7 Smells That Defined Summer in the 1990s

When you think of summertime, there are a few distinct scents that almost universally come to mind. The rubber, metallic smell of water from the water hose and sprinklers, the fresh scent of Coppertone sunscreen, and the chemical aroma of pool chlorine all scream "summer." But there are a few scents that are unique to summers in the '90s.

Any '90s kid can instantly evoke nostalgic summer moments by recalling the different smells. It didn't matter if you were at the beach, the pool, or the mall; these scents followed you everywhere. And if you were to smell any of them again, you'd be brought right back to some of your best summer memories.

Jelly Shoes
Lip Smackers
Bath & Body Works Scents
Juice Bar Body Spray
Teen Spirit Deodorant
Kool-Aid
Blockbuster

Jelly Shoes

The smell of warm plastic with a hint of foot sweat absolutely counts as part of a '90s summer. Jelly shoes, jelly sandals, or simply jellies were the trending footwear at the time. Though they weren't the most comfortable, with the plastic digging into your heels or ankles, and your feet slipping around in them with the slightest bit of moisture, these sandals were iconic in the summers of the 1990s.

Lip Smackers

In the '90s, lip balm and chapstick seemed to be in one of two categories: plain, no-nonsense balms marketed to adults, and Lip Smackers. We all had to have several flavors of the bright, fun lip balms to go with our every mood. Summer scents like watermelon and pink lemonade were extremely popular, but the Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker was the G.O.A.T. of the '90s, all year round.

Bath & Body Works Scents

Bath & Body Works exploded onto the scene in 1990, and people were rushing to get hold of the fancy new body sprays and lotions. The most prolific '90s scent from Bath & Body Works was Cucumber Melon, but other summertime favorites were Country Apple and Sun-Ripened Raspberry. Cucumber Melon was a bit overpowering, especially when so many people wore it at once, and even today, some people feel sick just thinking of the smell, while others keep it as their favorite scent of all time.

Juice Bar Body Spray

Maybe you weren't into the more mature fragrances of Bath & Body Works, but you still wanted to smell sweet. Then, your '90s summer was spent smelling like Cotton Candy, Gummy Bear, or Lemonade Squeeze. Juice Bar body sprays might as well have liquefied sugar, but '90s kids were crazy for it anyway. Who wouldn't want to smell like their favorite candy while out playing in the summer sun?

Teen Spirit Deodorant

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain didn't know his girlfriend's deodorant was the scent he smelled when writing his hit song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and he inadvertently made it one of the '90s signature scents. When the summer heat hit us hard, we turned to the fruity and floral fragrances of Teen Spirit deodorants. We might have looked grungy, but we smelled like Caribbean Cool, California Breeze, Pink Crush, and Sweet Strawberry.

Kool-Aid

The fruity smells of Kool-Aid packets permeated summertime in the '90s, but not because we were all drinking the stuff. Using Kool-Aid powders as cheap and easy hair dye was the cool thing to do. But we also had to learn the hard way that we couldn't get wet. There was nothing like going on a water ride at the summer carnival and suddenly looking like you were drenched in purple sweat. Good thing Kool-Aid washes out of clothes as easily as it does hair, and that it smells delicious.

Blockbuster

It's difficult to describe the smell of a Blockbuster to anyone who never got to experience it, but there was nothing like the aromas that hit you as soon as you walked in. Stepping into the air-conditioned video store was refreshing in the summer, but it was the oily, plastic smell of VHS tapes and buttered popcorn that told you your night was about to become epic. Blockbuster supplied so many summer movie marathons that the scent of that store is forever combined with amazing childhood memories.