Seasonal Scents: Our Favourite Summer Friendly Fragrances

Summer in Australia covers December through to February. It includes calendar events like Christmas, New Year, Australia Day and Valentine’s Day. The weather is often hot and humid, perfect for long, lazy days by the pool, at the beach or in the backyard. 

Although summer starts off in the festive season, there’s more to this time of the year than reindeers and resolutions. A symbol of youth, innocence and adventure, it’s about spending quality time with family and friends, day trips and getaways, getting out and about in the outdoors and tropical fruits and icy treats.

Here at Nerridah & Ross, these settings can be easily recreated from our wide range of candles, diffusers and more. Read on for everything you need to enjoy a sweet, summer scent in your home or holiday house today… 

December – Sun, Sand & Surf

When you think of the summer season Down Under, you mainly think of the beach. People flock to popular seaside towns and tourist hotspots in their thousands, keen to soak up some sun and splash it up in the surf.

When it comes to capturing the sights, sounds and smells of the Australian great outdoors – from the beach to the bush and beyond – no one does it better than the perfectly named brand Surf Coast Candles.

Their rugged Great Ocean Road inspired range includes seaflora style candles with hand-drawn wave designs, and travel tins with painted seaweed patterned lids for a sand or sunrise themed summer scent.

Other candles with coastal connections include Scarlet and Grace’s 90 Mile Beach and Myles Gray’s Coast candle from the limited edition Bare Basics series. 

However, if the alluring aroma of a more far flung summer holiday destination is more your thing, Glasshouse Fragrances has you covered. You can take a sensory trip to a number of sea salt and sun-soaked locations, including Taha’a, Bora Bora, Rio de Janeiro, The Hamptons, Capri, Cyprus and the Amalfi Coast. 

January – A Taste of the Tropics

Summer conjures up images of striped towels draped over lounge chairs and alcoholic spritzers sipped out of coconut husks. We’re wearing hats, sunnies and bathers, holding surfboards and relaxing under beach umbrellas, and we’re eating fresh fruit and licking creamy ice-creams. When we ponder what makes up the perfect summer scent then, it’s often an array of tropical fruit, citrus fruit and foodie flavours. 

In candle and diffuser form, they can come together to make the ultimate summer scent. Exotic varieties include Florin and Grace’s refreshing fruit and flower mix of Pineapple & Frangipani, Ecoya’s pulpy Guava & Lychee, Elume’s juicy Mango & Passionfruit, and Scarlet and Grace’s Exotic Fruits platter a la perfume. 

Tart citrus combinations include Wyck’s Persian Lime, Lemon Peel & Lemongrass pillar candle and The Commonfolk Collective’s ‘Friend’ and ‘Hippie’ candles with middle and base notes of Grapefruit & Melon. 

Dessert inspired fragrances also go down a treat in the summertime, as it is the season for icy poles and gelatos. One of our most popular fragrances is based upon the delicious frozen dessert behind the brain freeze, the sorbet. It’s been recreated by a bunch of brands, most notably Florin and Grace’s Lychee and Guava Sorbae, Ecoya’s Lime & Pink Pepper Sorbet and Scarlet and Grace’s Mixed Berry Sorbet. 

Other summery scents include Sea Breeze, Musk & Vanilla and Wild Peony & Jasmine.

February – Pastel Pigments

The colours that come to mind to represent summer are varied. As it’s a season that is so hot and bright, you can lean towards the fluorescent because it’s a popular choice for beachwear and strong, targeted sunscreens like zinc. A much more accessible palette, however, is one of pastel colours.

Dark tints and tones attract and absorb heat, so to keep cool and calm this time of the year, it’s best to surround yourself with summer scents in warm sepia hues and soft shades of pink, lilac purple and peach, blue, mint green and aquamarine, sand and sunflower yellow, and clean, crisp white.

Start sweet with pastel pink Oriental Musk, peachy Orange Citrus Pop soy wax melts and a Citronella based Outdoor candle covered in a marigold orange colour gradient design. Then move into honey beige boxed Vanilla Bean and pale lemon yellow White Nectarine diffusers, or cool things down with Coconut & Elderflower in a contemporary yet comforting periwinkle purple.

And for those wanting to invoke a 5 star hotel and spa vibe, check out Ecoya’s Resort collection featuring Toasted Coconut in seafoam green with porcelain swirl packaging, Passionfruit & Poppy in salmon pink with light pink swirls and White Neroli, Mandarin & Orange Blossom in baby blue with orchid pink swirls.

Read all about our other Seasonal Scent blogs here – Autumn, Winter & Spring.