Our beauty director has spotted a new perfume trend! Here’s why you are about to see a lot more about beach gourmand fragrances this summer. Plus, the ones to try for your next holiday…
An ice cream on the beach has long been a holiday staple for sun seekers, but if my cosmetic science spidey senses are right (and I think they are), that classic ritual is going to be inspiring our summer fragrance choices for 2026 like never before. In a fragrance trend I’ve dubbed ‘beach gourmand’, new scents are combining notes that evoke the sun-soaked nostalgia of a beach holiday – salty skin accords and airy florals – with the irresistible sweetness of edible notes, like creamy coconut, salted caramel, vanilla, pistachio and tropical fruits. The result is a new generation of beach-inspired perfumes that offer a more sophisticated take on gourmand (aka food note-based) fragrances that I know CF readers will love.
Plus, another viral beauty phenomenon – the rise of the body mist – is heightening the beach-gourmand appeal. Lightweight, layerable and perfect for using to refresh throughout the day (especially in hotter climates), body mists make these scents even more wearable. So, whether you’re searching for the best beach gourmand fragrances or the best beach body mists, these are the scents we love…
Mugler is the brand behind one of fragrance's most famous gourmand perfumes – Angel – and now there's a beach day spritz to fall in love with too. What I love most about this scent is how much energy it has, with pineapple and creamy coconut accords instantly evoking summer cocktails by the pool. Plus, there's a touch of shake-to-activate shimmer within the bottle to give your body a little radiance boost in the sunshine.
When a fragrance house known for gourmand begins to encorporate beachy accords, you know a trend has really taken hold – and this perfume has all the creativity you'd expect from Le Monde Gourmand (which has long proved that gourmands can be fun and wearable in equal measure). The secret to Le Beach's success is that it takes inspiration from the sea as well as the sun, with a blend of bergamot, coconut water and dewy greens adding a freshness to creamy vanilla and skin-warming amber and musk.
Inspired by the Seychelles, Jo Malone London's latest beach spritz smells just enough like a holiday to get your endorphins going, but twists enough on the traditional tropical gourmand concept to actually be very light and sophisticated (just like many great JML perfumes). I'd best describe it like a spray of sunshine straight onto your skin, thanks to coconut water offering a fresher alternative to coconut milk at the heart, and a zing of lime to add a sparkle on first encounter.
You've probably heard of makeup with skincare benefits, but did you know your floral gourmand fragrance can have skin-boosting qualities too? With this water-based fragrance you can! Not only does the refreshing blend of orange blossom, almond milk, vanilla and jasmine instantly transport you to an Italian beach, but the cloud-like spray also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing aloe to keep sun-worn skin feeling its best.
Compliment hunters really cannot go wrong with Bella Hadid's sun-drenched musky gourmand, which blends tropical holiday classics like coconut milk and jasmine with the creamy warmth of vanilla bean, sandalwood butter and tonka bean. It's the sort of scent that will have people stopping you at the beach club to ask what you're wearing. The only drawback is that you'll have to be quick to get your hands on it – it's a summertime-only limited edition.
Gisou's honey-infused fragrance is like a hug from the summer sunshine, with a comforting gourmand blend of honey nectar, creamy vanilla milk and soft white musk that smells especially good on sun-warmed skin. Best of all, because it is another skincare-inspired mist and enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid and peptides, it's safe (and, perhaps most importantly smells great) when spritzed throughout your hair too, without drying out your strands.
Following the runaway success of Beach Skin in 2025, Phlur proved that it knows how to create a brilliant beach bag fragrance, but Island Swim could actually be even better. Instantly joy-inspiring, it perfectly captures the feeling of the first plunge into warm, tropical water, without being too stereotypical. Its citrusy and floral most of all, with notes like coconut becoming refreshing background players.
Want to smell so expensive you'll feel like you've just stepped off a private jet? Roja Dove's Isola Sol is the scent for you. From the bright citrus and juicy apricot you experience on first smell to the creamy coconut, white florals and salty sandalwood as it develops, this is an instant confidence boost from bikini to eveningwear. And, while expensive, it really, really lasts (unlike many lighter summer spritzes) – so you get your money's worth.
You know a fragrance is really, really good when customer demand brings it back after it was discontinued, and that's exactly happened this summer with Sol de Janeiro's classic Cheirosa 39. It's perfect timing as the floral blend, which is built around fresh tropical orchid, is the complete definition of a beach gourmand, now with a supercharged amount of indulgent coconut and vanilla.
This is a summer fragrance that your husband and male friends will want to steal off of you – and the use of bitter almond makes it a fascinating alternative to both your classic gourmands and traditional light, summer fragrances. Perfectly balanced and long-lasting on your skin, it's neither too sweet or too citrusy. Instead, it's a bit like enjoying really good French biscuits in the summer sunshine.
As joy-inspiring as finding a really good flight deal (and just as much of a steal at less than £8), this bodycare mist begs to be applied liberally. Creamy nutty notes – namely pistachio, salted caramel and hazelnut – are just the right side of moreishly sweet. And you don't just benefit from the scent: the formula contains glycerin and witch hazel for softer, smoother skin too.
This musky coconut spray – which is designed for both your body and your hair – perfectly embodies what makes up a great beach gourmand fragrance. Namely, a clean fresh accord (to echo the sea breeze); a luminous floral aroma that's light and pretty on your skin; and a coconut accord for some creamy softness in the base. The result is something soft and airy but with just enough gourmand sweetness to be very addictive.
Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director. As one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science, she combines her unique knowledge with an editor’s eye to help you make smarter choices about beauty and wellbeing. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too…
Lead image: Orebella
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