When you enter into a clothing or shoes shop, it will be found that feminine and masculine apparel will be separated strictly. Likewise, the watch you are wearing will be endowed the character of sexuality too. Actually the perfume market has such an occasion too. But sometimes it is noticed from the reviews that the consumer doesn’t mind the sex as long as the smell fits for him or her.

In the mainstream mass-market for the perfume, there are two distinct genders, “for her” and “for him” (or pour homme and pour femme). Most shops have distinctive sections, where they keep the products aimed for men and women respectively isolated and mark “for him” as a separate department or “shop-in-shop”. Nonetheless, women and femininity are represented in many and often contradictory ways. Sexy, romantic, elegant, mysterious, sporty, girly, cosmopolitan, masculine, oriental, these are only some of the many ways of portraying the feminine beauty. Men and masculinity also appear in many different versions, even if the variation is far greater than women. When it comes to the packaging, a dark bottle performs masculinity, but there are also black, square bottles with fragrances “for her”. Round bottles mostly perform femininity, but not always. Elves, pink and glitter package is used for the scents of female, but fragrances “for her” can also be sporty and subtly simplistic, such as the bottle for Chanel No.5 which was originally inspired by a medicine bottle. Words and names which allude to pleasure and temptation mostly appear on girls’ fragrances, but then again they sometimes show on fragrances aimed at men, and become part of performing masculinity. Most stores are strictly divided into gender, but it is not so everywhere. At observations in duty free and perfume shops, I noticed several stores where it was difficult to see whether the fragrances were aimed to men or women or to all.

"Increasingly, the brands are realizing that not everyone has an interest in conforming to the gendered fragrances that allow for little to no individual exploration," Fran Dunaway, CEO and co-founder of the gender-neutral apparel (and now fragrance) brand TomboyX,  tells The Zoe Report over email. "People want a variety of scents to express the full spectrum of who they are and categories confined to just the gender binary simply can’t enable this."

Although there are just 2 genders in this world: Men& women, the perfume can have an extra choice - To be unisex without any surgical operation. Are you going to follow up the mainstream or create your unisex perfume this year? Maybe it’s not an easy decision. Your unique vision is able to create a beautiful future too. To be unisex or not? Whatever your resolution it is, Klassy will always provide the best solution. 

By: Sabrina