue Of Vogue

Earlier this week, TikTok user @lala4an posted a video with an observation about the August issue of Vogue. Inside, there was an ad for Guess's chevron dress, modeled by an otherwise unassuming (but, of course, gorgeous) blonde woman with a slim, hourglass figure. However, a look at the small print revealed something surprising: "Produced by Seraphinne Vallora on AI." Related: The revelation that AI models were inside the pages of Vogue quickly went viral, with the video amassing over 2 million views in three days. As the TikTok found its way across other platforms, much of the response was, in a word, negative. So, who is Seraphinne Vallora? Go on their Instagram, which has over 220k followers, and you'll see hundreds of smooth-skinned women with high cheekbones and plump lips (the caveat being that all of these images are AI-generated). In their own words, courtesy of their bio, "We design editorial level AI-driven marketing campaigns and cinematic videos. As seen in Elle, Grazia, Vogue, WSJ, FT, Harper's Bazaar." The real women behind the business, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, told me that they started making AI models because they were trying to create a jewelry brand and couldn't afford the real thing. Andreea recalled, "With us [being] designers and architects, we decided to use our skills to try to create our own models. We started to put our own jewelry that we were trying to sell into these AI models and campaigns. Essentially, other people saw this, it was a success, and they asked if we could do the same for them." As they saw it, there was a "huge gap in the market" for a "design-led" AI image company. Andreea said, "We started going viral, because nobody was doing this at the time, and that's how we grew our account. We grew the account organically." Related: The company has since been going for two years, comprising now of five people. Their page caught the attention of Paul Marciano, the co-founder of Guess, who sent them a DM. As Andreea put it, "Paul is a very fearless man. He's a trendsetter. So he decided, 'I like this, I want it.' Eventually, I really believe many other companies will go for this." Valentina said that they're the "first AI-driven campaign to be published worldwide," in 20 storefronts across Europe and an additional 30 magazines. I asked them why a brand like Guess, which has a presumably ample budget, would opt for AI. "When Paul hired us, he told us very clearly, 'I'm not looking to replace our models.' He wants to supplement, because they have so many product campaigns that can take a very, very long time to plan, so he can only do a few campaigns every year," she recalled. "Meanwhile, with AI, it could be faster. You don't need to arrange any traveling, you don't need permits. You don't need any of these to create beautiful images." Related: They both insist that their use of AI, rather than a layman's, is a form of art. Consider a comparison Valentina made: "It's no different to a random person taking a camera, that doesn't make them a photographer." Neither are they fans of the idea that the models, based on text inputs and "proprietary techniques," are easy to make. They deny that images of real people are used to make composites: "It's really not copying anyone's features. It's pretty much like imagination." Generally speaking, they'll provide mood boards to clients, sometimes working with photographers and in-person models to test poses and angles. Stylists will select the clothing and accessories. They showed me an example deck for a luxury brand, which said, "Together, we'll collaborate to bring your model to life. We begin by selecting the ideal body type, eye color, hair style, height, and other defining features that best represent your brand's identity." This is an example of what they'd send to a client — Saint Laurent does not appear to be a current client of theirs. "We invested so much in our technology, because we wanted it to look like a photo. What you see in Guess is amazing, but what we do now is even better," Andreea continued. This presents a potential issue: What if people don't know that the woman they're looking at is AI? She replied, "I do feel like if they don't realize it's digitally made, I don't feel like there's blame to be placed on us, because we do disclose it, the brands we work with do disclose it." Andreea notes that the Guess ads do have disclosures, but she doesn't think there will necessarily be a requirement to do so in the future. As she put it, "People are not familiar with it and people are scared of change. But once this becomes the new norm, I think whether companies decide to add it or not, it's not too relevant. The impact of it, whether you do it in AI or in a normal medium, will be the same if you get the same results." Related: Do they worry that the use of AI models will further an already unrealistic beauty standard? "We are not creating a new standard. The standard has always been there," Valentina responded. Andreea affirmed, "We're pretty much in line with the same standard that is set in the rest of the magazine. If I look at a magazine, I'm gonna be bombarded with 10 different supermodels. Because one is AI, it doesn't change anything." Initially, the women say that they featured more diverse body types and ethnicities on their Instagram pages — even men. But it was the "fantasy type" of woman that got them the most attention. Valentina said, "It's not even us, it's the public. If they loved the diversity, we would have flooded our Instagram with diversity." They can't tell me who they're currently speaking with, citing NDAs. However, there is another service that Seraphinne Vallora offers: AI twins of real-life models. As Valentina described, "For example, if you're a supermodel or a model, you might want to have a twin of you so you can take two jobs at the same time. If you're in China and Miami, either way, you can get an AI avatar that is identical to you. We literally get everything exactly the way you look. I'm talking details, pores, facial hair, everything, we get it to exact accuracy." This is a real image of Bella Hadid. If supermodels do wind up using their AI avatars, will they have to disclose it? Valentina replied, "It's their choice. We encourage them to." BuzzFeed has reached out to Guess for comment. Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:

Is Leah Williamson in a relationship?
Is Leah Williamson in a relationship?

Cosmopolitan

timea day ago

  • Cosmopolitan

Is Leah Williamson in a relationship?

Leah Williamson, footballer and captain of the England women's national team, has long sparked dating rumours with Elle Smith, an American model and former Miss USA winner. From sweet holiday snaps to celebrating her football wins together, the 28-year-old and her beau have somewhat soft-launched their relationship on Instagram over the last few months. However, from what we, and other social media sleuths (see: fans of the pair), can see, they're yet to actually make it 'official.' So, let's take a deep dive into their rumoured relationship, including some of the sweetest moments so far... Last month, Elle took to her Instagram to share snippets of her Majorcan holiday with her 127K followers. While many shots showed off her summer fits and stunning views of the Spanish island, a couple of pics saw the pair looking super loved up. Case in point: slide 3 caught Leah and Elle on a paddleboard together, while slide 17 saw Elle snap a candid pic of the footballer dressed up and heading out for dinner. Leah also posted snaps of the getaway — where they were celebrating Elle's birthday — which included a gorgeous photo of the pair at dinner. A selfie of the two was featured in the carousel too, which saw Leah and Elle sunkissed and smiling. Elle commented on the holiday roundup: "same time next year?" to which Leah responded: "yes please x." Err, cute. Back in May, Elle posted a black and white shot of her cuddling Leah, who was sitting on her lap. Leah was clutching a medal and wearing an England shirt following her team's 6-0 win against Portugal. The post also included footage of the match, in which Elle could be heard cheering on the team. Leah commented on the post: "We did it!" Even earlier in March, Elle posted a video of her and Leah floating in the ocean on a paddleboard. Leah appeared to be lying down and resting her head on Elle's legs, as they had a sweet, intimate chat. Elle accompanied the post with the caption: "happy birthday my love x." Leah responded with the cutest emojis: "🥰🤭🧜‍♀️." Interestingly, this Insta post sparked 'official' comments from fans, with one person writing: "The mother of hard launches!" Others said: "So happy for you!" while another person said they were the "cutest" together. Officially obsessed with these two.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store