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20 Gender Neutral Perfumes That Smell Amazing On Everyone
Because scent doesn't have a gender.
If candy sweet florals aren't your bag but you're bored of nabbing your SO's musky cologne, then it's time you got your hands on a gender neutral perfume.
A chic middle ground between typically feminine floral scents and your dad's Old Spice, these are the non-binary perfumes that smell amazing on everyone. Because since when did a smell have a gender? Exactly.
'We’re living in a world today that is increasingly non-binary and gender-fluid', says perfumer and founder of Vilhelm Parfumerie, Jan Vilhelm. 'We are going beyond gender and instead we are discussing the scents that fit each individual. We're going back to the origins of the perfume - initially perfume was gender-free. I never create a perfume for a man or a woman, instead I think of the moment, memory, place and what it represents in terms of smell.'
Read on for the gender neutral perfumes that smell amazing whatever box you choose to tick on a form...
Aesop have been the tacit masters of uber-cool, gender neutral beauty products since day one, so obviously their unisex fragrance offering was going to set a high standard. Hwyl envelopes you in smoke and spice before the air clears and you find yourself barefoot in a woodland clearing, your senses punctuated with earthy notes of vetiver, thyme and moss.
This fragrance is deliciously alluring with notes of sweet rum, bergamot and plum which linger with a zesty finish before drying down and letting the leather and amber to come into their own. A truly unique take on a liquor inspired fragrance.
Lovers of collectable perfume bottles, prick up your ears. This coastal inspired scent transports you to bracing walks along the sea front with marine notes and zesty bergamot, before retiring to a leather and cypress pine wood-clad beach house in the dunes.
If your ideal night in involves you reading by a fire in a wingback chair with a tumbler of whiskey, chances are you'll delight in this scent. This fragrance plays out base notes of cedarwood and vanilla with top notes of orange flower petals and patchouli for a woody and brooding finish.
Cool mint takes the centre stage for this perfume, drawing on delicate floral notes of rose and geranium to leverage this from a standard peppermint to a breezy, light and refreshing symphony for the senses.
Acqua Di Parma bottled the olfactory experience of the Amalfi coast with roaring success. Featuring fresh notes of sicilian citrus and bergamot, the subsequent floral notes of lavender and damask rose are equally balanced by woody vetiver and sandalwood, making this one of Acqua Di Parma's best selling fragrances for all genders.
Be transported to a far away land with this distinctive oriental fragrance. A base of sandalwood and vanilla is cocooned by top notes of saffron and nutmeg for an alluring and timeless scent.
You might think that a perfume packed full of flowers like jasmine and lavender would smell like an old bar of soap, but you'd be wrong. This rich scent is heady with saffron with a savoury salty finish courtesy of lavender. The result? It smells delicious on everyone.
After weeks of wondering what delicious perfume kept wafting towards our desks, we finally asked ELLE Beauty Director Katy Young why she smelled SO good. The answer? Dior Spice Blend. Now, Digital Beauty Editor George Driver's boyfriend wears the velvety smooth spiced scent so she can smell it out of the office as well.
Byredo Velvet Haze - £115
A concoction of coconut water, patchouli leaves and cotton make this a scent that's somehow dry, comforting and sweet all at the same time.
Calvin Klein CK One - £42
If there was one perfume responsible for the gender neutral revolution, it has to be CK One. A 90s classic, but totally timeless, it's the ultimate couple's sharing scent.
Clean Reserve Warm Cotton - £82
Whether male, female, or somewhere in the magical space between, Clean Reserve's cotton scented perfume will make you smell so fresh and clean you'll want to sniff yourself, and your SO, all day long.
Comme Des Garçons Concrete - £120
A perfume that smells like concrete? We weren't convinced at first either, but bear with. Notes of sandalwood, synthetic rose oxide and resin make for a surprisingly spicy scent that's ideal for the non-binary cool kid.
Ask some people what Escentric Molecule's iconic perfume smells like and they'll say nothing at all. Ask others, and they'll be so enthusiastic about how amazing it smells you might think you've lost it a little. Formulated with the revolutionary Iso E Super formula that adapts to whoever wears it, this is a perfume so personal it smells different on everyone.
Jo Malone London English Oak & Hazelnut Cologne - £102
A fellow Beauty Editor recently revealed that she wore Jo Malone's woody cologne everyday after everyone (men and women) kept asking her what perfume she was wearing. Why? Because she smelt like 'a really delicious hot dude'. We can confirm that this was the case.
Le Labo Santal 33 - £141
Take a stroll through London's Soho and you'll smell this intoxicating scent everywhere. Spicy cardamom and earthy leather make for an addictive perfume that's instantly recognisable on men and women alike.
Bella Freud Psychoanalysis - £165
As Bella Freud herself puts it, 'Psychoanalysis is the perfume of obsessive romantic love. A man so intelligent and deep holds your happiness but can never fulfil it. The smell of the leather couch is reassuring; the fragrance of cigars and orange blossom opens your mind and heart.'
Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau De Toilette - £89
If we had a pound for every time we met a man who was also wearing Tom Ford Black Orchid, well, we'd have a good amount of money. Intense, long lasting and with a truly indulgent mix of black truffle, tuberose and lotus wood, it's a bold scent that makes a statement on everyone.
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