Summer is in full swing, and if you’re looking to capture that seaside scent in your favorite fragrance, you’ve come to the right place. These are the ocean-inspired salty scents that have us hooked! From body sprays to perfumes, salt has been a note growing in popularity. With expert-loved Ministry of Scent even naming this scent note a major summer 2025 trend. When combined with sheer florals or creamy tropical notes, it makes for the perfect beachy scent for summer.
Featured Experts
- Isaac Lekach, co-Founder and CEO of Flower Shop Perfumes Co.
- Octavia Morgan is a fragrance expert and founder of OCTAVIA MORGAN Los Angeles
Salty Notes Are a Major Trend
The rise in salty scents isn’t in your imagination–experts say consumers are buying more of these notes. “We’re absolutely seeing a measurable rise in consumer interest around salty perfumes,” notes fragrance expert and founder of OCTAVIA MORGAN Los Angeles, Octavia Morgan. “This trend isn’t just editorial, it’s backed by performance data and purchase behavior. Salty accords offer a fresh, modern profile that resonates deeply with today’s consumer: intimate, skin-like and inherently genderless. At OCTAVIA MORGAN Los Angeles, we see this as a natural evolution in the demand for sensorial, clean fragrances that feel both emotionally and seasonally relevant.”
Seeing this trend as an evolution makes even more sense when you consider how salt is paired with other trendy scent profiles. “While the use of salty accords in fragrance is not exactly new, we are seeing a trend of more nuanced exploration in broader olfactive categories (like butter or milky fragrances within the gourmand world),” explains co-founder of Flower Shop Perfumes, Isaac Lekach. “The use of salt is certainly on trend.”
The Perfect Summer Scent
Seasonally, salt can play a multifaceted role. A fall or winter scent can be enhanced by salt’s ability to evoke caramelized, sugary gourmands. And in late spring and summer, salt takes you straight to the beach.
“Salty fragrances are incredible for summer because they capture the essence of the season—sun-warmed skin, ocean air and that effortless, breezy feeling,” Morgan says. “These scents tend to feel light yet dimensional, offering freshness without being overly floral or citrus. They also wear beautifully in heat, melding with the skin to create a soft, mineral warmth that feels personal and sensual. It’s like wearing a memory of the coast cooling, comforting and quietly bold.”
Lekach explains that salt’s role in fragrance is similar to its job in the kitchen. “As with cooking, it is a way to enhance or deepen surrounding notes,” he says. “In the context of summer fragrances, it heightens the escapist quality that scent can offer—evoking images of sea air, sun-warmed skin and tropical destinations.”
Notes to Pair with Salty Scents
“Salt can pair wonderfully with tropical fruits, marine accords or even floral bouquets for a summer fragrance,” Lekach says.
Embodying an oceanside paradise, Morgan notes that salts are often anchored by notes like driftwood and ambergris. “But what makes them so dynamic is how they’re paired,” she explains. “You’ll often find soft musks, sun-warmed florals like jasmine or neroli, citrus peels and even coconut or sage layered in. These combinations create that addictive contrast of crisp freshness and skin-like warmth, making salty fragrances feel both grounded and airy.”
- Coconut
- Marine accords
- Citrus
- Tropical Fruit
KEY NOTES
Ylang Ylang, Tahitian Tiare, Ambergris
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Driftwood, Sea Salt, Seaweed
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Jasmine, Sea Spray, Mandarin
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Fresh Musk, Copaiba Oil, Salted Praline
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Vanilla, Sea Salt, Sandalwood
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Aquatic Accord, Coriander, Red Seaweed Essence
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Sheer Matcha, Grapefruit, Salted Fig, Sea Moss, Driftwood
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Sea Salt, CO2 Extract, Fig, Lavender, Cedarwood
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Green Mango, Lotus, Sycamore Wood
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Pink Sea Salt, Coconut Water, Pineapple, Marine Accord, Driftwood
KEY NOTES
Salty Ambergris, Citrus, Cedarwood, Musk
