The Future of Gender Neutral Fragrances

Swedish Actress Erika Linder from an ad by Crocker clothing

The concept of gender fluid fragrances is not new, but the approach to creating this type of composition is. I’ve worked as a professional perfumer in the fragrance industry for the past 25 years. Fragrance briefs typically start by defining the following parameters: gender, age group, application, fragrance type, and raw material cost.

In the industry, it’s known and accepted that some notes and fragrance compositions make a scent decidedly feminine or masculine. For example, scents with leathery notes have been considered traditionally masculine, while heady floral notes like tuberose and jasmine have been reserved for feminine fragrance creations. Be that as it may, many people, myself included, tend to gravitate towards scents they enjoy wearing, regardless of their intended gender. Back in the 90’s I broke all the fragrance rules and wore a heavy wintery men’s fragrance called Night Flight by Joop on hot summer nights in New York City. It was sensual and dense and made me feel connected to the heavy summer city air. I felt especially alive as I walked down the street on those balmy nights.

Since then the trends have shifted back and forth on this topic but the idea of genderless scents reflects modern society’s perspective more than a passing fragrance trend.

CK One advertising used from Michelyn’s interview from Harry Fremont perfumer here.

The Origins of Genderless Scents

When Calvin Klein launched CK One in 1994 he defined the unisex (gender neutral) category by choosing to promote a scent with no definable gender characteristics, but one that was equally appealing to all. However, gender neutral/unisex scents have always been available, but it was his intentional promotion and presentation in the fine fragrance category that put this concept on the map.

Think about it—if any of you can remember the original scent of Dial soap (the yellow-orange bar), would you say only men used this soap? Or was Dove soap, with its rose character marketed to women-only? And don’t even get me started my beloved Pert and Finesse fragrances. I am positive that women and men have both equally enjoyed their fresh green notes intertwined with aquatic and sheer floral notes respectively.

Ad for Provision Scents Los Flores courtesy of Sherri

The New Genderless Scents=Experiential Scents

When I launched my line of experiential fine fragrances, Provision eau de parfums, I didn’t think about gender at all, but rather the experience I was trying to evoke. It came as no surprise to me then, when Las Flores—the most traditionally feminine scent— developed an equal following of men and women. Bright orange flower notes in Las Flores gradually fade into more herbaceous fresh notes that ultimately dry down to amber notes, which are not traditionally paired with fresh floral notes. Inspired by the mix of aromatic notes in the Malibu canyons where I often hike, I sought to recreate this experience despite the non-traditional composition.

Las Flores Canyon Photo by Sherri

The air from the Santa Monica mountains from a higher elevations has fresh floral notes, with crisp clean air nuance. The dry, resinous, woody notes of the canyon have a touch of amber and remind me of visiting a spa in the desert. Every so often the wind changes direction and the sultry marine notes of the Pacific Ocean make their way into the mix. I wanted to capture this experience, which could be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of gender orientation. The result is an experiential scent that reads differently on everyone, while evoking the experience of a hike in the Malibu canyons.

To me, experiential scents are truly the new gender fluid fragrances.

Sherri Sebastian at Home

The Future of Gender and Fragrances

The expression, “the more things change the more they stay the same” comes to mind. My prediction is that the pendulum will swing back in a few years and we will begin to see “intentionally masculine and feminine scents” make a comeback.

Except this time they will be exaggeratedly over the top and unapologetically masculine and feminine, like never before. As a female who enjoys wearing masculine scents, I can’t wait to see new categories added to the ever-expanding world of fragrances. In fact, my next creations are already underway…

Sherri Sebastian, Contributing Editor

Sherri Sebastian is an independent perfumer and founder of an independent beauty brand, Provision Scents. She’s based in Los Angeles and holds a seat on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Perfumers. Her new collection Provision (provisionscents.com) is available online and in stores nationwide.

4 comments

January 18, 2020 at 6:46 pm
twiggy3634 says:
CK One was was released when I was a teen and EVERY boy had this (along with CK Eternity and Tommy, but I digress). I never once smelled it on a girl back then. Funny though all these years later and I think it’s a very feminine scent and would much rather smell it on a female than wear it myself.
January 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm
teebear says:
I think the pendulum of “unisex” will stick personally, and that it’s for the better.

It provides more opportunities for perfumers to mix and temper fragrances in different ways that can open doors for people to enjoy them, irrespective of their gender.

My only tuberose fragrance is EldO Vierges et Toreros for exactly this reason. LOVE tuberose frags on paper but it’s a note that is considered strongly feminine so the compositions don’t tend to vary as much.

And unfortunately that means they tend to sit super poorly on my skin, the tuberose rapidly drowns out everything else and tends to feel quite cold. For me that isn’t seductive, it’s just… Shrill.

Vierges et Toreros on the other hand has a pronounced leather note as well as stronger spices that help temper the tuberose, since it was conceived to feel like a battle between masculine and feminine elements.

For me and my skin chemistry, the end result is that I wind up with a balanced fragrance on my skin – where I can enjoy the tuberose as part of a composition, without it shrieking so loudly nothing else can be heard.

It’s my tuberose unicorn and allows me to enjoy the scent of the flower on my skin finally, and it makes me feel very feminine although most people definitely peg that fragrance as a “masculine” scent.

I think the future of fragrance is going to be in helping everyone, however they identify gender wise, to learn to appreciate different notes and to find out what combination is going to bring the best out of any particular featured note on their skin.

And to do that the “unisex” identifier brings more possibilities since it’s less limiting in terms of saying “men can’t wear x” or “women’s fragrances don’t have y as a featured heart note”.
January 18, 2020 at 7:02 pm
tiffanie says:
Hello Sherri, and thank you for speaking to this subject perfectly. I have always felt that all scents are for everyone. If it smells good, it is good. Las Flores sounds beautiful. I love those same smells, I often hike near Malibu and Santat Barbara.

I recently helped a friend look for a feminine scent he wanted to smell and even wear himself. He was looking for the smell of his late mother’s lipstick. He didn’t know what brand it was, but he remembered it was sweetly floral with a hint of berries, not a surprising scent for a lipstick!

Together we smelled many scents over several months. He eventually bought a bottle of an easy choice – Guerlain’s Insolence EDP. And he does wear it, sometimes on it’s own, sometimes with his signature scent, Dior Homme, a scent I also enjoy wearing myself from time to time, though the marketing people at Dior might suggest I wear J’adore instead!
January 19, 2020 at 9:35 pm
Sherri Sebastian says:
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses. This was an interesting topic to explore. I do believe that Unisex fragrances will continue to be a part of the scent category offerings as they have been for the past few decades. We tend to only talk about ideas that seem topical like the latest trends but you all seem spot-on with an understanding the deeper, nuanced importance of scent composition and how it affects everyone differently. As a perfumer I’m always focused first and foremost on the highest expression of fragrance concept or idea. The possibilities are endless, thank goodness!!