​Summer Solstice is all about Adventurous Scents

Are you ready to summerize your perfume wardrobe? Recently it was the Summer Solstice day and you should have made ready or suitable or equip in advance for gradually swap out your aromatic and floral dominant spring scents with more adventurous, citrus, green, aquatic, airy, breezy, and fresh ones more proper for the hotter sunnier months. The days are longer, the evenings are lighter and the mood is generally brighter during summer. When it comes to fragrance, the idea that freshness becomes a part of our perpetual ode to the season is inevitable, and rightly so; lighter, airier and less heavy scents will give you that instant hit of holiday and carry you through the hot, sticky months ahead. Finding the one for you, or the ones for me, can be tasking but with so many seasonal offerings on the market, from cult classics to new releases, the quest for your go-to summer scent is never too wide off the mark.

Just a brief introduction about the Summer Solstice... it occurs when the Earth is most tilted towards the sun and is the longest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, and in Italy of course, “peak” sunlight usually occurs on June 20, 21, or 22 of any given year. That’s the summer solstice. By contrast, the Southern Hemisphere reaches peak sunlight on December 21, 22, or 23 and the north hits peak darkness — that’s our winter solstice. The annual solstice landed this year on Thursday, June 21, and it is finally the official start of summer.

So, put your spring perfumes back in the wardrobe and let your summer perfumes kick and shine under the sun. Summer scent should bring joy, should inspire to celebrate life with friends and family, and mostly should wake passion and love. What smells make you think of summer? If you say: sunscreen, freshly cut grass, green leaves, summer rain or stormy weather, morning dew, salty sea air, or some tropical fruit, you’re certainly not the only one.

THE SMELL OF SUMMER RAINS

Petrichor is the scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The smell derives from a pair of chemical reactions. Some plants secrete oils during dry periods. In turn, these are absorbed by the soil. When it rains, the oils are released into the air. A second part of the odor is the aroma of geosmin, a metabolic by-product of certain soil-dwelling bacteria. This makes up the distinct damp-earth smell. The combination of the oils and geosmin creates the pleasant petrichor scent.

STORMY WEATHER

Before the rain begins, one of the first odors you may notice is a pungent smell, reminiscent of chlorine. That is the sharp and fresh aroma of ozone. The highest level of ozone is in the stratosphere, that’s between 10 and 50 km above the Earth’s surface. Most clouds are below the ozone layer in the troposphere. The scent of ozone announces stormy weather, as the downdrafts of thunderstorms carry ozone from these high altitudes.

THE ODOR OF GREEN LEAVES

What else could be at the top spot? As soon as you hear that mower kicking into gear, you know what’s coming: the delicious, fresh scent of cut grass. The aroma is actually released by a rush of chemicals that the grass emits to heal itself and prevent any bacterial infections after being cut. When you smell freshly cut grass, you’re actually smelling a mixture of oxygenated hydrocarbons called green leaf volatiles. They include methanol, ethanol, acetaldehyde, and acetone. Just close your eyes and breathe in that lovely summer’s day smell…

SALTY SEA AIR

Unless you’re lucky enough to live by the coast, the fresh, salty smell of the sea is something most of us only get to experience on the odd occasion it’s warm enough to spend the day at the beach. There is nothing like smelling that salty sea air at the beach. Once you smell it, you know you're in paradise.

THE MORNING DEW

The fresh, earthy smell of morning dew when you actually woke up early on Saturday mornings. Wet, humid, mossy... that's ,the way the condensation beads up on the glass.

THE DRY AND HOT HAY

Fresh cut hay reminds me of end of August. Just pitched hay in a barn full of horses. It reminds us of summer camp.

FRESH AIR AND CLEAR SHEETS

With the warm weather comes a lot more adventuring in the great outdoors. From a summer meadow to a rocky hill-top, you’ll have moments when you can really breathe in and fill your lungs with that wonderfully refreshing pure, clean air. And what about clean sheets billowing in the breeze... One of the great things about a sunny day is that you’re able to hang the washing outside. Wash your whites with a capful of Ariel Washing Liquid, which has top stain-fighting power, and when you hang them outside to dry the gentle summer breeze will carry the fresh, clean smell right to your nose.

Summer is finally here, so go outside, colorize and glamourize your days and nights- let's hope it's a good one!

Have fun,

-Elysium