Unisex perfumes present a hybrid breed of fragrances that can be worn by either genders. They are tailored to be tolerable by both men and women. They present a neutral alternative to gender specific fragrances.
History of unisex perfumes
Unisex perfumes are not new concepts. In fact, perfumes were originally without gender barriers but marketing ended up creating stereotypes as to how each gender should smell.
Expert perfumer, Jan Vilhelm said, “we’re living in a world today that is increasingly non-binary and gender-fluid… we’re going back to the origins of perfume- initially perfume was gender free.” By this, we know that all perfumes are technically unisex.
Gender specific fragrances do not sit well with everyone. Louis XIV loved orange blossoms while the Queen of Hungary loved rosemary. People in the middle ages and renaissance period were definitely not concerned about legislating perfume genders.
The 19th century was where the gendering of perfumes began. It was mostly a marketing hype driven by an unnecessary desire to bring gender roles into every aspect of life. The perfumes typically marketed for women have more sweet notes and are slightly weaker than those intended for men. On the other hand, male perfumes are more expressive and essential.
RELATED: What Makes a Scent Masculine or Feminine?
The renaissance of unisex fragrances
This drive for modern unisex perfumes was pushed by the gender revolution which had its roots in the 1960s. People are now shunning conventional stereotypes and now going for what they truly love and feel good wearing.
Unisex perfumes have been a niche perfume for a long time but their popularity is now increasing. This may be due to increasing sensitization of the public on gender identity issues and changes to the stereotypical perceptions of gender attributes including smells.
Common notes in unisex perfumes
Nowadays, unisex perfumes typically favor gender-neutral notes like fruits or woods. They usually feature clean notes with citrus or aquatic notes. Unisex perfumes have also gotten more bolder and going to the extremes of the formerly stereotypically marketed masculine and feminine scents.
However, some ingredients are usually common in unisex perfumes. Gerard Camme, the president of Atelier Cologne says that unisex perfumes usually contain notes of musk or ambroxan. These notes are typically calming and comforting.
Other appeals of unisex scents
1.. Unisex perfumes maintain their appeal to both men and women by staying positively light and delicate. They avoid being overwhelmingly strong or overpowering like gender-specific scents tend to be.
2. Another factor that many find appealing in unisex fragrances is their simplicity. This gives the perfumes a universal appeal and users know that it gives enough space for their unique body chemistry to manifest through the perfumes and create a unique scent.
3. Unisex perfumes are also usually suitable for all seasons and times; their simplicity and lightness ensures that they are rarely insufferable at any point in time.
4. In terms of packaging, their bottles are usually minimalist and just enough for safety and proper storage.
The good thing is that wearing a unisex perfume will not necessarily make you smell identical with someone who shares the perfume with you. Your diet, pheromones and unique body chemistry will interact with the perfume to make it give off your own unique scent.
