The best sunny scents to brighten dull days

Is there anything more invigorating than throwing the curtains open to golden winter light? Perhaps because the sun’s rays are so precious and short-lived at this time of year, they have a ‘catch me if you can’ quality that makes even a slither of brightness feel immediately fortifying. So it is in the world of scent.

While sunny blends, laced with citrus, tropical white flowers, exotic fruits and aquatic or herbal notes, may not immediately spring to mind when considering a winter fragrance, experts agree that they’re just the tonic. ‘These notes have an uplifting effect, which is exactly what we need and crave during the darker months,' says founder and creative director of Olfactive O, Olivia de Costa, who released her zippy Citrus, £60, just as the nights started to draw in last autumn.

But if you’re envisaging barely there spritzes, then you might be surprised by the latest and brightest winter perfumes, which combine light with warmth in the most clever of ways. ‘Layering clean, light top notes with soft and enduring base notes such as patchouli, amber and musk creates glowing scents that are rich enough to make an entrance on cold evenings,' explains Olivia.In this way, even a piña colada can take its place on a winter dressing table, says revered perfumer Olivier Cresp, who created 'something stronger than a typical solar scent' when he mellowed tart and juicy top notes of pineapple and coconut water with buttery toffee and creamy, lingering woody notes in his ‘summer-prolonging’ Akro Rise, from £80.

Incorporating cosy base notes has its practical perks, too.‘Wood, leather and amber have larger scent molecules, meaning they stay on your skin for longer, and develop with your body heat as the day goes on,’ explains perfumer and founder of The Experimental Perfume Club Emmanuelle Moeglin. Her aptly named Soleil d’Hiver, from £45, gives vibrant and jammy Moroccan rose a wintry twist with the addition of smoky oolong tea. Consider it the olfactory equivalent of putting the kettle on and finding a sunlit nook.