10 Sexy Summer Perfumes I’d Bring to the ‘Love Island’ Villa

I got a text!!! It says, “What perfume are you wearing? It smells crazy good.” And it’s true. It does.

Besides their heart rate challenge song, one of the biggest questions a Love Island contestant has to face when entering the villa must be what fragrance they’ll wear. While the audience can’t sniff them, their fellow islanders definitely can—and sense of smell is a great way to figure out who you might want to couple up with. Have you noticed how many times someone has told Huda she smells good? She’s a star for many reasons, and that’s one of them.

Through the years, some of Love Island‘s best and brightest contestants have been nice enough to reveal their fragrances of choice. This is… not necessarily about that. If you were showing up as a bombshell, wouldn’t you want to stand out? Thus, we’re compiling a list of sexy summer fragrances that would be perfect for your time in Fiji. The goals here are projection, longevity, mood-matching, and of course deliciousness.

“If a fragrance has a strong projection, there’s a high chance the person standing next to you will be able to get whiffs of your fragrance. Fragrance projection describes how far the fragrance pushes out into the air from the wearer’s skin,” Eudora Nwasike, a U.K. based fragrance specialist, tells Byrdie. (In case you didn’t know, Love Island UK came long before Love Island USA. The Brits know their stuff.) “If you spray your fragrances on your pulse points, The heat emitted from those areas will amplify and project the fragrance.”

Ahead, find the best perfumes for turning heads in the villa. When that casting director finally calls, you’ll be ready. (After you get your spray tan, lash tint, various surgical lifts, and some tasteful filler, of course.)

Tom Ford Vanilla Fatale

I’ll start by sharing the obvious. (You can never over-explain on Love Island, mamacita.) Tom Ford’s fragrances are bold and sensual, and the dark and amber-y Vanilla Fatale comes in hot with strong projection and impressive longevity. Though you could argue it’s a gourmand, there’s nothing overly sweet about this scent, which features key notes of vanilla, mahogany wood, and roasted barley.

And if you’re worried you’ll smell the same as someone else because Tom Ford is so popular? Don’t even sweat it. This baby came out in 2024, so I’m sure the others will still be working through their bottles of Vanilla Sex.

D’Orsay À Cœur Perdu. L.B.

Perfumer Fanny Bal created D’Orsay’s À Cœur Perdu to evoke “secret love,” a “fragrance of absolution” that will take you from first glance to first visit to the Hideaway. (Bummer it’s not “broadcast to worldwide audiences” love, but that might’ve been a little too specific.) Falling into both the floral and citrus categories, this tangy scent has notes of iris aldehyde, orange blossom, and cashmeran.

YSL Libre Flowers & Flames

I know I said I wasn’t going to copy contestant faves, but this one deserves a mention. On the last season of Love Island All Stars, *four* of the girls said they loved YSL’s Libre Flowers & Flames, a warm and sensual version of Libre (Byrdie’s go-to luxury fragrance for date night) with notes of palm-tree flower accord, lily flower accord, and orange blossom absolute—plus rich vanilla, of course. It’s worth noting that the brand has been name dropped this season, too. Plus, if you got your heart broken you could head back to the original Libre without too much painful scent memory.

Jusbox Carioca Heart

This recommendation comes straight from Nwasike, who describes the fruity woody scent as “delicious, bright tropicals drenched in rum.” Eventually, the scent settles into a smooth, sweet, and creamy base that makes it “so good you wish you could drink it.” Top notes include lemon sfumatrice primofiore, pineapple, and mango accord; heart notes are peony, rhum absolute, and sandalwood; and base notes are vanilla, labdanum, operanide, and ambroxan. Also: the coral bottle will look amazing with all that bright glam room decor.

Phlur Peach Skin

Staying on the fruity side of things, we have a body spray courtesy of Phlur—the perfect choice for some hair flip-based flirting. Described by the brand as “juicy and flirtatious,” this spritz-anywhere fragrance begins with warm plum and bellini before entering a creamy world of sandalwood, amber, and coconut caramel at its core. Yum.

Pigmentarium Erotikon’

The gourmand Erotikon was inspired by a famously scandalous film with the same name. (Remember, after Casa Amor comes movie night.) Telling “a story of love and, may you wish, lust,” this sexy and long-lasting scent has top notes of chocolate, ginger, and pink pepper, heart notes of vanilla and tonka bean, and base notes of amber, musk, patchouli, and sandalwood. The chocolate goes hard, and who doesn’t like chocolate? Look, we already have so much in common.

Gucci Gorgeous Flora Gardenia

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia is in fact gorgeous, and one of the best noses I know chose it as a potential villa fragrance for its shampoo-y and creamy elements. The fruity floral, sensual scent blooms with notes of white gardenia, Italian mandarin, frangipani flower, and brown sugar. Who says a sweetie can’t turn heads, too?

Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 + Black Tea

This is a fun one. But you’re a fun person! That’s what you said in your casting application, anyway. Escentric Molecules M+ Black Tea is crisp and clean, “light enough for heatwaves [but] layered enough to turn heads.” (That’s seriously what it says in the description. How perfect?) Oh so summery, the fragrance pairs a black tea note with the brand’s beloved synthetic Iso E Super molecule—it has a cedarwood tonality and “velvety, cocooning sensation.”

LoveShackFancy Love on the Beach

Beach date, anyone? LoveShackFancy’s solar-flower Love on the Beach starts out with lush tropical blooms before digging into salt water and skin musks and ending with ambrox and sandalwood for a woody warmth. The brand says it “smells like an ombré sunset and lingers beyond the horizon” and really… what more could you want for a tropical-set reality TV romance?

Eauso Vert Purple Noon

Lastly, we have Purple Noon, a gorgeous floral reminiscent of sun-kissed skin that still provides a gentle heat—that fresh ginger top note is too good. Other top notes include Tunisian neroli, sweet orange, Italian bergamot, and coconut water. There are heart notes of Moroccan orangeflower and geranium, while orris, ylang-ylang, Indian tuberose, musk, and vanilla come in at the base.

The reason I want to couple up with this frag is how indulgent it feels, but I love its personality, too.