Gender Fluid
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FRAGRANCE FILES GENDER FLUID WHO’S TO SAY WHAT A WOMAN OR MAN SHOULD SMELL LIKE? THE COOLEST NEW SCENTS OCCUPY NEUTRAL TERRITORY By JENNIFER GOLDSTEIN Photograph by GRAEME MONTGOMERY Speaking to a room of beauty executives this Herz, a psychologist and neuroscientist at sweet. In 2009, two scientists, Manuel Zarzo past October, Linda Levy, a vice president at Brown University who studies the sense of and David T. Stanton, even proved this: Macy’s, predicted the eventual disappearance smell, has a surprising answer: They don’t— Drawing on previous research and a collection of separate men’s and women’s fragrance coun- at least not when they’re born. “Almost all odor of 820 fragrances, they developed a chart plot- ters at department stores. It wasn’t as contro- preferences are learned, even if we don’t con- ting the notes used most frequently in perfum- versial an idea as, say, Target’s decision to do sciously remember learning them,” she says. If ery and found that 42 percent of women’s away with gender labels in its toy aisles, but it you took twin babies—one boy, one girl—and fragrances were floral, while only 1 percent of made some waves. Levy was just making a logi- exposed them to a soft, floral perfume and a men’s were. Conversely, 15 percent of men’s cal conclusion based on mounting evidence bracing, aromatic cologne, their responses to colognes were woody, whereas only 2 percent that traditional gender lines are blurring: both would be the same. In fact, before we have of women’s were. Women wear men’s colognes, men are wearing memories and associations to influence our But it hasn’t always been this way. If you perfume, and niche lines like Ex Nihilo, Byredo, preferences, we’re pretty ambivalent about were to hop into a time machine and head back D.S. & Durga, Arquiste, and Le Labo often most smells. (Babies have the same response to to medieval Europe, you’d find that men and eschew labels altogether, putting out strong, the funk of rotting cheese that they do to the women were equally fond of floral, herbal, and intoxicating scents that are winning over both sweet aroma of ripe bananas.) So innate gender woody fragrances—and you’d be glad they sexes. Even megabrand Calvin Klein is launch- differences in scent preference? Not a thing. were, considering bathing was a less frequent ing a scent, ck2, that’s been dubbed “gender- That’s probably news to anyone who’s ever practice and the scent of the tannery (um, that free” (not “unisex”—but more on that later). shopped for a fragrance. By and large, men’s would be urine) clung to all leather accessories. First, some context: Why do men and scents are spicy, herbaceous, woody, and leath- Things didn’t change much until the rise of women prefer different fragrances? Rachel ery, whereas women’s are floral, fruity, and the European middle class in the late 1800s, 220 MARIECLAIRE.COM March 2016 when fragrance began to be seen as frivolous. Naomi Campbell used to spritz Creed’s Green generation that coined the phrase “You Do In the book Aroma, anthropologist Constance Irish Tweed), but they weren’t the norm—until You” and has grown up transgender, gender- Classen and her coauthors note that it was recently. “We’re seeing more women wearing fluid, and genderqueer, products labeled “for around this time that scents like rose and jas- men’s scents, and the industry has responded women” or “for men” come off old-fashioned. mine became associated with the sweeter, by adding traditionally masculine notes like Even the word unisex, originally coined in more flowery half of society (back then: peppercorn and leather to perfumes,” says the ’60s and used to describe ck one in the ’90s, women). “It’s possible these trends developed Mark Knitowski, vice president of product seems dated. Today, there are masculine and based on cultural associations—men spending development at Victoria’s Secret. feminine realms, but both genders are free to more time in places scented with leather and Mark Crames, CEO of fragrance brand play in either. Picture actor Jaden Smith tobacco, for example—but we can’t say for Demeter, has also noticed the trend. Demeter wearing a skirt in Louis Vuitton’s spring sure,” notes Herz. Patchouli, for example, is now a top seller for womenswear campaign, or female singers like By the time the commercial fragrance both men and women. “I believe that 20, 30 CocoRosie’s Bianca Casady, who pencils on a industry exploded, post–World War II, gender years down the road, maybe sooner, everything mustache and bushy brows to go with her distinctions were in place—and marketing just will be primarily unisex. I think we’re in the lipstick and blush. The