When Christian Dior famously commented that a woman’s perfume could tell you more about her personality than her handwriting, he possibly had no way of knowing the gender-neutral wave that lay in store for the fragrance industry. After all, walking past billboards and department store counters is an exercise in gendered notions of masculinity and femininity—with roses and delicate bouquets being peddled to the latter, while the former revels in noir hues and smoky, leather notes.
However, as the fragrance industry starts to reassess its identity, the notion of ‘his’ and ‘hers’ perfumes could soon be a thing of the past.
The moment of reckoning dawned in the 1990s when Calvin Klein debuted its first unisex fragrance, CK One, with a clean scent of rose, musk, lavender and papaya that struck a chord in men and women to the tune of $5 million in its first days. At the peak of its meteoric ascent, the unisex scent is reported to have sold 20 bottles each minute.
Today, the quest for gender-neutral fragrances that defy the binary continues to remain strong, with studies reporting a spike in interest from 17% in 2010 to 51% eight years later in 2018. The packaging itself has undergone a moment of renaissance, the feminine curves and bows being traded in for neutral designs that would look just as home on your shelf as they do standing next to your man’s razors.
If CK One walked, the new crop of genderless perfumes is ready to run—with perfumers refusing to be constricted by the binary.
Matthew Herman and David Kien of Boy Smells are known to dub their offering as ‘genderful’, a word that they find can be ascribed to identities and emotions non-exclusive to any one side of the binary. The rebellion is visible in their lineup, with scents such as Violet Ends juxtaposing conventionally feminine notes of violet and rhubarb against the intense chords of tobacco and smoke.
If you are ready to degender your perfume shelf, the quest starts with knowing your notes. While the perfume industry has some way to go before roses are no longer coded as purely feminine or leathery notes aren’t dangled before men, names such as Byredo, Le Labo and Tom Ford are ensuring that you don’t have to choose any one. Closer home, there are the gender-neutral scents that deserve a spot in your fragrance wardrobe:
1. Forest Essentials Nargis Body Mist
Crafted with natural Indian flowers and scented essential oils, this body mist lightly envelopes your skin with a refreshing, mood-enhancing aroma.
2. Dsquared2 2 Wood Eau De Toilette
Woody yet floral, this energetic scent drafts the notes of woods, citrus and musk together to walk the tightrope between masculine and feminine with enviable ease.
3. Salvatore Ferragamo Giardini Di Seta Eau De Parfum
Don’t let the feminine florals deceive you—the top notes of rhubarb blend into an intimate undertone of Madagascar vetiver to conjure memories of sunny mornings.
4. Chopard Malaki Musk Eau De Parfum
With the sensual notes of leather anchored in musk, black pepper and cedar, this clean, unisex scent is something you might catch a whiff of in the office.
5. Trussardi Le Vie Di Milano Piazza Alla Scala Eau De Parfum
If you have been on the hunt for a scent that you can share with your man, this spicy fragrance—with notes of saffron, leather and patchouli—makes for a worthy candidate.
