I love unisex fragrances – but I also enjoy smelling like a sexy man, so it’s not really surprising that I gravitate toward fragrances that are unisex.
Scents designed to be worn by all the sexes are a bit less heavy on the wood and amber base notes, so you lose that wear-down “dad” vibe and are instead left with all the good stuff – more neutral notes, plenty of green, and woods that feel sexy.
Here are some top unisex scents trialled by guys and girls in the P.TV office.
BYREDO SUNDAY COLOGNE
MELISSA: “I love this. It’s super crisp and light, exactly how you imagine a traditional cologne to be, except there’s these mild floral notes that made it feel feminine on me.”
HENRY: “This was really fresh on. It didn’t feel like I was wearing a perfume. I’d wear this to a meeting, it smells expensive.”
MAISON MARGIELA REPLICA FANTASIES: SOUL OF THE FOREST
MELISSA: “When they say sap and ancient wood, they’re not lying. This was SO “foresty” to me. Super green and woody, you know? Not my vibe, but really lush if you’re into green scents.
MATT H: “This unisex scent, self-described as “sap and ancient wood” smells as fresh as it sounds. While I don’t think I’ve ever actually smelled “ancient wood”, I’ll take them on their word that it smells like a damn dream.”
ELLIS BROOKLYN SCI FI
LUCINDA: “I was surprised it was unisex. It’s very vanilla-y, in a clean, almost soapy way. It’s not musky or dark, so I’d consider it more of a feminine fragrance. I’d be interested to see how the sweetness of it settled on a bloke.”
JAMES: “It was a smidge too floral for my tastes – leaning more towards the feminine side of unisex fragrances – but it definitely wasn’t bad. Maybe if I was drinking something colourful on a boat I’d wear it.”
JO MALONE WOOD SAGE AND SEA SALT
CLAUDIA: “This is such a weird and interesting cologne, I’m really into it now. It’s got a strange mineral-fresh smell, like mineral water almost. But it’s also woody but not TOO woody? It’s cool.”
MARK: “This was good when I first put it on, but I couldn’t really smell it after a couple of hours.”
TOM FORD OMBRE LEATHER
MATT H: “True to its name, Ombre Leather smells a lot like leather, but in a good way. If I were to describe it any other way, I’d say it’s similar to how you’d smell after walking out of a fancy barber with a fresh cut, all oiled up with their variety of hair products and whatever else the slapped on your bonce. It’s a nice time.”
MELISSA: “I LOVE THIS. I really thought it would be too masculine, but it wears down really sexily – I wouldn’t wear it daily, but for a sexual date, absolutely.
MILLER ET BERTAUX GREEN GREEN GREEN AND GREEN 3
ED: “This was heaps fresh, I’d wear it for sure. Smells like grass but in a good way, you know?”
CLAUDIA: “This is SO green. Which makes sense given it’s name. It smells like a forest after a rain shower, which sounds so wanky but I can’t describe it any other way. It wears beautifully.”
D.S. & DURGA DEBASER
HENRY: “Too sweet for me, it has the richness but I don’t like sweet cologne stuff.”
ELLA: “This was way sweeter than I expected! It’s sort of like a modern sugary perfume with the weight of woods as a base, so I can see how it’s unisex but you’d have to be a guy who likes the gourmande type of fragrance, you know? I’m more of a neutral perfume type so it’s not for me either.”
LUMIRA CUBAN TOBACCO PERFUME OIL
MARK: “I’d wear this again, it kinda smells like fire.”
CLAUDIA: “This is really sexy. It’s definitely got a masculine edge but it’s sweet enough to feel feminine, I think. I’d wear it out at night.
