Le Mâle, Le Parfum: A new release marked by restraint, signed Jean-Paul Gaultier. In 2020, Jean-Paul Gaultier's Le Male collection celebrates the 25th anniversary of its original edition. Presented in a glass bust-shaped bottle, and possessing a uniquely aromatic scent, Le Male achieved outright success as soon as it arrived on the men's perfumery market.
For some years now, the house of Jean-Paul Gaultier has been owned by the Spanish licensee Puig. It must be acknowledged that, since then, the designer has continued to string together successes. Highly present in perfumery, he recently launched the new Scandal line, while also revisiting his iconic Classique and Le Male. Incidentally, this cult masculine fragrance from the 90s is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, a unique opportunity for Jean-Paul Gaultier to bring it back into the spotlight. The designer now presents Le Male Le Parfum. So how has this famous sailor of perfumery been modernized? Here is a review of this new composition.
Olfastory’s review
Le Male Le Parfum: two perfumers take over from Francis Kurkdjian
Recall that, in the past, the very first version of Jean-Paul Gaultier's Le Male was crafted by the talented Francis Kurkdjian. He was then signing his first great success, which immediately propelled him into becoming one of the most celebrated perfumers on the planet. Today, to take his place, Jean-Paul Gaultier has decided to call upon two other renowned creators: Quentin Bisch and Nathalie Grazia Cetto. Together, they chose to preserve Jean-Paul Gaultier's iconic Lavender. Indeed, it is the signature and hallmark of the Le Male collection. However, the Lavender undergoes a complete transformation and reveals an entirely different face here. Here, contrasts abound. Le Male Le Parfum opens with the powerful freshness of Cardamom. Then, its spicy breath softens into a woodier, warmer base. Vanilla gradually takes over, releasing in its sillage an animalic, smoky and powdery breath. Undeniably, Le Male Le Parfum lacks neither character nor depth!
Jean-Paul Gaultier's bottle proves more sophisticated and elegant than ever
Just as with the scent, visually, Jean-Paul Gaultier preserves the DNA of previous versions of Le Male, while reinventing and modernizing them. Thus, Le Male Le Parfum comes in Jean-Paul Gaultier's usual bust-shaped bottle. Perfectly sculpted and almost lifelike, this man appears as powerful as he is sexy. This time, however, his usual blue coloring has been completely abandoned in favor of a much darker black shade. This gives him a more assertive charisma. The Jean-Paul Gaultier man seems to have matured, and he now wears his most elegant suit, much to our delight. Not quite an admiral, but still very admirable, the sexiest sailor in the world has just been upgraded: now he is a captain. Yet Jean-Paul Gaultier's offbeat touch remains present. However chic his tuxedo may be, Le Male Le Parfum does not take itself too seriously. Proof of this: it still comes packaged in a tin can! This time, the container takes on a shimmering black coloring, accompanied by a few gold details.