what caused the rise of the unisex perfume?
Calvin Klein brought unisex perfumes to the notice of Western markets with the overnight success of launch of CKOne. However, this was certainly not the first company to develop unisex perfumes.
Traditional Middle Eastern oriental perfumes are always unisex, as Arabs do have fixed ideas about perfume notes. Men will often enjoy sweet or gourmand or floral notes. Likewise, ladies enjoy woody or spicy notes in their perfume compositions. Niche perfume houses do not often specify if their fragrances are male or female, as this would limit experimentation . Even some African markets such as Nigeria have traditionally been unisex, driven by the purchases of the head of the household. Women in many homes wear whatever the head of the house chooses to buy.
According to Mintel, gender neutral fragrances accounted for only 17 percent of new perfume launches in 2010. Though unisex perfumes made up 51% of new launches by 2018. Unisex perfumes are growing globally, however not all markets are as ready to adopt this product type. Markets such as Brazil, for example are still not adopting unisex perfumes.
The UK the mass, luxury, designer and niche markets show growth in unisex perfumes (see below graph from Statista). The mass market should continue to enjoy healthy growth over the next ten years. The reason for this is younger consumers drive towards individuality. Most have not yet reached their peak earning capacity, but will be in a position to buy more expensive perfumes in the future.
What factors are contributing to the rise of unisex perfume?
Previous social norms have changed in many societies, consequently preconceptions about what is feminine or masculine are being questioned. Nowadays people frown on traditional perfumery marketing imagery showing strong muscular men and feminine sexy women.
Millennials and Generation Z are also fuelling the demand for unisex perfumes due to their increased need for individuality. Unisex perfumes allow a person to explore the adventure of the skin’s reaction to new and unexpected fragrance notes. The same level of experimentation and risk is not normally available in mass distribution designer perfumes.
The recent designer launch CK Everyone has a wide variety of fragrance accords such as citrus and wood as well as sweet and powdery. Consequently these give the fragrance a much wider appeal, as the perfume seems to offer something for everyone to enjoy.
Buying a unisex perfume is generally about focusing on the ingredients which you like. Traditional male or female ingredients are used to change the personality of a perfume, no matter which sex is buying it. We are witnessing fruit, floral and gourmand notes such as iris, lavender, rose, amber, neroli, vanilla and sandalwood in unisex perfumes. The increased interest of younger consumers in niche perfumery has also led to the creation of many more lighter fragrance compositions. Millennials and generation Z consumers also focus on the environment and sustainability, hence more fragrances with natural botanics are launching.
The introduction of 'layering' to western consumers
Another trend in unisex perfume is the concept of ‘layering’ which has been prevalent in the Middle East for centuries. However this is a relatively practice in Western markets. A selection of different fragrances are sprayed on top of each other to give a more individual composition. For example, combining a fruity floral fragrance with a woody musky perfume. Increasingly perfume houses cater to this need by developing collections of perfumes which combine to create different perfume moods. Keen perfume experimenters – why not buy a perfume set from the experimental perfume club?
Many current trends hark back to a time when perfumery still had an air of mystique about it. Nowadays younger consumers research online for perfume recommendations from friends, they are more cynical about traditional marketing. Younger consumers would often prefer environmentally friendly brands to one which has spent millions on film star photo shoots. The perfume market is fragmenting more and opportunities exist for small businesses who understand the needs of consumers. Big budget traditional advertising spend is no longer de rigueur.
Much of the growth in unisex perfumes was due to the growth in niche perfumery. If you are interested to learn more about this area, our article what is the future outlook for niche perfumery will be of interest to you.