The world of fragrances is a difficult one to navigate; it can seem near impossible to find something that doesn’t smell like your grandmother’s bathroom or a high school locker room, and that doesn’t break the bank. And it’s even harder if you’re looking for a scent that’s gender neutral.
Photo via Molly
I consider myself high femme, and until a few years ago, had always purchased classically “female” fragrances. But my partner Jenn (who toes the line between femme and soft butch) and I have since had many conversations about finding a good, gender neutral scent — and I can now pass my experiences researching the subject on to you. Below are tips for finding a fragrance that fits who you are, even when you don’t fit neatly into marketers’ boxes.
Start Where You’re Comfortable
Photo by Scott Ableman via Flickr
If you’re comfortable speaking with an associate at a department store fragrance counter, that’s great! When they ask you what you’re looking for, it’s helpful to drop terms like “gender-neutral,” “clean” and “low-profile.”
Alternatively, you can search out your own scents at places like Ulta and Sephora. Depending on where you go, there might be hundreds of scents on a wall in front of you — which is daunting, but also provides a very cool opportunity to sniff around. Set aside an hour so you can relax and take your time, and if a bottle catches your eye, try it! And no worries if you’re not ready to make a decision in-store; almost all fragrance sellers have test strips that you can spray scents onto and take home.
Try Before You Buy
Photo by beesleysknees via Flickr
It’s easy to walk into a store and buy a fragrance you think you like, only to realize days later that you hate it. Don’t be afraid to ask for samples; scents change as they linger on your skin, so take a test drive before you commit. Wear your fragrance around to different events and places like work, dates, and other special occasions, and see how its notes unfold.
Look for Certain Scent Profiles
Photo by elminium via Flickr
Notes of amber, tobacco, tarragon and neroli make fragrances musky, while lavender, sea salt, spearmint, and tea keep things clean and fresh. Once you establish what types of scents you enjoy, online fragrance shopping becomes much easier; simply read the descriptions and make your choices from there. A lot of companies will mail you free samples to try without buying a full-size bottle — you just pay shipping.
Start with a Soap or Lotion of the Same Scent
Photo by yuankuei via Flickr
A lot of companies will put out a series of products with the same fragrance! If you’re not ready to commit to an expensive bottle of perfume or cologne, picking up a lotion or soap (which tend to be cheaper on the shelf) in your chosen scent are a good alternative. LUSH is a great place for this, since they don’t market towards a particular gender; my favorite scent of theirs is Dirty, which is light and (counterintuitively) clean-smelling.
Search Outside the Box
Photo via Na Nin
Smaller boutiques won’t have the same enormous variety of fragrances as major retailers, but they will carry unique brands that the Ultas and Sephoras of the world don’t. I personally love the subtle scent profiles of brands like Na Nin and Formulary 55, but even if those don’t appeal to you, a quick Google search will put dozens of specialty shops and other niche brands at your fingertips.
At the end of the day, you want a perfume that smells like you. If you’re comfortable and confident when you’re wearing it, that’s all that matters.
Great article. Thanks.
I’ve been a perfume/fragrance nerd for life. Love articles about helping people to find a signature scent.
I have found Demeter to be a lot of fun in creating my own scent mix and keeping it as neutral as I want. They also seem to smell EXACTLY like what they’re supposed to. Only downside is some don’t have much staying power. Also, l’Occitane men’s scents are quite neutral, my old standby is Cade. Currently I’m on a Demeter mix of Blue Spruce, Patchouli, and Vetiver. I leave my vetiver stank all over my girlfriend’s pillows hehe.
L’Occitane’s men’s scents are really nice. My favorite was Eau des Baux, but the Cade and Vetiver are good too.
Also your Demeter combo sounds really good. I do a combo of Dirt and Tomato (which smells like the leaves but a bit more citrusy), to which I sometimes add a touch of Honeysuckle.
Essential oils are also a great way to create your own scent. If you’re not sure about a combination and want to test it out, a lot of places that sell oils will have testers and you can use a piece of felt in a locket to put a few drops of your combination onto. Carry the scent with you throughout the day without having it on your skin- if you get sick of it, take the locket off. More difficult to do if you’ve smeared some oils on your skin. This is a great way of testing how you like a scent before purchasing oils and creating a spray you may regret.
