Take 5 Sunset Scents
We’re constantly wowed by the dramatic evening skies at this time of year – and if you’re wondering how perfumers can bottle a sunset, we’ve five fragrant suggestions to perfectly capture this particular quality of wearable warmth and light…
WORDS: SUZY NIGHTINGALE
PHOTO: Jo Fairley
As the sun dips low and the sky is set ablaze with gold, rose and indigo, the quality of the light changes, and the world enters the most magical of hours. And at this time of year, it feels even more poignant, because we don’t know about you, but as the sun sets on late summer, we find ourselves lingering a little longer outside, savouring the last of the warmth before we fully segue into autumn's mellow tones, when evenings draw in and our cravings might then turn to something cosier.
Sunset is a time of transformation. The day's heat softens, shadows lengthen and the air itself seems to shimmer with possibility. The skies right now are awash with purples, reds and pinks that melt into the darkness like nature's fireworks. Is it any wonder that perfumers are so often inspired by this spectacular display? For them, sunset is an invitation to play with contrasts and nuance – to capture the warmth that flickers before shadows fully fall, the hush that descends, and the tingling sense of anticipation that dusk brings.
To evoke sunset in a fragrance is to distil the interplay of light and shadow, warmth and coolness, vibrancy and calm. The perfumer's palette here is rich and complex: radiant citrus and sun-warmed florals give way to velvety woods, spices and musks. These are scents that wrap around you like a silk scarf at twilight, inviting you to wallow in the moment between day and night, and to gently light you up even on the dullest of days.
Here are five sunset-inspired scents we feel so wonderful wearing right now…
Here, peach slips from sunlit orchard into something considerably more nocturnal. Juicy with nectar at first, it's quickly steeped in the mellow, woody warmth of Jamaican rum. Mandarin and pink berries lend a final flicker of brightness, before ginger gives the fruit a tingling, almost flambéed heat. Benzoin, vanilla and tonka then draw everything into a plush, ambered embrace, with a scorched smokiness keeping the sweetness smooth rather than sticky. It's a deliciously grown-up fruitiness that still glimmers like the sun when the world settles and delights in itself.
From £110 for 100ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com
Consistently excellent, this is a must-sniff in the Coach family. Inspired by 'golden hours and one-of-a-kind journeys with friends' – which we are indeed dreaming of – this ombré bottle echoes the colours of sunset. It perfectly shows off a floral amber composition crafted by the brilliant Nathalie Lorson. Refreshing pear sorbet and bergamot playfully tease the wearer, before softly luminous jasmine sambac and magnolia dial up the intrigue. But what keeps this sunset beach party rocking long after the sun dips down is the smoochy, sultry base of tonka and vanilla. We may not be on the beach in person, but the spirit of that party is spritzable anytime, here.
£60 for 40ml eau de parfum uk.coach.com
Zesty mandarin sparkles beside the radiant heat of pink pepper, their brightness softened by the lush sweetness of magnolia. At its heart, heliotrope and ambrette add a powdery, ethereal warmth, while night-blooming jasmine, the intoxicating 'lady of the night', brings a narcotic, nocturnal beauty. Vanilla and spices lend a golden glow, before ambery woods, crystal moss and grey amber evoke the mineral coolness of nightfall. Radiant yet mysterious, warm yet mineral, it shimmers like the last light on the horizon and the first twinkle of stars – or imagine tiny sequins glittering and reflecting the colours of the sky. Mesmerising.
From £110 for 100ml eau de parfum gloriousbeauty.co.uk
Ah, now – this is true olfactory opulence, and it feels like such a treat to bring this beauty into the evening light again at this time of year! First unveiled in autumn 2016, this gloriously chic and dressed-up scent invites you to explore the golden radiance of Paris at night, when daylight's last embers mingle with the approaching night. A resinous, gently spiced opening of cistus labdanum, lavandin and cinnamon leaf unfolds into an amber-vanilla accord enriched with sweet, balsamic benzoin and toasted tonka. The result is a honied, vibrant, sensuous sunset glow that's simply irresistible. Now all we need to do is don our glad rags and dance on the banks of the Seine. Or in the back garden, if that can’t be achieved.
From £135 for 35ml eau de parfum franciskurkdjian.com
A new take on the well-loved original, this intensified version amplifies all its most addictive elements even further – think of dialling up the saturation levels of a sunset, and that’s the vibe created here. Perfumer Gabriela Chelariu opens the composition with a bold scattering of pink pepper that simmers and ignites mandarin leaves and wild freesia. Orange flower then brings liveliness and energy to a heart of sensual night-blooming jasmine and woodland moss. As the 100% vegan composition deepens, a woody embrace of cedarwood emerges, blending with seductive amber resin and textured musks. The result is an utterly intoxicating amber woody floral we’ve so loved wearing of late.
From £45 for 30ml eau de parfum thefragranceshop.co.uk
NB Always written by (award-winning!) humans, never AI.