Sun

SOLAR Powderbomb!... Signed by Pierre Bourdon (Iris Poudree Frederic Malle), this powdery vintage iris-vanilla scent with maple-walnut nuances opens with a burst of soft, sweet woody orange blossom that deepens into a buttery orris root & floral heart. There's a lot going on here, with heliotrope, ylang, carnation, lily of the valley and rose all suspended in orris butter. The blend of florals in buttery orris is all supported by a amber-vanilla base with maple walnut nuances from styrax & palisander rosewood. This needs a few weeks/months in dark storage after first sprays to develop the true scent and performance. While this didn't initially read 'beachy' to my nose, wearing it there will be no need for sun. Contrast to Sun 30th Anniversary Edition Jil Sander: These have been compared, and there is a similar DNA but side by side they're different, especially in the openings. Sun 30th Ann. Ed. is sunnier and more citrus forward, leaning to scents like Pure Poison Dior. There is a similarity in the bases, however, and the longer they dry down the more similar they become with Sun 30th leaning woody and Sun leaning amber. Both have well above average performance, although Sun 30th Ann. Ed has a louder brighter projecting opening. Contrast to Sun Summer 2020: These are different, but there is a similar DNA. Sun Summer 2020 leans more to carbonated coconut water with a little added fizz. Watery coconut and creamy tiare, supported in the background by a soft fizzy combo of aldehydes, grapefruit and patchouli settles out onto a musky ambrette base with clean touches from orange blossom. As it dries down it becomes similar to Sun 30th Anniv. Edition & Sun. Contrast to Esprit d'Oscar Oscar de la Renta: These are different but Sun has some similarities to Esprit d'Oscar, both being iris-vanilla forward scents. Esprit d'Oscar has a sharper opening that's more ylang-iris forward, but as it dries down becomes more similar to Sun. Esprit d'Oscar has a "perfume-y" quality while Sun leans to nutty-maple nuances. Overall: This beautiful, unique Pierre Bourdon gem has great performance with a small scent bubble that adds versitility. This is the perfect scent to wear for making your own sunshine. It's a love for me. Enjoy!

Jil Sander Sun does smell like sunscreen, it‘s basically the mother of all beachy scents. BUT this is old school European sunscreen that‘s perfumed with orange blossom, so no coconut and nothing specifically tropical. I think how you perceive Sun might really depend on your location or where you grew up. To me this smells like a distant memory of a summer day in my childhood, so, in the 90s in Germany. We don‘t have too many really hot days here most years, but we do have them, and Sun smells like sitting on a beach on a very hot day, wearing sunscreen and eating a Curamaja Split (passion fruit flavored creamsicle) after spending many hours in the sun. It has that smell of sand and sunkissed skin to it, a warm salty ambery fizz. It‘s not a photorealistic caption of the scene I described, but it conjures that image to me, like a blurry picture. Objectively I‘d say Sun is a warm oriental benzoin and vanilla scent with orange blossom, heliotrope and some short-lived fruity notes. It smells good on warm or cold skin and could be worn year round. Here in Germany it‘s the olfactory equivalent of the Macarena, really overplayed in the 90s and I‘m not sure I want to smell like it. But if you‘re from a place where Jil Sander was never really popular and the description sounds good to you, I urge you to try it, this is a lovely scent, especially for the cheap price it‘s going for nowadays.

This is more than just sunscreen, this is more than just a drug store perfume, this is a masterpiece that is honestly underpriced Sure, a dated scent. Very VERY 70s even tho its an 80s perfume. Powdery animalic incense with fruity inflections, slight sweetness and solar florals. This scent had to grow on me, but i keep loving it more and more. I wouldnt consider this a mere vanilla perfume, i find the vanilla in this more textural. Its not a separate scent, its like a vanilla powder on top of all these other smells. The scent is sunny and powdery, yet crisp and warming. Its not cooling or refreshing, unlike most other ‘summer’ perfumes. This is like warm sunkissed skin, but its also mystical and calm. As if one was meditating in the sun. Idk if its my nose because most people dont find it as beautiful as i do, but i genuinely think this is one of the best things released. I mentioned earlier that this is similar to Loulou and Poison, which still holds true. While loulou is a mysterious profound girl you’d have a ki with, and poison a seductive ostentatious girl, this is a calm and wise girl that know how to have fun with everyone and even kick it with a squirrel. More similar to loulou than poison, this is like a loulou for hot days. Yet also very beautiful on sunny winter days. Loulou is the moon, sun is.. the sun. Poison is an eclipse

