Sol de Janeiro wardrobe of scents are each inspired by an important event – and its accompanying year – in Brazilian culture. Where is your nose leading you? Read on to find out!
September 24 | 4 minute read
Words by MECCA Memo
But did you know Sol’s cult-favourite body mists are designed to layer with their body care favourites?
In the same way that layering primer, foundation and powder helps your perfectly applied base last longer, layering your scent is the secret to ensuring it doesn’t pull a disappearing act come 3:00pm (don’t you hate when that happens?!). Layering body products with a similar scent – like a body wash, moisturiser and fragrance – intensifies and amplifies its effects, which in turn helps to boost its longevity so that it lingers on the skin for longer.
And there’s another good reason to layer your fragrance with numerous body products: dry skin doesn’t ‘hold’ scent as well as hydrated, moisturised skin. To simplify the technical reason: scent molecules like to latch onto oils, and if there isn’t enough of it on the skin, then the scent will fade faster. Mist your favourite fragrance on well-moisturised skin and you’ll get a much longer-lasting scent experience (it’s why layering your favourite Sol de Janeiro body product with its complementary fragrance just makes scents).
The most iconic celebration in Brazilian culture? Rio Carnaval! Sensual, exciting and downright intoxicating, this fragrance is named for the year of the first Carnaval Ball, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1840.
If you like: A heady floral gourmand – this mixes black amber plum, créme de cassis, vanilla woods, jasmine and musk.
Layer it: Clear the way for seriously delicious-smelling (and feeling) skin with the Bom Dia Body Scrub, formulated with both AHA and BHA exfoliators. Get ready for even more glow with the retexturising and radiance-revealing Bom Dia Bright Cream, then spritz the Brazilian Crush Cheirosa ’40 Perfume Mist all over for a scent that moves with you!
This is it: the scent of the cult body cream we simply can’t keep in stock (you’d recognise that sunshine yellow tub anywhere!) that makes it feel like summer all year round. Inspired by the beach culture of Brazil, this delectably sweet fragrance is named for the year 1962, when the smash hit ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ took over the airwaves.
If you like: A sun-drenched blend of pistachio, almond, salted caramel, vanilla and sandalwood.
Layer it: Spent a day on the sand? Refresh in the shower with the Bum Bum Body Scrub, before smoothing on the lifting, tightening Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and finishing with the Brazilian Crush Cheirosa ’62 Perfume Mist.
A tribute to the Tropicália movement that began in the late 1960s, this scent captures the incredible vibrancy of this shift in Brazilian culture, music and art. Exciting, colourful and uplifting, it’s an unexpected yet captivating scent that bottles the essence of a tropical paradise.
If you like: A sun-dappled garden of fruity florals, with notes of pink dragon fruit, Brazilian jasmine, lychee, hibiscus, vanilla and sun musk.
Layer it: Smooth in the collagen-rich and elasticity-boosting Beija Flor Elasti-Cream all over your limbs, then top with the Brazilian Crush Cheirosa ’68 Perfume Mist.
This fragrance is an instant mood booster inspired by the year 1959, when singer João Gilberto released bossa nova album, 'Chega de Saudade' (aka No More Blues). We definitely recommend queuing the album and hitting play when you envelop yourself with this floral concoction designed to add a sprinkle of positivity wherever you go.
If you like: A floral bouquet of vanilla orchid, sugared violet and sheer sandalwood with the fruity zing of a juicy plum.
Layer it: Use a generous lashing of Delícia Drench Body Butter all over your body, concentrating on areas where the skin feels most dry, then finish with a spritz of Cheirosa ‘59 for a scent that follows you all day.
Feel the energy of the dance floor and get lost in the beat with Cheirosa ‘76, which bottles Brazil’s shimmy-shimmy discotheque era. With a moody, sensual blend of blackcurrant, midnight jasmine and lush freesia, this fragrance does the impossible – leaves you feeling fresh on the dance floor. Spritz all over your hair and face for a hydrating boost that will leave you looking so glowy, strangers will ask you for your secret in the bathroom line.
If you like: Rich, velvety fragrances that stay with you until the sun comes up, with notes of blackcurrant, pear nectar, midnight jasmine, vanilla crème and lush freesia.
Layer it: For a scent trail that will last all night, start with the fruity Bom Dia Bright Body Wash in the shower, followed by the Bom Dia Body Scrub, and a spritz of Cheirosa ’76 all over your hair and body.
Cheirosa ‘48 is summer in a bottle. This is the fragrance for you if you spend warm days hobnobbing between the beach and the cabana with its tropicana blend of guava nectar, coconut water and orchid flowers. Cheirosa is also an excellent escape in the depths of winter when you need to be reminded summer is around the corner and looking for an uplifting fragrance guaranteed to get you out of any funk.
If you like: Fruity, tropical fragrances that make you feel like you’re always on holiday with a cocktail of guava nectar, coconut water, pink musk and orchid flowers.
Layer it: Get beach ready in an instant with the deeply moisturising Bom Dia Bright Cream, which gently exfoliates with fruit AHAs and leaves skin glowy with Vitamin C, then finish with a spritz of Cheirosa ‘48 – which is also excellent after a post-swim rinse.
Forget scrolling your camera roll, this scent is designed to take you back to your favourite summer vacation in a flash. Infused with nostalgic notes of leite de coco (coconut milk), warm sand and solar tuberose, you’ll be scanning flights to your next tropical destination after just one spritz. Or at very least embellishing all your at-home drinks with a mini cocktail umbrella.
If you like: Light, refreshing scents that let beach days linger with a blend of leite de coco, ylang ylang, warm sand and creamy vanilla.
Layer it: Start with the Beija Flor Body Wash in the shower, then follow with a generous serving of the rich, elasticity-boosting Beija Flor Elasti-Cream. Finally, finish with a spritz of the Rio Radiance Mist before you leave the house.
