I can spend hours upon hours getting ready, but I will never feel prepared to leave the house without several spritzes of fragrance on. The scent I choose sets the tone for the day, so my collection has to be prepared for every eventuality. Although I adore a fresh jasmine or gourmand vanilla perfume for women when the time is right, I definitely reach for my genderless fragrances more than any others.
I’m talking smoky, fresh, aquatic, woody, musky, and rich scents that are perfectly unisex. They provide me with a level of sophistication—and a feeling that I’m wearing something much more distinctive than everyone else. I also seem to get the most compliments when I’ve spritzed them versus a more expected floral perfume.
If you like to share fragrances with your partner or want to elevate your own collection, I guarantee any of these will become your new most worn and most talked about perfumes.
Best genderless fragrances
Maison Margiela
Replica Sailing Day Eau De Toilette – 30ml
I’m a sucker for marine perfumes, and this is one of the very best. I bought it for my boyfriend for his birthday, and it’s my favourite fragrance he wears—and I steal it frequently. With woody base notes and top notes of aquatic accord, aldehydes, and juniper, it smells like a sunny beach day with added depth. It also lasts impressively well.
Liberty LBTY. Fragrance
Tudor Eau De Parfum 50ml
Meet my most complimented perfume of all time. Each and every time I spritz this, I get comments from multiple people about how good I smell. It’s a woody scent with ginger, nutmeg and juniper berry notes, but I’d say it comes off stronger with the base notes of sandalwood, iris, and amber. It has a distinctly clean finish but with no soapy-ness, so it’s the ideal everyday spritz that will be unlike anything else in your collection.
Tom Ford
Black Orchid Eau De Parfum 100ml
Black Orchid is a rich scent that I always turn to for evening wear. It’s floral but slightly smoky, so there’s no powdery-ness that might make it too sweet. With notes of black truffle, bergamot, black plum, patchouli, and noir gourmand accord, it has a maturity that lends itself to nighttime. This is another one I share with my boyfriend, and it smells just as good on both of us.
Jo Malone London
Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne – 50ml
Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt is a nostalgic scent for me, but one that smells just as good each time I encounter it. It’s a simple formula with notes of ambrette seeds, sea salt, and sage, so it’s clean and subtly earthy.
L’Objet
Blindfold Eau De Parfum (50ml)
I’ve previously raved about L’Objet’s Blindfold perfume, and it remains one of my most worn. It’s a warm, musky skin scent infused with creamy tonka bean, but without any sweetness. It feels familiar yet elevated, and there’s nothing else in my collection quite like it.
Aesop
Marrakech Intense Eau De Parfum 50ml
If you love a spiced fragrance, Marrakech Intense is for you. It’s woody, spicy, and subtly floral with overwhelming notes of clove, sandalwood, and cardamom. It lingers all day long and works for year-round wear.
YSL
MYSLF Eau de Parfum 60ml
MYSLF is designed to be a masculine scent, but the woody and floral notes mean it works for all genders if you ask me. It has an orange blossom heart with earthy woods and patchouli, so it’s both fresh and vibrant. If you like a cologne scent, you’ll love this.