So, I have a confession to make... this. right. here. is phenomenal! I won't wear it to go out (casual or formal events) or to work. I wear it for ME and only ME. It is everything I have ever searched for in a fragrance. I must be honest, it is SO SWEET that it is obnoxious- hence why I don't wear it out and about town. SUN by Jil Sander has every single note I have searched for all over Fragrantica for years and years!! Vanilla, BENZOIN, heliotrope, amber, sandalwood, orris root, tonka bean, styrax, ylang-ylang- PURE HEAVEN! So thank you to all my fellow Fragranticians who have recommended this fragrance based on the notes listed above that I was in search of. I have used fragrantica.com for so many years, that I even lost my original username and had to start from scratch all over again. I wish someone told me years ago, if you are looking for that sweet sweet base found in that old Revlon Ciara, without that weird top raspberry note, this may be what you are looking for. I am still in search of THE similar sweet perfume my dear sweet Aunt used to wear when I was a child. But as my hubby has already told me, I may just have to accept that fact that I may never know what it was she wore :( Until that day, I will continue to secretly enjoy my SUN.

It’s the summer of 1989, and I’m eleven years old. I’m blonde, freckled, and have a sunscreen that I love the scent of. My glamorous Aunt sent it to me. I don’t have boobs. I don’t wear makeup, but I’m obsessed. It smells bougie. Grown. SUN eau de toilette has transported me to that summer, and delivers the nostalgic, *sunny* feeling of whatever fancy Bain de Soleil I obsessed over. SUN’s yellow florals, soft amber, and creamy lactonic feel match the aesthetic of the bottle. The no-fuss design makes it ideal for tossing in a purse, or better, a beach bag. SUN is not strictly a summer perfume. The soft vanilla, african orange flower, and benzoin are enveloping and comforting in all seasons. This is an easy fragrance to wear. I find myself reaching for it after a bath, before bed, or I spray in the morning for a happy, creamy burst. The vibe is different from anything else I have, but it’s also *me*, that naive freckled kid. I love it. For reference this is a review of a recent formulation by Cody, it’s both strong and long lasting. SUN deserves the place it’s taken as a favorite in my (I’m realizing now, too large) collection.

As I continue to work from home, I continue to take "risks" with my fragrance purchases. When there's no one around to offend, you can really test some of the more polarizing, yet curious, fragrances on your list. Jil Sander San was on my list for the better part of year, and I finally purchased a bottle. I'm pleasantly surprised! It's not bad! On initial blast, I do smell something... chemical. It's just an odd synthetic smell that, on me, dissipates within a few minutes. What's left is a skin scent (I get no projection from this) that smells musky, ambery, and a little smoky. It's sweet without being cloying, and while I wouldn't call it "fresh," it certainly smells clean. To echo other reviewers, this doesn't smell beachy in a conventional American way, but it does make me recall going down the Jersey shore as a young woman in my early 20s. I was a heavy smoker then, and this perfume does remind me of what I used to smell like back then- Bain de Soleil sun cream and Parliaments. I like this, but I also recognize that it's not for everyone.

The comparisons to Cacharel's LouLou were what I needed to push me over the edge. It was love at first sniff; Sun and LouLou could be sisters. I wouldn't call either of them a dupe for the other, but Sun satisfies my LouLou cravings when I'm in a frugal mood, or when the weather is too hot for heavy fragrances. And I will admit, Sun isn't exactly fresh, however the florals are just bright enough to make the scent feel warm like sunshine, rather than a crackling bonfire. It fits right in next to my other powders, bridging the seasonal gap between LouLou, Kenzo Flower, and Curve Crush. The spices are the strongest at first spray. I get a strong whiff of cloves that fades into sweet vanilla resin, then the spicy carnation comes out with the ylang-ylang and I start to feel like I really understand what the term 'yellow floral' means. The other notes aren't as strong to me; I get the sense that they're more there to balance the others, rather than stand on their own. This was an extremely successful blind buy, I'm very grateful.

