What Makes a Perfume Unisex? An Australian Perfumer's Guide

Most perfume is already unisex. The labels just haven't caught up.

Walk into any department store and the first thing they do is split fragrance into two walls — men's and women's. As if molecules care what's on your birth certificate.

Here's what actually happens: the same raw materials — sandalwood, bergamot, vanilla, vetiver, amber — show up in fragrances marketed to every gender. The "men's" cologne and the "women's" eau de parfum sitting on opposite shelves often share more ingredients than they don't. The difference is packaging, marketing, and a label that tells you which side of the store to stand on.

I hand-blend 18 perfumes in a workshop in the Southern Highlands of NSW. I've never made a "men's" or "women's" fragrance. Not as a marketing stance — it just never made sense. When you're building a scent from scratch, you're thinking about balance, projection, how the notes evolve over hours on skin. You're not thinking about gender. Nobody smells a raw material and says "that's masculine." They say "that's warm" or "that's green" or "that's sharp."

The fragrance industry is slowly catching up. The unisex perfume category is one of the fastest-growing segments globally, because people are realising what perfumers have always known: good fragrance is personal, not gendered.

What makes a perfume unisex?

A unisex perfume — also called gender-neutral fragrance or genderless perfume — is simply one that isn't marketed to a specific gender. But in practice, it usually means a scent built around note families that don't carry strong gendered associations:

• Woody notes — sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, birch. Warm, grounding, universally appealing.
• Citrus notes — bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lime. Fresh and clean on everyone.
• Green and aromatic notes — fig, matcha, sage, tea. Crisp and modern.
• Spice notes — black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. Warm complexity that reads as sophisticated, not gendered.
• Amber and musk — the most skin-like notes in perfumery. They smell different on every person because they react with your body chemistry.

The truth is, even notes traditionally coded "feminine" (jasmine, rose, vanilla) or "masculine" (leather, oud, tobacco) aren't inherently gendered. European men have worn vanilla-heavy fragrances for decades. Oud is worn by women across the Middle East as commonly as men. It's cultural habit, not chemistry.

What actually determines how a perfume works on you is your skin chemistry and body heat. The same fragrance smells different on different people — warmer skin amplifies sweet and woody notes, cooler skin pushes citrus and green notes forward. That's why a scent that smells "masculine" on a test strip might smell completely different (and brilliant) on your skin.

How to choose a unisex perfume

Forget the labels. Think about what you're drawn to:

• If you like clean and fresh — look for citrus, tea, and aquatic notes. Great for daily wear, especially in warmer months.
• If you like warm and cosy — look for cinnamon, vanilla, sandalwood, amber. These bloom in cooler weather and sit close to the skin.
• If you like earthy and grounded — look for vetiver, fig, cedar, patchouli. Natural and understated.
• If you like bold and statement-making — look for oud, dark amber, spice-heavy compositions. Not everyday scents — occasion perfumes that people remember.

Then consider format. All of our scents come in three versions at the same 20–25% concentration:

• Eau de Parfum spray — classic alcohol-based, projects well, good sillage.
• Alcohol-free spray — same projection without the alcohol. Better for sensitive skin.
• Perfume oil roll-on — sits closer to the skin, more intimate, longer-lasting.

If you're not sure, a 10ml traveller ($30) is the low-risk way to try any scent before committing to a full bottle.

7 unisex perfumes we make (and who actually buys them)

These aren't theoretical picks. These are the scents I watch sell across genders every week — at markets, online, and in the workshop. Here's what each one does and who it works for.

1. Azure — Mandarin, White Tea & Neroli

The everyday unisex perfume. Mandarin and bergamot open bright and clean, white tea settles it into something calm and understated, and neroli gives it just enough warmth to last. This is the one my wife reaches for most mornings — and it's our third best-selling perfume overall.

Azure is the kind of scent that gets quiet compliments. Nobody will ask "what are you wearing?" from across the room. They'll lean in and ask. That's the mark of a good unisex fragrance — it works with your skin, not over it.

Best for: Daily wear, spring and summer, anyone who wants something fresh without being basic.
Try it: Azure from $30

2. Phantom — Lime, Black Pepper & Sandalwood

The one that surprises people. On paper, lime and black pepper sounds like it could lean masculine. In practice, women love this one. The sandalwood base is creamy and warm, the orris adds a powdery softness, and the vetiver grounds it without making it heavy. It's clean, sharp, and sophisticated on everyone.

