The best unisex perfumes, from the most affordable to the rarest
CK One at €20 popularised the category in 1994. Thirty years on, unisex is no longer a provocation but a norm — and here are the families that lend themselves to it best.
We must say at the outset what “unisex” means, because the word covers two very different things.
There is declared unisex: the house states that the perfume is for everyone. And there is de facto unisex: a composition that mobilises none of the historically gendered codes — neither the lavender fougère of the classic masculine, nor the powdery white bouquet of the classic feminine.
This selection keeps the perfumes that tick both boxes.
The criterion
We kept perfumes declared unisex in the catalogue, with a complete page and a real offer on a bottle of at least 30 ml, then ranked them by their weight in structurally neutral accords: musky, woody, citrus, aromatic, green.
Under €60
CK One — Calvin Klein, eau de toilette, 1994, from €20 Citrus, musky, aromatic, woody, fruity. The perfume that made unisex a mass phenomenon. In 1994, an identical bottle for everyone was a manifesto; today it is a commercial given. It remains the cheapest in the catalogue with a real volume and one of the most honest.
CK Be — Calvin Klein, eau de toilette, 1996, from €21 Aromatic, musky, woody. Three accords. Darker than CK One, just as neutral.
CK Everyone — Calvin Klein, eau de toilette, 2020, from €23 Amber, woody, citrus, musky. The house’s contemporary rereading, with the best neutrality score in the selection.
Un Jardin sur le Nil — Hermès, eau de toilette, 2005, from €46 Green, citrus, woody, floral. Green mango and lotus. One of the few great houses to have built an entire collection (the Jardins) on this ground.
Eau d’Orange Verte — Hermès, eau de Cologne, 1979, from €57 Citrus, aromatic, green, musky. A 1979 eau de Cologne: a format whose gender label has always been discreet. It does not last long: that is the principle.
Danger Nocturne — Olfactive Alchimie, extrait, from €60 Musky, woody. Only two accords — the most stripped-back composition on this page, and an extrait at €60, which is rare.
From €100 to €250
You or Someone Like You — État Libre d’Orange, eau de parfum, 2017, from €155 Aromatic, woody, musky, floral.
Cassiopea — Tiziana Terenzi, extrait, from €215 Woody, floral, gourmand, musky.
Original Vetiver — Creed, eau de parfum, 2004, from €220 Woody, citrus, green. Three accords, around vetiver — a material present in 316 perfumes in the catalogue and which, at 83% in the base, ensures longevity.
Corfu — Memo Paris, eau de parfum, 2019, from €255 Woody, musky, citrus, fruity.
Beyond €300
La Primavera — Argos, extrait, from €316 Woody, citrus, gourmand, musky.
Jupiter’s Lightning — Argos, extrait, from €316 Aromatic, woody, citrus, warm spicy.
Perseus Triumphant — Argos, extrait, from €337 Woody, citrus, warm spicy, musky.
(An observation in passing: three of the four most expensive references in this selection come from the same house, Argos, whose range is very often built around citrus. A marked signature.)
Which families are truly mixed?
The most useful marker comes not from the list but from the composition. Four families lend themselves particularly well to mixed wear, because they have no established gender code:
- Musky — the most neutral material there is. White musk is present in 1,026 of the 2,060 perfumes analysed, one in two, and 94% of the time as a base note. It carries no gender code.
- Woody — historically masculine, today the most widespread accord in the catalogue across all genders (1,409 perfumes).
- Citrus — hesperidic freshness is little gendered.
- Green — a rare accord (only 61 perfumes) and structurally neutral.
Conversely, two registers remain very marked: the powdery white floral on one side, the lavender fougère on the other. They are not laws of nature, they are cultural conventions established over a century — but they are still legible in the compositions.
The practical advice that follows: if you want to wear a perfume labelled for the other gender — which is strictly not a problem — look at its dominant family rather than the label on the bottle. A musky woody labelled “for men” can be worn by anyone. A powdery aldehydic floral, whatever its labelling, will carry a convention.
Prices recorded in July 2026 at our partner retailers, on bottles of at least 30 ml. Explore all the perfumes in the catalogue or the 22 scent families.
For some of the perfumes mentioned, the notes, years and concentrations are taken from unofficial sources (not from the house); the relevant page says so.