I bought this from Notino for like 13 dollars, after reading the reviews stating that this is like a retro sunscreen scent. They werent kidding. When I bought this, I smelled it once and put it in the cabinet and didnt touch it for like 2 weeks, because I felt unimpressed. Why did I let the first sprays and unmatured scent fool me again? I gave it a shot one random work morning, and have been wearing it ever since. I work outside in a construction site, and sweat a ton. And I just smell like im in 80's Miami, at a beach, warm and dark summer night, sun lotion on and a drink in my hand. Im sad that this is an eau de toilette so it only lasts like 2 hours, but thats actually nice for a work perfume so it wont suffocate anyone out or cause migraines. And its so cheap you could bathe in it and not notice it in your bank account. Even my coworker said I smelled good. That being said, Im gonna try buying the perfume version next, and the shower gel, and the skin lotion...

I have repurchased this many years but cannot figure out why the scent has changed. Studied for days about what might have happened or if I received a fake product. The original bottle and writing glow near lighting and the latest one around is flat bland and assumably shrink wrapped printed plastics. Although it smells similar it is lacking that deep creamy smell and does not last half an hour. I still had half a bottle to compare them which lasted all day. After aiming to purchase it since 1994 I finally got one in 2022, glorious! Sadly the 2025 one I grabbed has changed or is fake. Site photos indicate they might have changed but there is no media on it. The latest Sun range, 6 bottles going from sunrise to sunset hasn't got any element of bottle glow. Perhaps to not outshine the other bottles. This will take some time to figure out but I'm fuming if it has changed. I'll grab one of the other day bottles to compare if wrapped plastic or bottle print.

Warmth that never leaves you Some fragrances whisper. Sun doesn't. Someone once told me this scent was loud — even too loud. But I never minded. I loved it then, and I still do. I’ve worn it since the '90s, and it has followed me through decades like a loyal shadow. There's always a bottle somewhere near. That familiar brightness, that solar radiance — somehow it feels like home. The pyramid is long (ah, the '90s!), but the effect is seamless. Creamy florals, something almost soapy yet radiant — all bathed in sunlight. Sun doesn’t aim for subtlety. It shines. It stays. And yes, the longevity is more than impressive — this scent doesn’t fade quickly, and neither do the memories tied to it. It may not be a niche marvel, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s bold, golden, and strangely comforting. The kind of scent you never really leave behind — because it never really leaves you.

This fragrance throws me back in the 90s. I can hear La Bouche's Be My Lover song and I became a typical Mediterranean kid who enjoyed seaside during summer school break. Well kept women who were applying generously nice fragranced sunscreen creams, oils and tanning marmelades smelled like this. This is a tipical old-school vanilla, tonka and benzoin combination spiced up with sweetness from ylang ylang, fruity vibe and carnation. It does smell a little bit artiticial, just like those sunscreen creams but that's the charm of it. Projection and sillage are decent, on my skin it lasts throughout the day and I can feel it on my wrist in the morning. I know that people love to wear Sun during winter months but this one brings so strong summer memories that I can't wear it then. Give it a try, you won't regret this affordable gem.

I have a sample. --- Lovely! A powdery complex scent with hits of old-style sunscreen (probably the ylang-ylang), which doesn't smell exactly the same every time I smell it. Sometimes I get more vanilla, other times more resins, others more florals, sometimes a creamy round, almost gourmand note that vaguely reminds me of marzipan, but not quite, and sometimes an interesting "fresh powder note" with an airy and vaguely sour quality which I enjoy. To my nose, it varies and I like this variety, while always keeping its powdery cloud of serene beauty. It also smells "happy", for lack of a better term. There's something my mind interprets here as a breeze on a warm-ish day, I am not exactly sure what. I do love powdery scents. If you don't it's probably not for you. I may want it, need to re-test some more days :)

I tried this one on a strip of paper and it smelled like bug spray to me so I find it incredible that I love it on my skin. The opening is exactly like sun cream and it settles into a nice warm floral vanilla. Yes, there is something slightly old-fashioned about it but to me it's youthful, more so than many recent white floral/vanilla creations. If Flower by Kenzo is my favourite spring scent, this would be the perfect summer one. Given how simple and no-fuss the bottle is, I can already imagine bringing it around with me in my straw beach bag! Beautiful design, perfect blend and price that defies my wildest dreams. Will be exploring the flankers and the brand for sure. Makes me wonder how many perfumes I should try on my skin despite not liking them on the tester. Chemistry, eh?

