Sowmya GibishTom Ford, Byredo, and Mugler are all making body mists now, and they don’t smell like what you sprayed on at the mall in high school. The whole category had a glow-up while everyone was busy chasing perfume oils and intense extraits. So what do you reach for when your heavy EDP is too much for a 40 degree afternoon? And how does a body mist actually compete with a luxury perfume?
Luxury body mists are pulling double duty this summer: they wear close to the skin without going heavy, and they hold up in Dubai weather better than most rich EDPs do. They also cost less than a full bottle of your usual summer EDP. Four worth picking up below, none of them juvenile.
Air-Conditioned Summer Tom Ford Soleil Neige All Over Body Spray
Unisex
Perfumer
Sonia Constant
Fragrance Family
Floral Fresh
Notes
Top: bergamot, juniper, green notes
Middle: orange blossom, neroli
Base: musk, ambrette
Tom Ford made this one for people who do summer in linen and air conditioning, not at the beach. The bergamot and green orange blossom open clean and a little bitter, with a soft musk pulling it down so it never gets sharp on hot skin. Tom Ford bottles also have a way of sitting on a vanity and quietly broadcasting your tax bracket, which apparently matters to people now, see Perfume Mag’s roundup of Kate Middleton’s favorite perfumes for the same energy.
Desk Bestseller Byredo Bal d’Afrique Body Mist
Unisex
Perfumer
Jérôme Epinette
Fragrance Family
Woody Floral
Notes
Top: bergamot, lemon, neroli
Middle: marigold, jasmine, violet
Base: vetiver, amber, Moroccan cedarwood, musk
This is the body mist version of one of Byredo’s longest-selling EDPs, and the glass bottle is heavy enough to double as a paperweight on a hot desk. Bal d’Afrique opens citrus-bright with neroli and bergamot, then settles into a vetiver and amber base that stays close to the skin for about 3 to 4 hours, which is on the longer end for a mist. The bottle is half the reason people buy it, see Perfume Mag’s iconic perfume bottles edit, and if you want more on the cool green note holding it down look at best vetiver perfumes.
Gym Bag Vanilla Phlur Cashmere Skin Body Mist
Unisex
Perfumer
In-house
Fragrance Family
Gourmand
Notes
Top: pink pepper, sugar crystals
Middle: cashmere accord, peach
Base: vanilla, sandalwood, musk
Cashmere Skin smells like vanilla left sitting next to a basket of clean laundry, which is a compliment. The vanilla is milky and slightly lactonic rather than bakery sweet, with a soft musk base that keeps it from going sticky after an hour in the sun or on the way home from the gym. If you want the same warm vanilla feel in a different format, Perfume Mag covered the recent Sol de Janeiro Jelly Perfume Balms which sit in similar territory.
Bottled Sunscreen Floral Street Arizona Bloom Perfume Mist
Unisex
Perfumer
Jérôme Epinette
Fragrance Family
Floral Aquatic Gourmand
Notes
Top: salt, neroli
Middle: coconut milk, rose
Base: vanilla, musk
If you’ve ever opened a bottle of French sunscreen and quietly wished you could wear it without the SPF part, Arizona Bloom is the closest a body mist gets without going tropical-tacky. Salt, coconut milk, and warm skin notes do the heavy lifting, with a soft rose underneath keeping it from veering too body-lotion. This is what Perfume Mag’s atmosphere perfumes piece is talking about, scents that drop you in a specific place rather than on a pulse point.
Sowmya Gibish
