Written by guest blogger, and fragrance enthusiast, Colin Murchie. Find out more about Colin.

We’re in the middle of what has been a glorious summer, and when it comes to fragrance you should think of it like your seasonal wardrobe. You wouldn’t feel terribly comfortable wearing a woolly jumper and a duffle coat on the beach, and much the same goes for fragrance. A heavy sweet oriental fragrance may work beautifully in the cooler months of winter, but wear something like that in this heat and you may have people passing out around you!

Fragrance houses don’t release summer versions of their scents just to make money, there is a good reason. These are usually a lighter interpretation of the fragrance that is more suited to the warmer weather. Another reason can be alcohol content. It’s not a good idea to apply a fragrance high in alcohol and then go straight out in the sun, as the heat can cause this to irritate or even damage your skin over time. Finding an alcohol free fragrance can be difficult, so why not try your favourite fragrances lotion or body cream? These generally have little-to-no alcohol, so there is a lessened chance of skin irritation. If you cannot live without your favourite fragrance in the summer months, then apply it under your clothes and wait at least 30mins for the alcohol to evaporate before going out. It’s never a good idea to wear any fragrance with alcohol if you are sunbathing – this is just asking for trouble!

A great idea for guys is to go for your favourite scent in a body spray, deodorant stick and shower gel. Some fragrance houses also have lotions for men, one of which is Canali Summer Night. You can buy the body lotion spray which has the fragrance but very little alcohol. Another great benefit from a lotion is it can also double up as an after sun! These products contain a good amount of the fragrance without the alcohol, so are safe to wear in the sun. Come on guys, even we get dry skin!

Let’s hope this glorious weather continues! Have fun in the sun and don’t forget to apply plenty of at least factor 15 (before you apply any fragrance) if you’re sunbathing, and least factor 30 for kids.

Enjoy!