A unisex fragrance is one marketed to everyone rather than to men or women. Nothing in the materials makes a perfume masculine or feminine: those associations come from marketing, habit and culture, and they vary by country and era. Many perfumes sold as unisex are built from materials both sides of the shop have long shared — citrus, woods, musks, tea, iris, vetiver — but any perfume can be worn by anyone who likes it.

Where the division came from

Gendered perfume is mostly a twentieth-century invention. For long periods people of every gender wore the same rose waters, colognes and perfume oils; the classic eau de Cologne was worn by everyone. As the fragrance industry grew, perfumes were increasingly designed, bottled and advertised for one gender or the other, and certain styles came to signal one or the other:

  • Lavender, fougère, citrus, woods and leather were marketed largely to men.
  • Florals, powdery and sweet perfumes were marketed largely to women.

These patterns are habits of marketing rather than facts about smell. See Perfume vs Cologne for one of their legacies.

Associations differ by place

What reads as masculine or feminine is not universal. Rose and oud, for example, are worn by men and women alike in much of the Middle East and South Asia, while rose has long been sold mainly to women in Europe and North America. See Perfume Culture in the Middle East.

A perfume knows nothing about the person wearing it. Only the advertisement does.

What "unisex" usually signals on a label

  • A balanced style — often fresh, woody, musky or green, without the sweetness or heavy florals associated with "feminine" marketing or the aggressive freshness associated with "masculine" marketing.
  • A particular kind of house — many independent and niche houses present all their perfumes as unisex. See Niche vs Designer Perfume.
  • A shelf decision — where the retailer chose to put it.

It does not mean a perfume is neutral or bland. Some unisex perfumes are bold and unusual.

Common unisex materials

How to choose beyond the label

  1. Ignore the shelf. Smell perfumes from both sides of the shop.
  2. Choose by family and character. Fresh or warm, sweet or dry, close or radiant. See Fragrance Families Explained.
  3. Test on your skin. See How to Test a Perfume Before You Buy It.

If you notice yourself rejecting a perfume because of who it was "made for", it can be worth wearing it for a day anyway. Many people discover favourites that way.

Common questions

Can men wear women’s perfume?

Yes. Smell has no gender; wear what you enjoy.

Are unisex perfumes weaker?

No. Strength depends on composition and concentration, not on marketing.

What makes a perfume smell masculine?

Mostly familiarity: we associate certain styles — lavender, citrus, woods, leather — with men’s fragrances because they have been marketed that way for decades.

Further reading

For a step-by-step choosing method, see How to Choose a Perfume. For a fragrance that stays personal whoever wears it, see What Is a Skin Scent?.