Budget summer fragrances

AND are super affordable. Are you looking for a beachy, suntan-lotion kind of scent? These might be winners for you, then. On to my best budget summer fragrances!

Are they both similar to those paragons of beachy fragrances, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess and Tom Ford Soleil Blanc?! We’ll find out.

H&M Sunray

‘Our Sunray perfume smells like a blazing day on the beach with hints of sun lotion and sea’

Released: 2018

Perfumers:  Olivier Pescheux and Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillié

Notes: Aldehydes, minerals, solar notes

30ml for around $10

Aldehydes?

Aldehydes arer organic chemical compounds that can basically smell like anything, and are generally described as ‘soapy-waxy-lemony-floral’. Oh-kay. Think of aldehydes this way: they are used to boost fragrances. The description on Scentbird says: ‘(…) these notes tend to make the aroma of rose smell more bubbly and airy, while green notes become fresher, and gourmand notes become soft and lighter.’ They’re the bubbles that make champagne special, in short.

I also don’t like them. Chanel No. 5 has an incredibly high amount of aldehydes, and for me, the soapy notes make me first want to sneeze and then wash the scent off immediately. (More about aldehydes.)

Solar notes?

Solar notes are similarly hard to grasp: they cover a wide range of scents. The common denominator is the association with light and warmth, which can mean a variety of notes. Most common, though, are ylang-ylang, tiare flower and frangipani. (More.)

My impression

At first spritz, Sunray gives me a nearly atomic-strength burst of white flowers – that solar note in full force, amped up by the aldehydes, which make it both sparkly and creamy. A lot of people will associate this with sunscreen, and sure. I get it. It then goes slightly tart (some citrus?) and finally, it goes into that ‘salt on musky skin’-thing, ALSO amped by the aldehydes.

It’s A LOT, which I usually don’t think when smelling suntan-lotion-beachy scents. Sunray definitely isn’t the world’s most elegant perfume (staying power and projection are rather good), but it isn’t banal or cheap, either, which is a feat for its drugstore price.

It’s supposed to be a dupe for Armani’s discontinued Sun di Gioia, but I’ve never smelled that. And no, it’s not a dupe for TF’s Soleil Blanc, which is much warmer and lacks the bubbliness the aldehydes bring to the party. Speaking of party: Sunray would be an amazing fragrance for a beach or pool party.

Nuxe Sun Eau Delicieuse Parfumante

‘An irresistible take on the feel-good holiday scent of the sun care range, the Delicious Fragrant Water captures the warm glow of summer in its bottle with sunset hues. Its radiant harmonies of Sweet Orange and Petitgrain exercise a captivating appeal. Take off to tropical shores with its notes of Coconut and Tiare Flowers, caressed by a sensual wave of Vanilla and Musk.’

Nuxe

Released: 2016

Perfumer: n.n.

Notes: Top notes – sweet orange and petitgrain; middle notes – tiare flower and coconut; base notes – vanilla and musk

30ml are around $12

Nuxe is famous for the scent of their original body oil (orange blossom, magnolia and vanilla) called Huile Prodigieuse (review). In this flanker, you can smell the anatomy of the original, with a tropical twist.

My impression

On first spritz, it gives me citrus fruits and a slightly fresh and bitter accord (that will be the petitgrain, I guess), and then, we get that epitome (well, for me) of solar notes: tiare and coconut. It’s not too sweet in the dry-down (I don’t really like full on gourmands), and it stays a bit light and transparent due to its formulation: the so-called ‘fragrant water’ is basically a body spray. I spray it in front of me and then walk through the cloud of scent molecules and smell delicious or around 4 hours or so.

Again, not a Soleil Blanc dupe. I can, though, see a faint remembrance to Guerlain’s Terracotta.

Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.