First Impressions – New Summer Scents – Carner Barcelona, Guerlain & More

First Impressions – Carner Barcelona “Summer Journey” Collection

“The heat is on,” sang the late great Glenn Frey in the 1984 movie Beverly Hills Cop, and indeed the heat is on here in Australia as summer starts to bite. Fresh scents are again at the forefront of my fragrance rotation, and I’ve tested quite a few new summer-ready releases. Did I find anything that tickled my fancy? Well, maybe one or two. Below are my first impressions from some of the more significant releases of recent times, starting with three new fragrances from Carner Barcelona.

I was all ready to blast this line. To me, the bottles look hideous, with their seemingly out-of-proportion caps and weird colour schemes. But they can’t all be the summer stunners that are those Aqua Allegoria Bee Bottles. However, to my surprise, what they lack in presentation, they make for scent-wise and in terms of price. These 30ml Carner bottles are in a similar price range (65 Euros each) to the Guerlain “Aqua” line, also now available in handy 30ml sizing.

Super Moon’s cloying Berry opening (pomegranate) gives way to a lovely dry down of musks and soft patchouli. Tennis Club lacks the excitement of a five-set thriller at Wimbledon, but it’s a decent blood orange/neroli freshie with a strong cedar finish. But my favourite by far is the salty, savoury citrus Sal Y Limón. The lemon-lime pairing brings to mind endless carefree summers by the beach, conjuring up thoughts of tanning, tequilas, and tacos in the Barcelona sun. 

And what of the other summer fare I’ve tried? I sincerely thought Zoologist’s Cow might hit the mark. Sadly it amounts to nothing more than musky apple shampoo. I couldn’t detect any of the promised milky notes. In the inimitable words of Christopher Walken, it needs more cowbell. Equally flat is Perris Monte Carlo’s new Neroli Mediterraneo. A similar story with BDK’s Villa Neroli which relies far too heavily on a synthetic base to extend its rather limpid neroli top.  

Olfactive Studio’s Dancing Light, a fragrance inspired by the Northern Lights, feels suitably icy. However, the musky minty, piney white floral works ideally in high heat. An herbal aspect arises through the floral haze, and it reminds me a little of the much-maligned Gucci Mémoire d’Une Odeur. A’mmare by Carthusia is a 2021 release, but it slipped under my radar until now. The clever combination of slightly animalic salty marine notes, with rosemary and mint, on a well-behaved bed of woods and patchouli, is well worth checking out. Lovely bottle too.

However, out of everything I sampled, my pick must be the latest addition to the Aqua Allegoria line, Nerolia Vetiver. Jelk and Wasser successfully combine the figgy goodness of Philosykos with the Mediterranean chic of Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino. For the first 30 minutes, the juicy fig dominates. Eventually, though, the neroli becomes more prominent. Finally, grassy vetiver, nothing like the brand’s classic vetiver, joins with a subtle herbal basil aspect to round out this delightful addition to the line that feels like a sunny saunter through a Calabrian garden in the height of summer. 

Have you tried any of these latest releases?

Below are a few summer photos I took recently.