Phantom is what I'd hand someone who says "I've never worn perfume" — regardless of gender. It's that accessible.

Best for: All seasons, office-safe, first-time perfume wearers.
Try it: Phantom from $30

3. Horizon — Wild Fig, Sea Salt & Vetiver

The coastal one. Wild fig and sea salt open green and slightly briny — like walking through a fig orchard near the ocean. Vetiver and cedarwood in the base give it a dry, earthy depth. There's nothing gendered about this scent. It's nature in a bottle.

This is probably the most obviously unisex perfume in our collection. Nobody ever asks "is this for men or women?" when they smell Horizon. They just ask how much it costs.

Best for: All seasons, outdoor types, anyone who likes something that smells expensive!
Try it: Horizon from $30

4. Sakura — Matcha, White Tea, Jasmine & Citrus

The minimalist. Matcha and white tea create a clean, almost meditative opening. The jasmine here is dewy and green — nothing like the heavy, heady jasmine in traditional florals. Citrus in the base keeps it bright and lifted. If Japanese-inspired simplicity is your thing, this is it.

Tea-based fragrances are inherently genderless. This is one of our steadiest sellers across all demographics.

Best for: All seasons, minimalists, tea lovers, clean-fragrance fans.
Try it: Sakura from $30

5. Enigma — Passionfruit, Vanilla & Tonka Bean

The one that breaks the rules. Sweet perfumes get labelled "feminine" by default. That's marketing, not reality. In Europe, men wear gourmand fragrances — vanilla, tonka, praline — without thinking twice. Enigma is our proof.

Passionfruit opens tart and tropical, vanilla bean adds richness without being cloying, and rosewood in the base gives it a dry sophistication that stops it from becoming dessert. We sell this to women buying for themselves, European men who know exactly what they want, and couples who share the same bottle. It's our hero perfume!

Best for: All seasons, date nights, anyone who thinks sweet fragrance is only for women (you're wrong).
Try it: Enigma from $30

6. Ember — Cinnamon, Vanilla & Sandalwood

The winter fireplace. Cinnamon bark and black pepper hit first — warm and sharp. Then it settles into Madagascar vanilla and sandalwood, rich and creamy but never sugary. Vetiver in the base keeps it grounded and dry. This is the scent people describe as "cosy" and "addictive."

Ember is a big unisex seller for us. The spice-forward opening reads confident on anyone, and the vanilla-sandalwood drydown sits differently on every person's skin — warmer on some, woodier on others. That's the beauty of a well-balanced unisex perfume: it becomes yours.

Best for: Autumn and winter, evenings, anyone who wants to smell like a very expensive candle (meant as a compliment).
Try it: Ember from $30

7. Obsidian — Oudh, Amber, Patchouli & Cedar

The dark horse. This is the most "traditionally masculine" scent in our collection — dark oud, heavy amber, patchouli, cedar. On paper, you'd put it in the men's aisle. In reality, it's one of our most popular scents with women.

And that tells you everything about why gendering perfume is nonsense. The women who buy Obsidian aren't buying "men's perfume." They're buying a scent they love — dark, smoky, confident, complex. Oud has been worn by women across the Middle East for centuries. The Western idea that it's "masculine" is just cultural habit, not chemistry.

If you think unisex means safe and neutral, Obsidian is here to change your mind.

Best for: Autumn and winter, evening, anyone who wants to make a statement. Those who like an incense or deep rich scent.
Try it: Obsidian from $30

Try any of them for $30

Every Stuga perfume comes in a 10ml traveller — the same 20–25% concentration as the full bottle, just smaller. It's enough for a few weeks of daily wear, which is what you need to really know a scent. First impressions from a test strip don't tell you much. Living with a fragrance for a week does.

Available as a classic EDP spray ($30), alcohol-free spray ($30), or perfume oil roll-on ($35). All hand-blended in the Southern Highlands, all vegan and cruelty-free.

Browse all 18 scents — or start with any of the seven above. No gendered aisles. No sales assistant steering you to the "right" side of the counter. Just fragrance.