Jean Paul Gaultier: from the corset to the marinière
Gaultier has been designing fashion since 1976. He grew up in the banlieue, never went to fashion school, and took the corset out of lingerie and brought the skirt into menswear. His fragrances echo these garments in the shape of their bottles. The first was Classique, in 1993, a female bust cinched in a corset, and two years later came Le Male as its male counterpart. Both come in a metal can, an everyday object used as packaging, which the house encourages you to reuse. Since 2016 the fragrances have been produced by the Spanish group Puig.
The Le Male line: which version to choose
Every version shares lavender, while the concentration and the notes around it change.
Le Male Eau de Toilette
The original version has mint, lavender and vanilla. Kurkdjian has said he was inspired by 1950s barbershops, where you could smell lavender. At Mazzolari you'll find it in the Le Male Eau de Toilette gift set, together with the shower gel.
Le Male Le Parfum
The black and gold bottle holds Le Male Le Parfum, an eau de parfum intense with cardamom, lavender, iris and vanilla and a woody, amber trail.
Le Male Elixir and Elixir Absolu
Le Male Elixir comes in parfum concentration and brings together lavender, tonka bean and benzoin. The house presents Le Male Elixir Absolu, a parfum intense, as a more intense take on it, with spiced plum, lavender and tonka bean.
Ultra Male and Le Male in Blue
Ultra Male is an eau de toilette intense with black lavender, juicy pear, mint and a woody vanilla. Le Male in Blue, by contrast, is an aromatic, spicy eau de parfum built on lavender, anise and benzoin.
Le Male aftershaves, shower gel and deodorants
For shaving there are two formulas. According to the house, the aftershave lotion has an "even more intense minty freshness," while the aftershave balm is a fluid, fresh emulsion, lightly scented with the notes of Le Male. The line also includes the shower gel, the 150 ml deodorant spray and the 75 ml deodorant stick. Other shaving products are in the aftershave collection.
Other Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances
Le Beau and La Belle
Le Beau Eau de Toilette combines bergamot, coconut wood and tonka bean, and Le Beau Le Parfum, an eau de parfum intense, adds sandalwood. Then there is Le Beau Narcisse, a musky amber with bergamot, musk and tonka bean. Among the women's fragrances, La Belle is an eau de parfum of pear, bergamot and vanilla. From the same line, La Belle Le Parfum is an amber gourmand with tonka bean, and La Belle Rosea an aquatic floral with peony.
Scandal and Scandal Pour Homme
Scandal is an eau de parfum with gardenia, patchouli and honey. Scandal Le Parfum Her has jasmine, salted caramel and black vanilla. Scandal Elixir for Her is a fruity chypre with blackberry, iris and patchouli. So Scandal is a separate eau de parfum, with orange blossom and jasmine. For men there is Scandal Pour Homme, a woody amber eau de toilette in a refillable bottle, built on clary sage, tonka bean and vetiver. The Le Parfum Him version has geranium, tonka bean and sandalwood, and the Elixir for Him black cherry and patchouli.
Classique and Gaultier Divine
Classique Eau de Toilette brings together orange blossom, ginger, rice powder and vanilla. It also comes as an eau de parfum, with body lotion, shower gel and deodorant. The Gaultier Divine line centers on lily, meringue and a salty note, and Gaultier Divine Le Parfum is an amber floral with benzoin. Finally, Gaultier Divine Couture is a fruity amber eau de parfum with raspberry, meringue and benzoin, in a glossy pink, refillable bottle.
How to choose between concentrations and notes
Every Gaultier line comes in several concentrations, which you can tell apart by the name on the label. The eau de toilettes are Le Male, Ultra Male (in its intense version), Le Beau, Scandal Pour Homme and Classique. The eau de parfums are Le Male in Blue, Scandal, So Scandal, La Belle, La Belle Rosea, Le Beau Narcisse, Gaultier Divine Couture and Classique. The Le Parfum versions are eau de parfum intense: Le Male Le Parfum, Le Beau Le Parfum, La Belle Le Parfum, Scandal Le Parfum Her and Him, and Gaultier Divine Le Parfum. In parfum concentration there are Le Male Elixir and the Scandal Elixir for Her and for Him, while Le Male Elixir Absolu is a parfum intense.
If you start from the notes, lavender runs through the entire Le Male line. Tonka bean appears in Le Male Elixir, Le Beau, Scandal Pour Homme and La Belle Le Parfum, and vanilla in La Belle, Classique and Le Male Eau de Toilette.
The gift sets collection also includes sets with fragrance and shower gel.
Frequently asked questions
Who created Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier?
Le Male was created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and launched in 1995. Kurkdjian has said he was inspired by 1950s barbershops, which smelled of lavender, and that is why lavender is the central note of the fragrance.
What does Le Male Eau de Toilette smell like?
According to the house's description, Le Male Eau de Toilette has mint, lavender and vanilla. It is the original version of the line, in the torso bottle dressed in the marinière, and at Mazzolari it comes in a gift set that pairs the 75 ml Eau de Toilette with the 75 ml Le Male shower gel.
What is the difference between Le Male Elixir and Elixir Absolu?
Le Male Elixir is a parfum of lavender, tonka bean and benzoin. Elixir Absolu is a parfum intense, which the house presents as a more intense version of Elixir, and it adds a spiced plum to the lavender and tonka bean.
Le Male Eau de Toilette or Le Male Le Parfum: which is better?
It depends on the notes you're after, since both have lavender. In the original Eau de Toilette, lavender comes with mint and vanilla, while Le Male Le Parfum is an eau de parfum intense with cardamom, iris and vanilla, a woody, amber trail and a black and gold bottle.
Which Le Male should I choose if I like sweet fragrances?
For a sweet lavender there is Ultra Male, which the house describes as a "tug-of-war between strength and sweetness," an eau de toilette intense with black lavender, woody vanilla, pear and mint. The original Eau de Toilette also has vanilla. Le Male in Blue, on the other hand, is aromatic and spicy, with anise and benzoin.
Why is the Le Male bottle shaped like a torso in a marinière?
The Le Male bottle wears the blue and white striped marinière, Gaultier's signature garment, which the designer has always worn himself. It is paired with Classique's female bust in a corset, and both come in a metal can that the house encourages you to reuse.
What is the difference between Le Beau and Le Male?
Le Male is built around lavender, while Le Beau centers on wood, with bergamot, coconut wood and tonka bean in the eau de toilette and added sandalwood in the Le Parfum version. The Le Beau bottle is a bare torso, covered only by a leaf.
Which women's Scandal should I choose?
Scandal Eau de Parfum has gardenia, honey and patchouli. Scandal Le Parfum Her, an eau de parfum intense, has jasmine, salted caramel and black vanilla. Scandal Elixir for Her is a fruity amber chypre with blackberry, iris and patchouli. So Scandal is a separate fragrance, with orange blossom and jasmine.
