Hot weather and strong smells are a disaster waiting to happen.

Famous French perfumer Frederick Malle, the nose behind many fragrances for Hermes and Christian Lacroix, once said that wearing heavier fragrances in hot weather is akin to 'wearing a fur coat'.

Think of your scents as outfits. Just as you would wear less when the temperature soars, the same applies to fragrances.

Enter zesty citrus cocktails (orange, lemon and grapefruit), lighter florals (flowers like orange blossoms, roses and hyacinths) and minty, watery accords that conjure up icy ocean waters.

Malle's advice is not to wear too much wood or vanilla or anything really strong that will choke you in hot weather. Instead go for 'transparent' smells (read: fresh but won't fade easily).

Delicate is a key word associated with hot weather scent releases. Olivier Gillotin, the nose behind Elizabeth Arden's latest fragrance, Mediterranean Breeze, says of his creation: 'For the soul of the fragrance, I wanted it to be delicate, petal-ly - using flowers found in the Mediterranean. The warm and voluptuous background dries on the skin and leaves a creamy sensuality.'

While summer fragrances may draw inspiration from their original counterparts, the formulae are reworked to make the olfactory notes lighter and more lilting.

For example, Bulgari's limited edition summer release Aqva Pour Homme Marine shares the same Poisidonia floral heart of the original male fragrance.

But perfumer Jacques Cavallier says the summer release has been tweaked to emphasise its transparent watery notes: 'I thought of the colour and transparency of crystalline waters.'