For me, the smell of freshly cut grass is up there with one of the top summer smells ever. It's a real shame that it normally comes coupled with ruinous hayfever but that is my own cross to bear. While I'm loyal to my autumn/winter scents (cosy, creamy, woody affairs like Glossier You Doux and Le Labo Thé Noir on rotation), I'm always happy to try something new in the summer; maybe a little aquatic moment for a beach holiday or a citrus vibe for an energetic summer party moment. I've been on the hunt for a greener, garden lawn scent that can sits between floral and those vibrant, leafy spritzes to sate my need for 'freshly-cut grass', but smell wholly elegant too.
To figure out the notes that I was looking for, I tapped up the Barclays Clubhouse for the Game.Scent.Match stand at Wimbledon this year, who have teamed up with Everyhuman to offer members the chance to make their own scent as a part of their 'Unforgettable Wimbledon Moments' campaign.
Giving a beauty director free reign on creating her own signature scent inspired by the vibrant green lawns and elegant, crisp tennis whites of Wimbledon? Dream scenes. My scent, 'Solar Cedar', mixed a vibrant green leafiness with cedarwood and a synthetic metallic note to cut through a hint of gourmand vanilla that was at the base. It reminds me of a late afternoon picnic when the food is finished, the air is still warm, the sun is still glowing and, every now and then, a breeze rustles the grass and you get that warm green smell. Pure bliss. If you want that vibe for your summer outside, here are five of the best you can buy right now...
Best English lawn scents
CHANEL N°19 - Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml
Notes: Green Notes, Iris Pallida, Galbanum
This floral, woody, green scent is such a classic – it's actually the last ever perfume that Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel ever launched or wore in 1883. Since then, it's had a reformulation but still remained the blueprint for elegant green florals. It's crisp on first spray but as it settles you really get a soft powdery essence that lingers.
Maison Margiela Replica From The Garden Eau De Toilette 30ml
Maison Margiela Replica From The Garden Eau De Toilette 30ml
Maison Margiela Replica From The Garden Eau De Toilette 30ml
Notes: Tomato Leaf accord, Green Mandarin, Patchouli and Geranium
When the tomato leaf first lands on your skin, it is giving warm English greenhouse vibes, but let it settle in and the leafiness meshes with the zing mandarin and the florals for a pretty, light spritz.
Le Labo Violette 30 Eau de Parfum 50ml
V30 EDP RM 50ML 444
Notes: Violet, Aldehydes, Rose, White Tea, Incense, Cumin, Saffron, Cedarwood, Guaiacwood, Amber & Patchouli
Spoiler alert, this is one of my favourite fragrance launches of 2026. If you like skin scents and musks but are looking for something fresher or lighter for summer, I urge you to smell this. It's muskier that the other lawn scents on this list but keeps that greener, garden energy thanks to the white tea and rose in the top notes.
Jo Malone Carrot Blossom Cologne
Notes: Fennel, Carrot Blossom, Patchouli
Disclaimer: I hate fennel. The taste, the smell – awful. So when I learnt that this was the top note of this delightful fragrance, I was shocked. If you look for it, you can make it out but it mainly just adds a sweetness to the first spritz and disappears quickly. The carrot blossom really sings a the heart of this scent giving it a beautiful floral, light and green energy.
Aesop Virere Eau de Parfum
Aesop Vir re Eau De Parfum
Notes: Galbanum, petitgrain, bergamot, green tea, mastic and pink pepper. Base notes of green maté, cedar and hay.
If feminine scents are not your bag, this from Aesop is a green, warm and masculine scent that is absolutely unisex. Think sexy date in a park on a warm summer's eve making out under the privacy of a shaded, leafy tree – or bush – as the breeze blows through. Bliss.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
