In 1826 a fisherman named Angelo Ferraro took a German writer, August Kopisch, and a painter, Ernst Fries, into a sea cave on Capri. Sunlight enters through an opening under the water, the sea filters out the red, and the whole cave glows blue. It is now the Blue Grotto, and it is the most famous room on Capri. That particular blue, lit from underneath, is the one Dolce&Gabbana put on a bottle cap.

The case for light blue perfume is how little it has needed to change. It launched in 2001, when Dolce and Gabbana asked the perfumer Olivier Cresp for something inspired by Sicily, and the work took more than two years. Wikipedia says the formula holds about 15 percent natural Sicilian lemon-peel essence and pairs a Granny Smith-like apple accord with a musky base. Fragrantica lists Sicilian lemon, apple, cedar and bellflower on top, and calls it casual and breezy. Twenty-five years on, it still smells like a clean linen shirt drying in the sun, and the house marked the anniversary in 2025 with a relaunch and new Capri in Love versions.

The trick is to pick your Light Blue by format, because the first grid is a whole family. Light Blue Eau de Parfum with Lemon & White Florals is the one to start with if you want the classic mood with more staying power. Capri in Love EDP with Jasmine & Apple sweetens it. The Alcohol Free Perfume Gel and Dolce Blue Jasmine Perfume Gel are for anyone who prefers a gel to a spray. On the men's side, Light Blue Pour Homme comes as an Eau de Toilette, an Eau de Parfum with Orange & Cedarwood, and a Capri in Love Pour Homme. Velvet Blue Musk is the odd cousin in this grid, a musk instead of a lemon.

Here is how I would choose a second bottle from the house: decide first whether you want a garden or a dessert. The names are refreshingly literal, so the flowers and the fruit do half the work.

For the garden, Velvet Mughetto with White Florals is the one I would smell first, a lily-of-the-valley bottle for anyone who finds Light Blue too sporty. Dolce Magnolia and the original Dolce Eau de Parfum with Jasmine are the soft, bright ones for spring, and The One Gold Eau de Parfum Intense with plum and jasmine is the deeper one for night. Dolce Violet Eau de Toilette with Vanilla is the friendlier, sweeter choice.

L'Imperatrice Eau de Toilette with Watermelon & Florals is the playful one, and L'Imperatrice Royale with Cranberry & Florals is its rosier, more fruit-forward sister. My Devotion Eau de Parfum Intense with Peony & Vanilla is the romantic finish, a gift that says something.

A pairing I like: Light Blue in the morning and one of the Dolce florals when the sun goes down. The house has a flavour of its own, so the two sit together naturally.

What I would skip: any of the sweeter ones on a humid afternoon walk. They belong to evenings and cool rooms.

One rule for citrus perfumes: spray them on your clothes as well as your skin, and re-apply at lunch. Citrus fades fast, and that is not a flaw, it is how the note works. Take a small bottle in your bag.

If you love the lemon in Light Blue, start with Armani Beauty's Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum Intense with Citrus & Red Berries, which brings red berries into the citrus. FUGAZZI's Orange Crush is the one with the most cheerful name. Jo Malone London's Yuzu Zest Cologne is the simple, zesty option. Valentino's Voce Viva with Mandarin & Orange Blossom is the dressier option, while Jo Malone London's Orange Blossom Cologne with White Lilac is the gentler, lilac-tinged choice.

OUI The People's Sunday Lime is a name that says it all, and Henry Rose's Windows Down with Grapefruit + Bergamot is the one to keep in the car door. Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino is the most grown-up of the group, a neroli for a desk rather than a beach.

A pairing I like: a neroli or orange blossom on your skin and a lemon on your scarf. They stay out of each other's way.

What I would skip: a heavy citrus spray right before a long flight. In a small cabin, a bright scent still fills the row.

Start with this habit: keep a fresh scent by the door and one by the bed. The door one is for leaving, quick and bright, and the bed one is for the evening, softer. It stops you reaching for whatever is nearest and getting the wrong mood.

Chanel's Chance Eau Fraîche is a well-dressed way to be fresh, and Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria line brings two: Florabloom Forte, and Rosa Verde with Rose & Cucumber, which is the more unusual pairing of the two. Vacation's "VACATION" by Vacation is the one that smells like its own name, or at least tries to. Marc Jacobs' Daisy Ever So Fresh is the sweet, easy one of the group.

Hermès makes the two I would recommend to anyone bored of the usual: Un Jardin Sous La Mer, a garden under the sea, and Un Jardin sur le Toit, a garden on the roof. Neither sounds like Light Blue, and both are the better for it. Dior's J'adore Eau Lumière is the lighter, clearer take on a bottle you probably know already.

What I would skip: layering an airy scent over a heavy body cream. The two cancel each other out and neither one wins.

I think Light Blue is the most reliable summer perfume there is, and I say that as someone who is normally bored by reliable things. It smells like a place, and the place is a rock in the sea with lemons on it.

Start with the Eau de Parfum, wear it for a week of warm days, and only then wander into the florals or the airy ones. Kopisch and Fries went into a cave and came out with a colour the whole island still sells. You only need a lemon. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Dolce&Gabbana Cologne for Men and A Shelf of Coach Blue Cologne and the Fresh Scents Beside It.