post-gender aesthetic of reinforced them. “When Marilyn Monroe came very first baby steps of that,” he says. fashion labels Hood By Air and Telfar also along and said all she wore to bed was Chanel Gottlieb credits some of this line blurring to comes to mind. No.5, perfume became connected to sexuality the growing influence of Middle Eastern So, what does this new world smell like? In and glamour, which really changed things,” perfumery. The oud trend is just one example “gender-free” ck2, there’s a cool freshness from says Herz. The sexual disparity continued (over 30 scents featuring the warm, resinous notes of wasabi and wet cobblestone, but as the throughout the ’70s and ’80s, as men’s and note have launched globally since 2013). “A lot spray dries on skin, you get a whiff of sandal- women’s fashion labels developed branded of new fragrances have these rich, incense-y, wood and incense, warm notes traditionally scents: Cacharel, maker of silky, flowered woody notes inspired by the Middle East, used in Middle Eastern perfumery. blouses, had lily-and-hyacinth-scented Anaïs where fragrances are genderless,” she explains. Sandalwood also pops up in Al-Sabah’s Anaïs; Stetson, famed for leather boots and “We don’t differentiate between ‘male’ or creation The Fragrance Kitchen In Love as well 10-gallon hats, did a musky, woody cologne. ‘female’ scents in the Middle East,” agrees as in Aveda’s new Love Composition Oil. And Then, in the ’90s, fashion enjoyed an Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, a Kuwaiti fashion it takes top billing in Orris & Sandalwood from androgynous moment, thanks in part to the executive who launched his own fragrance Jo Malone, a unisex line that’s designed to be rise of grunge music (think Kurt Cobain and line, The Fragrance Kitchen, in 2005. Rose, for layered (yet another Middle Eastern fragrance Courtney Love’s almost identical haircuts and example, is universally loved. “I’m a huge fan custom, by the way). outfits). To capitalize on the trend, executives of the original Paloma Picasso,” he says, citing Saffron is another popular gender bender. at Calvin Klein tasked fragrance developer Ann the (women’s) perfume made with rose and Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian used it in his latest Gottlieb with creating a unisex scent. “I’d love ylang-ylang. “And you’ll sometimes see bottles eau de parfum, Baccarat Rouge 540. And the to tell you we had a plan and everything was of Chanel No.5 and Shalimar on men’s vanities honeyed, hay-like note is featured in several deliberate, but it really wasn’t,” says Gottlieb in this region.” other new scents, including Clean Reserve with a laugh, as she reminisces about the But the breakdown of the perfume sex Amber Saffron, Odin New York No. 12 Lacha, ck one project. “Most of the perfumers we barrier can’t wholly be attributed to Middle and Hermès Eau de Néroli Doré. The SPRAYS THAT GO BOTH WAYS MAISON FRANCIS THE FRAGRANCE HERMÈS Eau de BYREDO Super CALVIN KLEIN JO MALONE Orris & AVEDA KURKDJIAN Baccarat Rouge KITCHEN In Love Néroli Doré Eau Cedar Eau de ck2 Eau de Sandalwood Cologne Love Composition 540 Eau de Parfum, $300. Eau de Parfum, $320. de Cologne, $129. Parfum, $230. Toilette, $75. Intense, $170. Oil, $30. approached came up with men’s colognes that Eastern influences. “The redefinition of gender perfumers behind these creations may not were just slightly less masculine.” After a lot of roles and labels probably has a lot to do with realize it, but their use of saffron is a perfect trial and error, she and her team realized they the current trend,” says Crames. example of history repeating itself: In medieval needed a citrus and settled on the now famous Just think how men’s and women’s places Muslim societies, mukhannathun—a Classical bergamot-and-pineapple-tinged blend devel- in society have evolved since Marilyn Monroe’s Arabic term used to describe people without a oped by fragrance house Firmenich. Chanel No.5 confession. Last year alone, the clear gender identity—often adorned their Of course, throughout the 20th century and shift was huge: In November, a boy appeared bodies with a scented paste made of saffron. early aughts, there were always stylish women in an online commercial for Barbie, and in Gottlieb, for one, isn’t surprised by the coinci- who loved men’s colognes (Sarah Jessica Parker December, the Pentagon opened all of the dence: “With fragrance trends, nothing is 100 THE FRAGRANCE KITCHEN & BYREDO: COURTESY OF THE COMPANIES. ALL OTHER IMAGES: JEFFREY WESTBROOK/STUDIO D WESTBROOK/STUDIO JEFFREY IMAGES: OTHER ALL COMPANIES. THE OF COURTESY BYREDO: & KITCHEN FRAGRANCE THE was reportedly a fan of Guerlain’s Vetiver; military’s combat roles to women.