Solar Scents: How Perfumers Capture Sunlight
Solar scents are soaring, but what are they, and how do perfumers create sunlight in a fragrance formula? Over the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring individual scents in a series of radiant blogs-each one a celebration of the artistry and optimism that perfumers pour into these luminous creations. From orange blossom-dappled courtyards to creamy, café-latte dawns, we’ll discover how the feeling of sunlight can be captured in a bottle.
But before we delve into individual perfumes in our upcoming series of light-filled blogs, let’s bask in the glow of what gives solar fragrances their radiance, and how perfumers manage to bottle the feeling of sunlight itself…
Firstly: What Makes a Fragrance ‘Solar’?
‘Solar’ in scent is about more than just citrus or a holiday snapshot in a bottle. It’s a feeling-uplifting, radiant, and warm. As Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas explains, ‘Solar denotes a feeling of sunshine – but with it a physical feeling of being uplifted, of turning our faces toward the light source, a perfumed purr of warm cat contentedness.’ For Morillas, orange blossom is essential: ‘Orange puts the soleil into a fragrance – it’s sunshine in flower form.’ He cannot smell orange blossom without thinking of the sun, and for him, creating a solar fragrance is about more than just a sunny impression. ‘For me it goes much deeper than that,’ he says, reminiscing about his childhood in sun-drenched Seville.
He continues, explaining exactly what he hoped to evoke in Mizensir Solar Blossom: ‘You have the sun, you have the light and the water – always a fountain in the middle of the square – and to me, solar means your soul is being lifted upwards, you’re looking up from the cool shade of a courtyard to the sun, so powerful, above.’
Morillas uses jasmine and musk alongside orange blossom to create what he calls ‘the dimension of the sun’, describing how a solar fragrance should always be changing, ‘just like the sky. The clouds will be forever shifting.’
Barbara Zoebelein, the nose behind Lalique’s Soleil, describes her approach as ‘a “luminous floral”, in which elements of typically solar structures are presented but executed in a much more softly radiant way.’ Her goal was to capture ‘the ease and warmth of the very private and luxurious moment of waking up to a sun-filled morning at home, happy to be alive,’ using ‘light frothy and creamy-milky tones of caffe latte with breezy notes of fresh morning air’ and a ‘crisp, mouthwatering and dewy accord of pear granita’ to evoke this luminous ease.
Calice Becker, who composed Parfums de Marly Cassili, took a different approach, eschewing typical solar notes for a blend of plum, frangipani and sandalwood to create ‘a creamy tropical feeling that I describe as solar.’ For Becker, it’s about that ‘holiday-in-a-bottle, instantaneous hit of happiness.’
The Ingredients of Sunlight
Solar fragrances are built from an evocative palette of ingredients, each chosen to conjure a different facet of sunlight:
Citrus fruits: Bergamot, mandarin, lemon-sparkling, zesty, and bright as midday sun. These notes are vital for that initial burst of light, though perfumers must work carefully, as citrus can be fleeting and tricky to balance.
White florals: Orange blossom, neroli, jasmine-creamy, luminous, and airy, they evoke the sensation of turning your face to the sun.
Tropical touches: Frangipani, tiaré, ylang-ylang-sun-warmed, exotic, and transporting, like stretching out on a beach towel in some faraway paradise.
Milky and creamy notes: Coconut, almond, café latte-soft and comforting, reminiscent of the first rays of dawn and the gentle start of a sunlit day.
Amber, musk, and woods: These add warmth and depth, mimicking the sensation of sun on skin.
Fruity and dewy accords: Pear granita and similar notes bring a mouthwatering, fresh dimension.
Solar accords aren’t restricted to the ‘bright’ notes; they can also evoke sun-warmed skin, creamy tropical air, or even the soft, milky glow of a sunrise at home.
Why Are We Drawn to Solar Scents?
Fragrance trends reflect the mood of the moment. In a world that can feel shadowed and uncertain, it’s only natural to crave scents that offer a ray of olfactory sunshine. As Louisa May Alcott wrote, ‘Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow.’ Right now, we’re all weary of shadows, and solar fragrances offer a way to look towards the light.
Solar ready for the brighter days? We say: seek out your sunniest scents (no matter the weather), spritz generously, don your shades, and let the sunshine in!
Written by Suzy Nightingale