Quietly complex and sun-warmed: Spring fragrance has outgrown stale florals
“Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.”
With spring on the horizon, we're officially putting away the spicy fragrances synonymous with winter perfumes, and setting our sights on scents evocative of the season ahead.
But unlike the nail trends and hair trends we've been tacking to our digital mood boards, the category of spring fragrance feels far more aloof than the other changing aspects of our beauty routines.
"This spring, I think we’ll see fragrance used more intuitively," Marie du Petit Thouars tells BEAUTYcrew. The Maison Louis Marie founder champions fragrance as a form of self-expression that reflects mood and memory, rather than just seasonality.
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"One trend I’m drawn to is what I’d call sun-warmed textures," she explains. "Like soft, sensual fragrances that feel like skin after a day in the sun."
"Another shift I’m noticing is a desire for quiet complexity — scents that don’t overpower, but bloom gradually," she tells us.
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"I’ve never believed fragrance should follow seasonal rules, and I think it’s much more personal than that to me," says du Petit Thouars. "That said, spring often inspires us to reach for something that feels airy and bright."
"Notes like citrus, soft florals, or crisp green stems naturally capture that sense of renewal," she explains. "I love when those are paired with something a little warmer beneath, like vanilla flower or white musk, to give the scent depth and softness."
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"Spring is the perfect moment to reconnect with your fragrance wardrobe," the Maison Louis Marie founder tells us. "I always recommend starting by revisiting what you already have. Sometimes a scent you haven’t worn in a while can feel completely new in a different season or mood."
"Try reintroducing it in a different format too, and layering it with a body lotion or hair and body mist, which can shift the way it wears on your skin," she suggests.
It’s also a good time to simplify, says du Petit Thouars.
"Keep a few signature scents you truly love and let go of anything that feels like it no longer aligns with you," she tells us. "Fragrance should feel intuitive, not overwhelming."
If you’re adding something new, she recommends thinking about how you want it to make you feel.
"Things like being uplifted, grounded, soft, sensual, and choose accordingly," she explains. "I love when people build a small scent wardrobe that supports different moods, rather than collecting just for the sake of variety."
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Main image credit: @daisyedgarjones
Looking for a perfume that feels a little more timeless? Here, BEAUTYcrew's Beauty Editors reveal their all-time favourite fragrances.
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
