What does unisex mean in perfume? Why most FAAN bottles are listed that way

Unisex in plain words

Unisex means the perfume is not meant for only men or only women. The seller puts it on the product page as a short tag, so shoppers can sort quickly.

There is no formal definition behind the word. Two shops can call the same kind of scent unisex and for-her. What the tag tells you is how the scent is positioned, not what it smells like.

How marketing sorts scents

Perfume used to be split into men's and women's shelves, mostly for packaging and advertising. Sweet, floral and fruity went to one side. Woody, spicy and fresh went to the other. A lot of scents do not fit either, so the unisex shelf grew.

For a shopper, the tag is useful as a first filter and unreliable as a rule. Many people wear scents from the other shelf and never think about it.

Notes that read masculine or feminine (and why that is cultural)

Some notes carry a gender idea: lavender and leather as masculine, vanilla and white flowers as feminine. But the idea changes by place and period. Rose and oud, for example, are worn by everyone in many traditions. Amber and incense are not gendered at all.

The notes themselves do not have a gender. A bottle is better judged by whether you enjoy the pyramid than by which shelf it sits on.

FAAN bottles and their audience tags

The product pages list an audience for each bottle.

• Unisex (11): Amjad Honour, Amjad Coral, Amjad Kingdom, Amjad Mystery, Amjad Status, Qasida Signature, Qasida Al-Badr, Qasida Bakhour, Qasida Dunes, Qasida Purity and Qasida Bidaya.
• For her (2): Qasida Queen and Qasida Senses.
• For him (1): Qasida Sahm.

Qasida Signature is a good example of unisex: praline, almond, vanilla and amber. Warm and sweet, and it suits anyone. Queen is written for her, with cherry, vanilla and coffee, and Sahm for him, with fruit, oud and leather. Even so, nothing in either pyramid bars anyone.

What unisex does not mean

Unisex does not mean mild, and it does not mean a compromise between two styles. The FAAN range shows the spread.

• Qasida Purity is unisex and soft: projection 2 out of 5, white flowers and musk.
• Amjad Honour is unisex and strong: projection 4, longevity 5, frankincense, saffron and oud.
• Amjad Coral is unisex and fresh: pear, mandarin and clean woods.

Three unisex bottles, three different characters. The tag tells you nothing about strength or sweetness. The ratings and the notes do.

Choosing across the line

Use the tag as a hint and read the notes instead.

• If a bottle written for the other gender has notes you like, wear it.
• If a unisex bottle seems too sweet or too dry, look at the notes and adjust.
• Two articles go deeper on this: is Qasida Purity for men and is Amjad Kingdom for women.

For more, see FAAN perfumes for men and FAAN perfumes for women. We are an independent retailer, and the full range is on one page. If a bottle shows as sold out, ask to be notified on the product page.

FAQ

What does unisex perfume mean?

It means the scent is not aimed at one gender. The word has no formal definition, it is a label the seller uses.

Can a man wear a perfume marked for her?

Yes. The tag is a marketing guide. Read the notes and wear what you enjoy.

How many FAAN perfumes are unisex?

Eleven of the fourteen. Two are written for her and one for him.

Related reading

• FAAN perfumes for women
• FAAN perfumes for men
• Amber in perfume and which FAAN bottles use it