I loved this immediately. Soft, sweet, powdery and warm. Like pure femininity but without choking florals, like a clean soft sweater, cotton dresses drying in the sun, and youth. Dove lotion on sunkissed skin. I don’t get anything distinct and the notes surprise me. Not juvenile, just happy, pure and calm. I think I’m very lucky this wasn’t a popular perfume where I’m from: this is new to my nose and something very special. Exactly what I want to smell on a warm day in spring or summer. It doesn’t scream bikini and tanning oil on a beach to me, but it wouldn’t be out of place there either. It’s gentle, plasticky smell of 90/2000s lipstick. Edit: Wearing this in summer now and get the balmy resin notes others talk about. It’s divine, but a lot heavier wearing than other seasons.

Jil Sander Sun brings back precious memories of Costa Brava and Côte d'Azur holidays, me spraying this on in the morning to walk to the bakery and buy fresh Croissants and Baguette. I was a young teen and felt super grown-up doing that, especially when the handsome guy working in the bakery commented on how much he liked my perfume, as I passed him by. A rich, summery scent that can be worn in the sun without staining your skin, hence the name. Works on top of European sun lotion, yep. Tightly connected to summer, beach, carefree fun for me. I'm glad I have this association - wearing it today brings back some of those feels! Even without that, though, this is a good blind buy, if you like the notes. Sun is well rounded, easy to wear and pleasant and the price is great.

Jill Sander Sun EDT has the classic European sunscreen smell a la Bain de Soleil or Garnier Ambre Solaire. It isn't coconut fruity like the typical Hawaiian Tropic American sun lotions (which I also like), but more of an amber based sunscreen accord. I really love Jill Sander Sun as it smells nostalgic for me - like 1980's days by the pool with my mom's orange gelee. It is a comforting and sophisticated fragrance at a terrific price. I douse myself and put my feet up to feel like I am lounging on a European beach without the horror of air travel. I don't get the connection with any of the related perfumes mentioned above, however it does have a lot in common with J'Adore Dior - particularly the D'eau flanker, which also smells of expensive sun lotion.

This is quite a heavy and creamy scent for summer, yet it does fit summer. I quite like Sun despite it having been around longer than I have been. It opens with a strong blend of fruits and flowers. The orange flower and cassis take center stage. Already I can smell the powdery orris root and the amber. What stands out to me is that Sun remains almost the same fragrance throughout the day, it just becomes more muted as time goes on. The orange flower and cassis balance out with the other notes, but nothing else takes center stage after them. Sun lasts for nearly the entire day on my skin, and personally I find it rather strong sillage wise. Sun is fairly inexpensive price wise, and it makes for great value.

In my opinion, this scent does really express the character of summer and hot, sunny weather well. It reminds me of the scent a sun protection milk has. It's fruity and sweet, but not in a way a random celebrity fragrance would smell, for example (and by that I don't want to imply all celebrity perfumes smell like that or that it's bad to smell like that, it's just what occurred to me at first as an example of a typical, fresh, fruity-sweet smell). It's more like a sun milk and bubblegum, a little bit of citrus, something like that. I haven't encountered a scent like that before. Interesting. The longevity and sillage are moderate.

I will always have a bottle of Sun in my collection. I‘ve just worn it again today and thought I might gift a bottle to a couple of friends because they should have a bottle too lol It’s a complex perfume and I like how expensive it smells on me and how cheap it is. It reminds me of Jovan Musk, with vanilla. I can’t really distinguish any other of the notes, it just smells like Sun. It can be worn anytime and anywhere in my opinion, it’s so versatile. Sorry for the maybe useless review, I actually write them for myself. There are many good reviews below. Also I agree it smells like a lighter more wearable version of Loulou.

anyone alive and old enough to remember 1989 will recognise the dna. it was everywhere. Have you ever got your nose on Lulu? That perfume in a light blue opaque glass bottle. it's a great fragrance but vibe and intensity put it completely on the autumn/winter side. imagine a perfumer tried to do a version for summer and you would have this. I'm a fan of Lulu and live in a hot climate, so I'm stoked edit: after using this a while, it's Lulu goes to the beach exactly. sunscreen from the 80s and 90s over the original perfume. Think Mrs Marcellus Wallace goes to the beach and lays out.

