Woody and amber families are generally considered the most unisex, since they don’t carry the strong cultural coding that very sweet florals or classic barbershop fougères do.

Why woods and amber cross the line so easily

Notes like sandalwood, cedar, vetiver and amber have been used in both men’s and women’s perfumery for so long, and in such similar proportions, that most people can’t confidently guess which “aisle” a bottle came from just by smell. Musk works the same way, it reads as warm skin rather than gendered. Compare that to something like a very powdery, aldehydic floral or a sharp barbershop lavender-fougère, both of which most UK shoppers will still instinctively file as “for her” or “for him” even though there’s no chemical reason they should.

The honest caveat

“Unisex” is really a marketing and packaging decision as much as a scent one. Plenty of genuinely unisex-smelling perfumes get sold in blue bottles labelled for men purely by convention. If you want to shop by scent rather than label, our unisex fragrance range is a good starting point, our fragrance families guide explains the categories in more depth, and the complete guide to perfume covers the basics.