It’s always incredibly convenient when your partner has skincare and body products you can also help yourself to, and vice versa. You know they are the reason your incredibly expensive Jo Malone shower gel is disappearing at an alarming rate!
One particular area where we’re increasingly enamored with sharing (or stealing a sneaky spritz from the dresser), is fragrance.
We’re of the belief that makeup and fragrance should be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of gender, but fragrance is one area where gender targeting still exists. Many bottles are still clearly marked with ‘ for men’ or ‘pour homme’.
If you are partial to earthy, woody or musky smells, and sometimes fresh, watery and marine scents, you will be well served by perfume or cologne that is traditionally intended for men.
On the flip side, many brands are playing on more intense, complex and and deep floral notes, or even airy lighter ones that many people enjoy.
With that in mind, we’ve chosen five fragrances that easily appeal to all genders and smell equally good no matter who is wearing them.
Tom Ford is our top pick for the sheer number of options in its fragrance catalogue that appeal to both sexes. Tobacco Vanille smells as its name suggests, with sexy, smoky tobacco on a more creamy vanilla base. Warm and sweet it’s inspired by London, and the spice and cognac-laden aromas of a classic private gentleman’s club, only reinvented and reimagined for modern day.
Perhaps the most famous and well-loved stylish unisex fragrance right now. Le Labo’s Santal 33 is a woody, musky mix that draws people closer and lingers beautifully. It brings together a unique mix of Australian sandalwood, cedarwood, cardamom, iris, violet, ambrox and leather accord and invites compliments each time you wear it.
Inspired by blooms that open in arid, desert conditions, this is a light and graceful floral scent with woody elements, perfect for those that find some wood-based scents too overpowering. Top notes of ambrette and, nesberry meet a gentle heart of magnolia, sandalwood and violet while its base of cedarwood, musks, vetiver simmers below.
Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne
Known for its heady floral mixes, we generally head directly for Jo Malone’s ‘Intense’ collection in the black bottles to seek out the more interesting and deep blends that suit those looking for a unique option. Many of Jo Malone’s scents work for anyone, regardless of gender but for a scent that’s like fresh ocean air in a bottle, Wood Sage & Sea Salt is an elegant ‘clean’ scent that suits almost everyone.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis EDT
Crisp and light, like a freshly washed white shirt or clean laundry with hints of bergamot and lemon, this is a modern unisex alternative to heavy and smoky scents. It has notes of lily of the valley, bergamot, lemon, orange, musk and orange blossom.