Woody and musk-based families are most commonly marketed and perceived as unisex, largely because they don’t carry the strong gendered branding history that florals and classic fougères do.

Why woods and musk cross over so easily

Sandalwood, cedar, vetiver and clean musks have been used across both traditionally “masculine” and “feminine” perfumery for so long, and in such comparable ways, that most people genuinely can’t guess which aisle a bottle came from purely by smell. Amber tends to fall into similar territory, warm and grounding without reading as distinctly sweet-feminine or sharp-masculine. This is quite different to something like a heavy, powdery aldehydic floral or a classic lavender-heavy fougère, both of which still carry a strong gendered association for a lot of UK shoppers.

Where to look if you want unisex specifically

Our unisex range and unisex perfume oils lean heavily on exactly these note families. Our unisex fragrance guide and complete guide to perfume cover this in more depth.