Pineapple Perfume Is So Hot Right Now

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Found in piña coladas, upside-down cakes, and Lilly Pulitzer prints, pineapple has long been a symbol of warm weather. Tropical and juicy, the fruit is transportive, conjuring mental images of breezy outdoor bars and Hawaiian getaways. But aside from the occasional inexpensive body mist, pineapple has been tragically underutilized in the world of fragrance—until now.

The fruit is getting a chic sensorial makeover. Not unlike pistachio before it, pineapple is breaking outside of its spiky shell and finding its place in some of the biggest launches of the season, starring in new scents from Ellis Brooklyn, Pacifica, D.S. & Durga, and By/Rosie Jane, and even in a new Polo Ralph Lauren cologne.

The sudden shift can partially be attributed to the gourmand renaissance—pineapple lends an unexpected twist to an already popular genre. According to perfumers, it’s fun to lean into the note’s inherent playfulness.

“From a first impression, pineapple is delicious, juicy, and fun. Even the look of the fruit itself says ‘party,’ in a way,” says Bee Shapiro, founder and CEO of Ellis Brooklyn. The brand’s latest drop, Miami Nectar, features a top note of pink pineapple alongside coconut water, lily of the valley, and vanilla.

Miami Nectar and the rest of the season’s new launches do their part to reimagine any preconceived notion you might have about a Life Saver–y scent of pineapple. “From a perfumer’s perspective, pineapple can have multiple facets,” Shapiro says. “It’s a fruit that can read high-end [but that] is also very casual. This versatility is what is so attractive.” The founder calls her latest “Miami in a bottle,” meaning it balances the tropical with sophistication.

David Moltz, founder and perfumer at D.S. & Durga, agrees that pineapple can take on different personalities depending on its application. Case in point: His brand’s newest scent, Black Magenta, couldn’t be further from the beach: Featuring pineapple, amber, and tobacco, it is meant to invoke a “wild night out in NYC—a trashy, classy, club vibe circa 1998–2004.” (We can smell it now …)

To avoid the piña colada trap, Moltz used more grounding notes, rather than other sweet or tropical notes. “It’s [about] cutting pineapple with bold things that cut the sweetness,” says Moltz. “If you don’t balance it, it’s going to get juvenile pretty quickly.”

On the other end of the spectrum is By/Rosie Jane’s new fragrance Missy, which smells “like skin after a day by the pool—sun-kissed and soft,” according to brand founder Rosie Jane Johnston. It is pineapple-forward, which comes across as fresh rather than candylike. “By adding coconut, musk, and mandarin, we’re able to temper the sweet smell,” she says.

Designed to be a functional fragrance, Missy is intended to make its wearer happier simply by spritzing it on. “I wanted the feeling of joy to be the main theme, and pineapple does that,” says Johnston. “It’s just so joyful, and the aroma is so sweet and juicy, you can almost taste it.”

Pineapple’s youthful energy is undoubtedly part of what makes it fresh and ideal for spring and summer. But it can also make it skew too young, or even childlike. “Similar to vanilla, pineapple has been overused in candy, gum, and in cheap body sprays,” explains Johnston, who says that, as with any fragrance note, pineapple has “many iterations: green, earthy, sweet, soft, etc.”

In other words, don’t let adolescent scent memories deter you from trying these more sophisticated options, which turn the idea of pineapple, well, upside down. Besides, a spritz of youth never hurt anyone.

“I don’t think there is an age limit for anything, especially perfume. If you love it, wear it,” Johnston says. Of Missy, she notes: “I deliberately kept the pineapple recognizable. It makes me happy, and it’s hot.”

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