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Suntan fragrances hark back to more innocent times, when factor 8, 6 – or even 2! – oil seemed like a perfectly responsible course of action for a Brit on a fortnight’s Teletext holiday to Crete. Modern tributes draw on common olfactory themes in retro tanning oils, from warm vanilla and coconut to salt, citrus fruits, sexy amber and tropical flowers such as tiaré and frangipani. My favourites of the genre are either affordable or at least relatively inexpensive, because while I’m disgruntled by many fragrance prices these days, there’s something particularly offensive about a three-figure scent got up to smell like Ambre Solaire.
In case I haven’t already raved enough about French pharmacy perfumers Roger & Gallet, here’s more. Vanille Soleil (£20 for 30ml), is the latest in the lineup and continues their tradition for considered, high-quality and very wearable scents at an excellent price point. What we have here is a comforting, only delicately sweet vanilla, warm, mellow amber and a gentle blend of jasmine and ylang-ylang. A crunch of sea salt enlivens the whole thing. This is a sunny, cheerful and charming scent that can be spritzed on lavishly without guilt or fear of offending.
The most famous, and perhaps unbeatable tribute to suntan lotion is Estée Lauder’s Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent (£58 for 50ml) – not to be confused with the eau de parfum, very different and not as lovely. Also check out their newer Bronze Goddess Nuit (£70 for 50ml), which adds an almost creamy, woody note and more musk to the beauty of the original. If you like the original, I think you’ll appreciate this sexier night-time version.
Cos’s new fragrance line is strong and Solaire is a highlight (don’t be repelled by the £75 price – the 100ml bottle is two or three times the typical size). Less Bounty ice-cream, more spiced rum and driftwood, its holiday sun-lounger glow still shines through. It also lasts terrifically well for a high-street scent.
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Nivea Sun (£31.60 for 30ml), is the wonderful smell of Nivea sun lotion spray-bottled, and it’s addictive. It works alone, but also layers very nicely under something punchier, and gives a powdery, inviting feel.
Demeter’s Fragrance Library is a vast selection of deliberately literal fragrances mimicking beloved smells (dirt, baby powder, glue and petrichor – that earthy smell you get when rain falls on dry ground – are all exactly as you’d hope). Their Suntan Lotion (£19 for 1oz) smells specifically of the old Coppertone lotion rather than coconutty Hawaiian Tropic, so if you’re clucking for a whiff of 1970s mum, do proceed to checkout.
