These are two of the most requested scents at Beach Bum Beards, and guys ask us to pick between them constantly. Here's an honest breakdown of what makes each one different, so you can figure out which one actually fits.
Hawaiian Sunset: the five-year favorite
Hawaiian Sunset has been the number one scent at Beach Bum Beards for more than five years running, and there's a reason it hasn't been dethroned. Coconut leads, pineapple sits in the middle, and warm vanilla rounds it out at the base. It's rich, warm, and immediately recognizable as tropical without being one-note.
This is the scent for guys who want the classic beach vacation smell done right, sweet, warm, and a little indulgent. It works well for guys who lean toward richer, more gourmand scent profiles in general, not just in beard products.
Boardwalk: brighter and sharper
Boardwalk takes a different route. Key lime and citrus lead the way, with tea tree adding an earthy, almost herbal edge underneath. Where Hawaiian Sunset is warm and sweet, Boardwalk is bright, tart, and a little sharper. It's built around the specific memory of a lime sweetness in the air on a boardwalk afternoon, not a generic beach smell.
This is the scent for guys who find sweeter tropical scents a bit much, or who prefer citrus and herbal notes over vanilla and coconut in general. It also tends to wear lighter and fresher through hot, humid days.
Side by side
- Sweet, warm, rich vanilla-coconut: Hawaiian Sunset
- Bright, tart, citrus-forward: Boardwalk
- Classic beach vacation feel: Hawaiian Sunset
- Fresh, almost herbal edge: Boardwalk
- Best for guys who like gourmand scents elsewhere: Hawaiian Sunset
- Best for guys who lean toward citrus colognes and grooming products: Boardwalk
Try both
Both scents come in the full lineup, oil, butter, balm, and liquid butter. If you genuinely can't decide, our Hawaiian Sunset Complete Set and Boardwalk Complete Set both let you build out a full routine in one scent without committing to a single format first.
There's no wrong answer here, it genuinely comes down to whether you want warm and sweet or bright and fresh. Most guys already know which direction they lean before they even smell them side by side.