Solstice

Solstice pictures the longest Nordic summer day through ripe watermelon, a sea breeze and sun-warmed skin.

The brand names watermelon as the central raw material of this fragrance. It opens on watermelon paired with a marine accord, a pairing that reads less as sugary fruit flesh and more as clear, watery juice carried on salt-touched air. At the heart, jasmine, violet and muguet take over, turning that moisture toward the fullness of white flowers, the soft powderiness of violet and the clean, green clarity of lily of the valley. The base of amber and Sinfonide brings warmth and a calmer footing beneath the lighter opening. The perfumer is Julien Rasquinet. With fruit and sea held together by florals, it is one to try when you want something transparent rather than sweet.