Best Of
6 Best Perfumes for Spring: Green, Floral and Fresh
Spring perfume is green and light: new leaves, fresh fruit and the first flowers. These six cover all three. Start with Chanel Chance Eau Tendre for a soft fruity floral, Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia for pear and flowers, and Diptyque Philosykos for green fig.
What Makes a Perfume Smell Like Spring?
Mostly green notes. The smell of cut grass is largely cis-3-hexenol, a molecule plants release when their leaves are damaged; perfumers call it “leaf alcohol”, and a trace of it makes almost anything smell fresh and alive. Galbanum, a bitter green resin, and violet leaf do the same job in a sharper way. Add light florals such as freesia, lily of the valley and magnolia, and fruit that’s crisp, not jammy: pear, quince, apple, and you have spring.
Spring is also when warmer days start to lift a perfume off the skin, so light compositions suddenly carry. The heavy amber you wore in January can feel stuffy by April.
| Perfume | The freshness | What’s with it |
|---|---|---|
| Chanel Chance Eau Tendre | Grapefruit, quince | Jasmine, white musk |
| Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia | Williams pear | Freesia, rose, patchouli |
| Diptyque Philosykos | Fig leaf, green sap | Fig, wood |
| Byredo Inflorescence | Pink freesia, rose petals | Lily of the valley, magnolia, jasmine |
| Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh | Raspberry, grapefruit, pear | Violet, wild rose, apple blossom |
| Acqua di Parma Colonia Pura | Bergamot, orange, petitgrain | Coriander, jasmine sambac, narcissus |
6 Spring Perfumes
Chanel Chance Eau Tendre
Chance Eau Tendre combines a grapefruit-quince accord with jasmine and white musk. Quince is a hard, perfumed fruit that smells somewhere between apple and pear with a floral edge, and it’s what makes Eau Tendre soft instead of sharp. One wearer likes its clean, sweet, light floral character. Our Chance guide compares the whole family.
Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia
English Pear & Freesia is Williams pear, freesia and rose, with patchouli at the base. The pear is ripe and juicy, freesia is peppery and clean, and the patchouli gives it something to stand on. It’s an orchard in April. English Pear & Sweet Pea is a different scent.
Diptyque Philosykos
Philosykos is the whole fig tree: green leaves, milky sap, fruit and wood. Fig leaf is the green, slightly coconut-milky note, and it’s what makes this a spring perfume more than a summer one. The EDT is described here; the EDP is separate. Our fig list has more.
Byredo Inflorescence
Inflorescence opens with pink freesia and rose petals, then lily of the valley and magnolia, over jasmine. It’s a florist’s bucket of spring flowers, pale and fresh. Our lily of the valley list explains why that flower is so hard to bottle.
Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh
Daisy Eau So Fresh is raspberry, grapefruit and pear, then violet, wild rose and apple blossom, over musk, cedar and plum. It’s the fruitiest, most cheerful pick here, a picnic in a park. It’s a flanker of the original Daisy, lighter and fruitier.
Acqua di Parma Colonia Pura
Colonia Pura is bergamot, orange and petitgrain, then coriander, jasmine sambac and narcissus, over cedar, patchouli and musk. Narcissus is a green, slightly hay-like spring flower, and it gives the classic cologne citrus a seasonal twist. The unisex pick.
Other Seasons
The fall guide and winter guide go warmer. For other kinds of freshness, see soapy perfumes and citrus perfumes.
Not sure which fragrance is you?
Answer seven questions to explore fragrances for your preferences.
Related Coverage
List
6 Best Perfumes for Fall: Warm, Spicy and Smoky
Six fall perfumes, from Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille and Margiela By the Fireplace to Twilly Eau Poivrée, Black Opium and Santal 33, and why smoke and spice suit cooling air.
List
6 Best Perfumes for Winter: The Heavy-Hitters
Six winter perfumes, from Lattafa Khamrah and Guerlain Shalimar to Baccarat Rouge 540, Tom Ford Oud Wood and Mugler Angel, and why cold air needs a heavier perfume.
List
9 Citrus Perfume Options You'll Love
Nine citrus perfumes, from Le Labo Bergamote 22 and Diptyque Oyédo to Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue and Atelier Orange Sanguine, and why citrus fades first and can burn in the sun.