The gender-neutral concept is set to take the fragrance market by storm, while also creating opportunities across the wider beauty space as consumers seek to express themselves more creatively and beyond the confines of traditional gender pigeonholes, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Increasingly more beauty and personal care brands are taking the unconventional approach in focusing on consumers’ desire to express their individuality, thus centering new product development on blurring gender boundaries and embracing gender neutrality.
Iliyana Mesheva, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Fragrance is one of the beauty and personal care segments that is fully tapping into the gender-fluidity trend. Recently, this has become increasingly evident in the proliferation of androgynous fragrance launches across brands, which strive to capture consumers’ attention by resonating with their desire to express themselves.”
According to GlobalData’s 2016 Q3 global consumer survey, the proportion of consumers who disagree that they feel under pressure to follow traditional cultural and societal norms was a similar level to those who agree at around one third across gender groups.
On the whole, consumers from all genders feel indifferent to conforming to societal norms and set cultural traditions, thus giving brands the opportunity to offer products which help consumers further express their personality and lifestyle.
Mesheva continues: “Targeting millennials who are willing to wear any fragrance that ‘smells right’, matches their personality, and triggers an emotion within them, means that brands must understand the importance of note blends and packaging play in promoting neutrality.
”For instance, Calvin Klein’s CK2 gender-free fragrance has proven to be of a great success, since its launch in 2016. The notes of sandalwood, mandarin, and wasabi form a natural and fresh scent that appeals to all genders. Its minimalistic packaging design, featuring a transparent futuristic looking bottle, has served to support the gender-free concept.”