This perfume reminds me of waking up way too early during summer days and walking through a still stagnant city. It was a delicate sensory stimulus that would break the quietness along with crows cawing above the old church I used to pass by on my way. It is creamy, calm, radiates light, and has a very soft sweetness about it that adds to its charm and brightness. Wearing this fragrance is like feeling a very personal, small sort of happiness, that is very complex, but also very simple at the same time.

This is a silent masterpiece. Deserves attention, nothing out dated. It is a close to skin fragrance. Blends in very wisely, differs for every wearer like a fingerprint. Although the name is "Sun", i find it to be a sophisticated winter scent. Cream, almond, exotic fruits and flowers, sandalwood, a hint of vanilla, sufficient portion of musk and such clear and clean winter scent. Everything is well balanced, rounded, nothing sharp and harsh to the nose. I always keep a bottle in my closet.

I was looking for a “cream” (Nivea) scent, so I took a chance and blind bought a small bottle. It is a complex and interesting scent, although not terribly similar to Nivea. I love it and I’m happy I took a chance on it. There isn’t one note that dominates, although it does seem to have a pleasant, slightly medicinal quality (probably the cassis) to start and mellows into a slightly sweet complex powdery vanilla scent. I find it to be a comforting scent, so I tend to wear it at night.

One of my absolute favorites, smells like oriental suncream! Bright and tropical ylang with a gorgeous vanilla/benzoin/amber tonka base. Fruity nuances here and there, very sweet, warm, and simply divine. What I love is that is has the potential to get cloying based on the given notes, but it never does. Long-lasting with great sillage, this can be worn all year round, but the warmth of summer makes this extra special. Another excellent offering by Jil Sander.

Really like the fragrance – this was a blind buy after seeing on Tiktok. I immediately recognized this fragrance, it has some similar notes with other Jil Sander fragrances and it it felt very familiar. I do think it's lovely, but I'm not sure about the longevity and sillage that people are reporting here, because I would have loved it to be stronger in terms of how long it wears and when you can smell it, because on me it seems to fade rather quickly.

I got this one after seeing one (1) TikTok review about it, and when I first sprayed it, I was sort of disappointed. However, it took me only about half an hour to get absolutely addicted to it. This perfume smells like sunscreen, but in the best way possible. I cannot stop smelling the cap, even when I'm not wearing the perfume. It you don't like sunscreen fragrances, you won't love this one, but if you do, you need to get it asap.

Anytime carnation and heliotrope are together in a fragrance, I get a laundry vibe. That's definitely what I get from Sun -- hot, fabric softened laundry from the dryer. There's some spiciness and vanillic notes, but it never veers off into gourmand territory. I don't have enough of a beach history to compare any sunscreens or tanning lotions. I will say that I definitely get a bright, creamy, slightly fruity, lotion-like accord.

This was my aunt's signature back then, and I really can say, this is really reformulated. The original formula was far better, yes, but this still rocks. Though, I can say, this is a little heavy for summer. I'd recommend wearing this in winter/fall. Still rocks, though. Not so different from what I remember but yeah, a little different. Still amazing though. Edit: don't overspray. Trust me on this one.

I love this so much - it's become my everyday fragrance, layered with the shower gel and body cream... The price is ridiculously cheap, especially considering it was made by the nose behind Creed Spring Flower and so many other lovely feminine scents, Pierre Bourdon. It's beachy, clean, floral and just a tad spicy (the carnation note) and opaque. Well worth the 10€ I paid!