Most name brand perfumes don’t come in oil anymore because oil can get on fabric and clothing it kind of ruins things. Something to keep in mind.
I really like wearing just amber oil that I got at Whole Foods. It’s pretty neutral and everyone seems to like it. I also wear the Breath of God solid perfume from Lush which is a great gender neutral scent. They have a few others too!
Also, if you’re into smelling like book characters, check out Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfumes!
I got into them through a friend who wanted to smell like book characters, and I gotta say, they’re a pretty good option if, as a GNC person, you don’t want to deal with whatever straight girl is at the makeup/perfume counter.
Also, none of their scents have gender labels, which I appreciate.
I like sniffing things out at Sephora, there is a large queer presence, at least the ones near me. I feel safer and understood when I ask for a scent that wears like sex, or at very least makes a person think of sex when they experience the sent. The folks there get it, besides you never know who you’ll meet the counter.
Strong plug for The Dry Down (an email newsletter about perfume that consistently wrecks me and led to a fixation with ordering Twisted Lily samples) and feels queer even though it isn’t?
My favorite gender neutral perfumes are: Black (Comme des Garcons) which smells like wet flannel, black pepper and the 90’s (cold weather go-to), Pays Dogon (Monsillage) which smells like wool, fir trees, and a little like woodsmoke (secretly I think it makes me smell like a Kennedy fella in the heyday), and 100 Tweeds (Euphorium Brooklyn, def not vegan) which smells exactly like you think it would.
I haven’t tried anything from Monsillage (yet), but fir trees and wood smoke sounds pretty great.
I didn’t know I needed this. Great tips! (And I adored reading what everyone uses)
Ugh. These products are accessibility barriers.
If you go generic brand, one can get a decent perfume as low as $2 a bottle(not 99cent brand but above that in quality). Sure it’s made in a factory in China or India, but it’s a good value and $2 and some smell very good.
My guess is that Readymade might be talking about scent sensitivities?
Personally I can’t go into any stores around Christmas, can’t go into stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond at all, and really really hope that people sitting near me on a plane won’t be wearing any scents. I seem to be allergic to some perfumes and scents but not others, not sure why. But it’s good to think about when deciding whether or not to wear perfume (and how much)!
Thanks queer girl! You’re lucky. I can’t tolerate any, even a “small” spritz. It makes life very difficult which is why scent-free spaces are so important in terms of accessibility.
Gotcha! ?
I interpreted the comment as more of a price barrier than scent sensitivity, my mistake. Allergy to some perfumes and not others really has to do with chemicals used in the perfume itself. Some use plant, flower, or wood extract along with benzeyl, salicylate, and citrol at higher amount than another brand or model perfume.
Oh, I didn’t mean affordability. I meant accessibility in terms of access to public/shared spaces. There are people with severe disabilities to fragrances which is why wearing them is a bad idea.
Here’s a good article: https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/07/being-scent-free/
While I think that people need to be much more aware of scent sensitivities and related disabilities, and definitely need to make more of an effort into making housing, public transport, and other shared spaces safe for them, I also have to recognize the role that cologne/perfume and the like play in helping others feel safer or express themselves. I wear scented products (usually peppermint but not always) when I’m not allowed to shower after surgery bc it makes me feel less gross and pathetic and masks my BO. A closeted genderqueer friend of mine is not able to openly present the way they want, so they use scented products to regain some small sense of agency and control over their body and how they’re perceived.
At the same time, it sucks that my friend with a lavender allergy is ironically not able to safely attend actions organized by other disabled people. She’s a part of the disability community too, and it sucks that her accessible environment is even less common than mine.
Idk it’s just. I completely understand where both sides are coming from but I can’t guess what the solution is or if there even is a solution at all. Nobody involved deserves to have to compromise safely navigating the world we live in
I think it is really important to express yourself and feel confident in your own skin. But most people sensitive to scents can’t get their basic needs met. Having safe public housing, shopping in public, accessing the doctor’s office, getting therapy in person, holding a job, belonging to a community is extremely difficult. It is a disability.
When people choose their self expression over my ability to be breathe, it means I don’t get my basic needs met or belong to a community. It’s double the isolation.
