Everything you need to know about the emerging salty scent trend

Always dreaming about the beach and ocean waves? This scent note may be your best find ever.

Jun 24, 2025 | by Patsy Anthony

There’s something about the scent of salt on skin that’s hard to define. It’s not conventionally “pretty”—no lush florals at the top, no soft vanilla at the end. Yet, it lingers—like sun-warmed skin, sea breeze caught in your hair, and a memory you are not quite ready to let go of. This season, perfumers are bottling that very feeling. Say hello to salty perfumes, the understated scent trend quietly taking over vanities and vacation wardrobes alike.

Minor olfactory notes such as sage, seaweed, aqua, and solar that carry the unmistakable pull of the ocean are sometimes easily overlooked as they don’t fit neatly into everyday routines and often feel too abstract to decode. Salty fragrances, too, can come off as bold or unfamiliar, but more often than not, they’re layered, distinctive, and surprisingly wearable. While classic notes like rose, bergamot, cinnamon, and lavender dominate the scene, it’s the finer ones—mineral, ambergris, aqua—that are quietly making waves across social media.

The key to choosing your best salty fragrance lies in testing the waters for a note that hits the spot right. With a variety of minor notes such as driftwood, ambroxan, and sea salt to choose from, capturing the right salty fragrance that is equally complex and versatile, and could maybe even be the piece to solving your puzzle on “how to live by the sea without actually living by the sea” may be difficult.

Here’s our breakdown of the notes behind the best salty perfumes—plus our favourite picks, each offering a unique, intriguing take on seaside memories that go far beyond just salt and sunshine.

Aqua

Sometimes called "marine" or "ozonic" notes, aqua notes are the backbone of most salty scents. These fragrances are crafted using synthetic molecules that replicate the feeling of water: clean, airy, crisp and wide open. Think of the scent of air just before a summer storm or the moment you surface after diving underwater. Aqua notes lend salty perfumes their freshness—that cool, almost electric quality that wakes up the senses and instantly conjures blue skies and rolling tides.

What it smells like: Crisp, transparent, clean, with a soft, cooling finish, almost like that breeze you feel on the beach.

Seaweed

This note is not for everyone, and it is often overlooked for being too strong or risky. But think of it as the ugly duckling that transforms into a beautiful swan—underrated, lowkey and lets its notes do the talking. Seaweed notes balance the freshness of aqua with something darker, more grounded. Used sparingly, it creates the illusion of swimming through a natural cove, with the scent of saltwater and damp rock clinging to skin. This note serves as a reminder that the ocean isn’t just wind and waves, but also tangled kelp and coastal wildness.

What it smells like: Green, briny, oceanic, with a whisper of umami.

Sea Salt

The signature note in many modern coastal perfumes, sea salt captures the mineral aspect of the ocean— that dry, crisp tang lingering on your skin after a swim. It’s less wet than aqua and less green than seaweed, but it adds texture and realism to the composition. Sea salt plays beautifully with solar florals and skin musks, adding grit to softness. It is what one may call the “defining” note of this trend and should be a must-try this season.

What it smells like: Dry, mineral, slightly metallic—like your skin after saltwater dries.

Cypress

Cypress brings contrast to all the salt and water. It’s fresh, green, and aromatic—imagine standing between sea cliffs and forest, where the trees meet the spray. Cypress has a slightly peppery, resinous quality that adds structure to otherwise free-spirited fragrances. It keeps things crisp and clean, making salty scents feel grown-up rather than beachy. It's the tailored linen blazer to the ocean’s tousled hair. Cypress is a rather strong note, but a unique one that truly stands out. It could be the perfect choice for someone who loves the woods and the water, perfectly balancing salty, woody and dry notes.

What it smells like: Green, woody, herbaceous, dry, like crushed pine needles in the sun.

In the olfactory world, salty perfumes are a careful choreography of elements that mimic the ocean's mystery and intimacy. Salty perfumes don’t declare; they linger. Here's our pick of top salty perfumes that you must add to your vanity.

Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne, ₹12,400