What types of fragrances do you enjoy wearing in the summer or hot weather in general? As fragrance writers and reviewers, we’ve often posed this question to our online communities, and the responses vary. Although there are countless choices available, one good approach is to keep things fresh and clean, especially as the warmer season unfolds and we might not want to be imbued with heavy scents.
Playground, the latest creation by the German indie brand Der Duft, is described by Anselm Skogstad (brand founder and perfumer) as “fresh”, “adventurous”, “joyous, and “clean”, nicely matching the collection’s polished and minimalistic aesthetic and providing fragrance lovers with an uplifting scent option.
Anselm often collaborates with perfumers from all over the world, but he personally created Playground, as well as two earlier fragrances for his brand: Monopteros and the limited-edition (and now discontinued) Grasse.
At first sniff, Playground took me back to my childhood summers. My family would always pack a cooler with fresh fruit to snack on at the beach. I can still taste the peaches, plums, and cherries. I also remember the slices of melon, paired with briny prosciutto (I’m a salty food lover and adore savory-sweet combos!). Those succulent slices would relieve the heat of the day, and we’d go and rinse the sticky juices from our hands in the cool, salty water.
As the fragrance develops, I think of early summer mornings, when the air is cool and clear, and the beaches are still peaceful before becoming filled with noisy crowds. I can smell the mineral scent of the rocky reefs, the remains of a wooden boat by the dunes, and the flowering bushes from the Mediterranean brush.
The main accord in the fragrance is unmistakable: a crisp, refreshing, and subtly sweet melon note. I can almost taste its juicy flesh and grainy texture. The melon’s watery green scent mixes with the salty smell of the sea breezes hovering in the air and the cool sand by the shore touching your feet. In the background, I detect the faint smell of wet flowers, mineral notes, musky driftwood, and subtle saltiness.
There is nothing about this fragrance that suggests the scorching sun, melted sunscreen, or dripping fruity popsicles. Its scent remains fresh and pristine. I don’t normally enjoy the overpowering, even aggressive, intensity of calone, the chemical compound that conveys melon/cucumber and sea notes in perfume, but here the molecule conjures clarity and serenity.
Discover Playground and other fragrances on the brand’s website.
Notes: Calabrian Bergamot, Honeydew Melon, Marine Notes, Jasmin Absolute, Lily of the Valley, Tiaré, Cashmere Wood, Musk, White Amber
A note from the perfumer:
“A place where you can play, free from worries and pressures! Your place, your game.” — Anselm Skogstad
I’m grateful to Anselm for sending me a full bottle of Playground.
Words and photo by me.
Read my full review of Bubble, another creation by Der Duft.