I know how much pressure there is to be perceived a certain way by your smell. I don’t judge people who are under that pressure because it is the fault of advertisers, the toxic chemical industry, classism, racism, etc. We are brainwashed into thinking if we don’t wear scents we will automatically smell like a garbage can. It’s not true. Unscented deodorant, wipes, and fabric sprays exist, and you can even make your own.
Most people can do fine without scents, because of unscented alternatives. I understand there are people in complicated situations such as yourself and your genderqueer friend, and I sympathize.
Ah, I feel you on that, I’ve had customers tell me the same thing, but came here to buy a gift for someone and sometimes they will go for one of the stronger scents on the market. Then again I’ve met more than a few people in my line of work who’s natural odor is strong and offensive(one guy thinks it’s a way to attract women) that the probably put on a little deodorant or perfume to neutralize the scent.
Past few years I’ve been wear Cartier Essence D’Orange as it’s unisex, has a soft orange smell, and really suits me well. I probably should change as I own a perfume store, but most unisex perfumes I am not a fan of. Like Tom Ford Black Orchid is a bit on the strong side, and CK One and CK BE is great in the sense it’s a classic, but sometimes you want something new.
All I want is a perfume that smells exactly like Earl Grey tea. I used to study in this study room with lots of old wooden bookcases and books that always inexplicably smelled like earl grey. I was pretty sure it wasn’t actual tea but the perfume of one of the girls that studied there. I found one once that was marketed as earl grey, but it actually smelled like grass. So no luck yet.
Have you ever sampled The Jo Malone brand? A bit on the pricey side ($65 for a small bottle), but the scents are amazing and can be layered. They have an Oud & Bergamont (think old wood and bergamont, a key scent profile in earl grey) which is lovely – they also have an earl grey & cucumber. I’d give them a shot. If you’re close to a Nordstrom, they have the entire line and you can sample all day long- it’s my current obsession. I walked out with two small bottles and 2 samples…I hate department stores, but it was one of the more pleasant experiences I’ve had and I’ve received a lot of compliments on my new scents.
Demeter has an Earl Grey scent, and it’s about as true as I’ve ever encountered, though their scents aren’t known for lasting power. A 30ml bottle will run you about $15. Some Walgreen’s carry them, probably mostly ones in upscale neighborhoods.
Annick Goutal’s ‘ile au thé’ is Earl Grey and Mandarin. It’s a heavenly gender neutral summer scent that changes beautifully. Mandarin when your skin is cold, Earl Grey as it hits up in the heat of summer. I had tears in my eyes the first time I smelled this perfume on my skin.
https://www.annickgoutal.com/en/l-ile-au-the-eau-de-toilette-spray
I’d look at some of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s stuff– I know they used to have some single-scent samples out, and while I don’t know if they still do that they sell plenty that incorporate earl grey.
oh goodness, wasn’t expecting so many responses. Thank you all for your suggestions – I know little-to-nothing about fragrances so you’ve saved me a lot legwork. I’ll have to look into it again when I’m next getting myself something nice.
There’s some indie suggestions in this thread!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Indiemakeupandmore/comments/5rngqr/best_earl_grey_scents/
For general exploration, I really like using sample/decant sites, like Surrender to Chance or The Perfumed Court. There you can buy various size samples of a lot of perfumes. It can also just be a nice way to get a smaller amount of something you like if a bottle would be too expensive.
I also follow a few fragrance blogs (though not as many as I used to), and that can be a good way to find out about fragrances that you might not encounter in a department store. One that I read, Now Smell This, also hosts swap meets a couple times a year.
I own a lot of indie perfumes, from places like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Haus of Gloi, NAVA and Sixteen 92. What I love about places like this is that they sell samples of almost anything, so you can get a vial of 1mL or 2mL to test out. I’ve also gotten a lot of them through the marketplace at Indie Makeup and More over on reddit. That forum has lots of tips, and buying samples secondhand saves money and let’s you try stuff out!
The shop is on hiatus right now, but I got a sample set of solid botanical perfumes from Roxana Illuminated Perfume for Christmas and I love them. Perfume usually really bothers me, but these are so nice. They smell good and natural to me, and they’re not overpowering. They make me feel just a little extra special when I wear them.