This is such a beautiful and nostalgic fragrance. It makes you remember being carefree and simply having fun in the summer. The perfect beach and summer scent. I forgot how much I love it until spraying it again yesterday and wearing it today. I immediately bought another bottle just to have it for when I run out now that I’ll be wearing it again

not everyone's cuppa tea, but it is my whole jug. Spicy, vanilla, carnation...not really sunscreen - the sunscreen smell I know is baby oil, lol, maybe the powdery aspect of it. It vaguely smells like flesh, sun kissed, and warm, and dry, and sweet. It is one of a kind, warm embrace; and it is the kind of fragrance that grows on you :)

I don't get sunscreen at all but that's probably cultural (apparently in Europe this smells like sunscreen sold there.) The stuff I buy in Ohio smells like banana or something. Imagine sunscreen smelling so classy! I love the white floral and spicy notes together. Reminds me of LouLou with the heliotrope.

This is such a unique fragrance, I can't compare it to any other scent I've ever smelled... You'll smell like you spent the day on the beach. I think it seats perfect on both women and men. It also takes me immediately back to my childhood in the 90's and I love it even more for that!

My absolute favorite summer scent. It’s been with me on so many vacations that every time I spray it, I feel like I’m back by the sea. A nostalgic, rich, sweet blend of vanilla, incense, amber, and sunscreen. One of the very few perfumes I repurchase — and even keep backups.

I have a bottle from April 2021 and it is weak. The scent is great and really perfect for summer. Comparable to Tom Ford Soleil Blanc. I wear it as a man as it smells masculine to me. But the performance is so bad, I'm really sad. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 5/10 Sillage: 3/10

I think Jil Sander's Sun is Royal Muska's slightly more extroverted and younger sister. They both have this tropical vibes plus neither-clean-nor-dirty sexy sexy musk and think they would be a good layering combo. Maybe the best things in life are budget-friendly, hmmm.

Great perfume, smells wonderful! Daily, beach like smell with a lot of vanilla and amber, but in a plastic kind of a sense, like for example plastic balls on a beach but not in an invasive way at all. Not a safe blind buy! Certainly perfume for all the seasons

one of my favorite drug store perfumes. it really says sun and beach. i like to wear it like it is “prescribed”; after beach soak or when i am nostalgic for the summer. the amount of the powder i feel in it is what makes it mesmerizing for me.

Positivity in a bottle and a compliment getter ☀️ Sun feels like blooming, in a soft and decent way. It’s summery as a mood, as the promise of sunbath or long evenings with your loved ones. Creamy, well blended and elegant. A memorable smell.

I smell like beach I smell like beach I smell like beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaach Milky, sweet, ocean, sunscreen, somebody definitely peed somewhere in the distance but it adds to the experience. Great work/office scent.

What happened to my Sun! I don't remember Sun like it is now. Something change, right? Still recognizable but not how it was before. Sun was more balsamic and powdery and now carnation is screaming so much it wipe out every other note.

This was one of the best blind buys ever. The opening is quite fresh with a slightly spicy element. Later it dries down to a creamy, powdery fragrance that is very comforting and rich. To me, it smells really sophisticated.

To @beavisbonce’s comment: what a nerve!! to say a perfume from 1989 is a cheap version of a 2012 one. The latter having been created when salty beach scents were already a thing, unlike the time Sun was released...

The mother of european beach scent, a distant relative of Cacharels Lou Lou. This is Europe in the 80’s, lazy days by the Mediterranean sea, it smells like Whams club Tropicana. Yes that is what it smells like.

See to my nose and wallet this is a totally safe blind buy. Summer nights, sex on the beach, carnations & amber. Sometimes it reminds me of Chanel # 5. I’m on my 2nd bottle &!love the lotion too. .......⛱️☀️🍬.

This is my happy place in a form of perfume. Takes me to this soft sweater, sun on summer camp, first memory of baby products. Gives me comfort. It is the smell that you want to wrap yourself around.

european beach in mid-summer 1980 vibes, a carnation vanilla perfume that is an acquired taste in the beginning but then just gets better and better. ideal for the beach ! :)

Sunscreen + powder. It doesn’t smell dated. The composition is very clean. The ultimate fun in the sun fragrance. A beautiful German girl in white t-shirt and vintage levis.

My favourite day to night scent for summer. Wonderfully super Feminine. The perfect late 80/90ies vibe. Start wearing from May, sunshine weather. Great compliment getter.

Sun lotion vibe I just love. 90’s summer! It’s strong so no need to overuse. In small amounts it’s a gem ☀️