Unisex Perfume: Why Most Niche Scents Carry No Gender

A unisex perfume is one that its house does not aim at a single gender. In our range that is the norm: of the roughly 350 perfumes we list, 316 carry the unisex label, sixteen are labelled for men and eighteen for women. This guide explains what those labels mean, where they come from and why the scent family tells you more about what you will like than any of them.

We treat the labels as information, not as a rule or a ranking. The unisex collection holds the large majority, and the for men and for women collections hold the rest. The seven perfumes below were chosen to show the range: unisex-labelled perfumes from different houses and families, plus one labelled for men and one for women.

What a unisex perfume is

A label is a statement about who a house had in mind, not a property of the liquid. Vanilla, iris, woods, musk and citrus belong to no gender, and the same raw materials turn up under every label. Labels come from the name of the perfume, from the house's own description or, where a house names no audience, from the reference listings we rely on. When sources disagree, we follow the house.

Unisex does not mean neutral, either. A unisex perfume can be sweet, dark, fresh or green; the word only says that the house has not pointed it at one audience. That is why the family and the notes are more useful, and our fragrance families guide shows how to read them.

Niche perfume unisex: why houses rarely label by gender

Niche houses commonly describe a perfume through an idea, a raw material or a place, not through a buyer. Byredo presents one scent as made for a free, nomadic way of living. Goldfield & Banks builds its range around rare Australian botanicals and calls it gender-free on its founder page. Mind Games draws each perfume from a move or idea in chess and calls its whole range unisex or genderless. When the story is a landscape, a way of living or a game, there is little room left for a gender.

Labelled for men or for women: two examples

Roja Parfums Elysium Pour Homme shows the most direct kind of label, because the gender is in the name. The house presents this Eau de Parfum as a fresh woody-citrus fragrance for a man and dates the name to its 2017 debut. Lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, lime, lavender and thyme stand on top, apple and blackcurrant sit in the heart, and cedarwood, vetiver, vanilla and leather are among the base notes. Our tags: moderate intensity, spring and summer.

Juliette Has a Gun Miami Shake carries a women label that comes from reference data, because the house's own page states no audience. The perfume itself is a creamy strawberry gourmand modelled on a milkshake: wild strawberry on top, whipped cream, orange blossom and an ice cream cone in the heart, vanilla absolute and creamy musk below. Our tags: strong intensity, daily and evening wear, spring and summer.

Read side by side, the two labels say little about the contents. A fresh woody citrus and a creamy strawberry gourmand belong to different families, and the family, not the label, tells you who will enjoy them: gourmand lovers of any gender will look to Miami Shake, lovers of fresh woody citrus to Elysium Pour Homme.

Unisex fragrances by scent family

Byredo Gypsy Water is a woody Eau de Parfum in 50 ml. Bergamot, juniper berries, lemon and pepper make the top, incense, orris and pine needle the heart, and amber, sandalwood and vanilla the base. The house evokes campfire nights in the open air. Our tags: moderate intensity, spring and autumn. A smoky, resinous, outdoorsy scent needs no gender to explain it.

Mind Games Queening is an Extrait de Parfum in 100 ml from the gourmand amber family. The house lists a clean cotton accord, cypress and apple on top, orris, rum and saffron in the heart, and whipped vanilla bean, fluffy musk and coconut in the base. Its story is about reaching a goal after a hard road, told by a house that calls its whole range unisex. In our catalogue it reads as strong, for evenings in autumn and winter.

Xerjoff Erba Gold is a fresh, fruity Eau de Parfum in 100 ml. Amalfi lemon, Brazilian orange, Calabrian bergamot and ginger are on top, cloves, green apple, Guatemalan cardamom, melon and pear in the heart, and amber, Madagascar vanilla, musk and woody notes in the base. The house calls it playful and vibrant, with a tropical sweetness. Our tags: moderate intensity, daily and evening wear, spring and summer.

Goldfield & Banks Ingenious Ginger is a floral amber Eau de Parfum in 100 ml, built on a native Australian ginger. The house gives bergamot, mandarin and ginger on top, magnolia in the heart, and vanilla, amber and sandalwood in the base. Its founder page describes a gender-free range. Our tags: moderate intensity, daily and evening wear, spring and autumn.

Diptyque Fleur de Peau is a floral, musky Eau de Parfum in 75 ml. The house gives a flat list of four ingredients: musk, iris, ambrette and pink peppercorn. It describes the musk as cottony, light, soft and moist, and it tells the myth of Eros and Psyche. Our tags: moderate intensity, daily and work wear.

How to choose a unisex perfume

No single unisex perfume is right for everyone, because the choice depends on the family you enjoy, not on the label. The seven here are examples, not a ranking. A practical way to choose looks like this.

• Start with the family. Fresh, woody, gourmand, floral or amber: begin with the one you already reach for.
• Read the notes, not the label. The note list says far more about a perfume than the audience it is aimed at.
• Match season and weight. Our intensity and season tags help: lighter perfumes for warm weather, richer ones for evenings and cooler days.
• Browse by family. The fresh, gourmand and woody collections group perfumes by scent.

The clearest case of a house declining to choose is the Gentle Fluidity pair from Maison Francis Kurkdjian: two eaux de parfum from the same six ingredients, framed as one for him and one for her without saying which is which. Our comparison of Gentle Fluidity Gold vs Silver shows how they differ, and our explore page lets you browse the range by note, family and house.

Frequently asked questions

What does unisex perfume mean?

It means the house does not aim the perfume at one gender. The label describes how a house presents the scent, not what is in the bottle; the notes and the scent family say more about whether you will like it.

Is most niche perfume unisex?

In our range it is: 316 of roughly 350 perfumes are listed as unisex, sixteen for men and eighteen for women. Houses often describe a scent by its idea or its raw materials rather than by a buyer.

How do you choose a unisex perfume?

Start from the scent family you already like, then read the notes and check the season and intensity tags. The gender label is the least useful part of the information.