I think everybody knows by now that the Elixir bandwagon is in full force, full steam ahead. And here we have jean paul gaultier le male elixir. Of course, we’ve had Dior Sauvage Elixir, we’ve had Paco Rabanne Invictus Victory Elixir, we’ve had so many Elixirs as well. What about this one? It has the traditional lavender, mint, vanilla ingredients that you also find in the original Le Mall from the mid-90s, but we have some added dark notes in the heart and in the dry down. I’m excited to give you my thoughts on this fragrance, so make sure to read the end.
Let’s begin today’s episode, and I give you my thoughts on jean paul gaultier le male elixir. I do want to start the article off first by saying that if you’re a fan of fragrance-related content, please do consider supporting my blog by subscribing to the newsletter, and share it with many other fragrance lovers. It would really mean a lot to me. So, like I said, the original jean paul gaultier le male was released in the mid-90s. The perfumer is Francis Kurkdjian, and the three most touted notes, most talked-about notes, are vanilla, mint, and lavender.
Perfumer behind jean paul gaultier le male elixir
Here we have a reimagination of that DNA. This one is actually much darker; there’s honey, tonka bean, tobacco, & benzoin, which is a type of deep medicinal resinous ingredient. It’s a different perfumer as well; the perfumer for this one is Quentin Bisch, who has done Delina parfums de marly. He’s done so many other amazing fragrances, and he’s worked on a bunch of both designer and niche fragrances on his own and in collaboration with other perfumers.
How much darker is this one going to go? Is it worth getting this one over the original? How similar is it to the original? I’m going to answer all of these questions in this article.
Scent & Development
So in the opening of this fragrance, you are going to get this creamy, smooth, mellifluous warmth from the fragrance. And I say mellifluous because I am smelling the honey. The honey is smooth, it’s soft, it’s mellow, it has this golden aura emitting from it. It’s a beautiful ingredient. And the one thing that I really enjoy about this one is that the honey in here does not smell powdery. That’s something that can turn a lot of people off; it scares a lot of people away.
You don’t want a fragrance that smells like baby powder—at least, a lot of people don’t. Myself, personally, I don’t mind it. I actually do enjoy those types of fragrances, especially if they’re on the clean side of things. There is another honey-based fragrance by Kilian Paris called Back to Black. This smells nothing like it. You have the honey in here, and the vanilla kind of bridges that sweetness, because the honey is in the dry down; the vanilla is in the heart.
Top Notes (Lavender Mint)
I think, from what I read in the note breakdown. But it doesn’t really matter, right? Both of those have a larger molecular structure; they’re kind of residing in the deep conclusion of the fragrance. What you get in the opening is the lavender and the mint. The lavender is quite aromatic; it doesn’t smell like a cleaning product. As a matter of fact, I would go as far as to say that the lavender in the original Le Male is stronger.
Heart Notes (Vanilla and Benzoin)
In this one, it’s kind of clouded out by the use of the benzoin and the vanilla and the honey and the tonka bean. The tobacco is very subtle. It’s all the way in the dry down; you really have to look for it. You have to put on the magnifying glasses, and even then you might still miss it because the vanilla is front and center, the benzoin is front and center.
The best way that I can describe the smell of benzoin is that it is a resin. It has a balsamic richness to it; there’s a vanilla overtone. Some people even say it smells syrupy or medicinal. It doesn’t smell like cough syrup per se, but it does have this dark tinge to it.
Base Notes (Honey – Tonka beans & Tobacco)
So here we have mint, lavender, vanilla, tonka bean, which is rather smooth. There’s an active compound in tonka bean known as coumarin, and it adds to the sweetness of the fragrance. So there’s a lot, a lot of ingredients in here that are making this sweet. This is much, much sweeter than the original. There are so many varieties of jean paul gaultier le male elixir that have been released onto the market. Of course, there’s In the Navy and Superman and Popeye and all of these flankers.
What I’ve seen is that this perfumer, Quentin Bisch, when he’s been creating fragrances for Carolina Herrera and Etat Libre d’Orange and all of these other brands, he knows how to utilize this modern sweetness. And that’s what this fragrance has. This fragrance is darker than the original. It’s not as playful as the original. It still has that flirtatious nature about it, but it’s more sophisticated. So this is a great fragrance for, like, a night out; you’re going to a party, club, a bar—you want something that’s a bit deeper, richer, so on and so forth, jean paul gaultier le male elixir is the way to go.
One of the Best Release
This stuff is one of the best release without a shadow of a doubt. And of course, this is to be worn in a colder climate. The original Le Male, I would wear it in every season, to be honest with you, especially on account of the performance issues. This has no performance issues; you’re going to get about 9–10 hours with it.
And this one is great for the colder weather because of all the notes and the kind of mental image that it conveys the setting, the landscape, the honey, vanilla, tonka bean, tobacco, so on and so forth. This stuff is really special; give it a chance.
Overall Assessment on jean paul gaultier le male elixir
Let’s go ahead and finish things off with my overall assessment.
Uniqueness
Now first up, in terms of the uniqueness and the overall smell of jean paul gaultier le male elixir, it does possess a DNA that is in that sweeter, darker, richer, deeper, more resinous direction. It’s not a clone or a twist of anything; it’s not reductive in any way. This smells awesome; I love it.
Performance & Versatility
In terms of the longevity, 9–10 hours. Projection was amazing for the first hour of application; it radiated beyond an arm’s length, despite the fact that there really isn’t citrus in here. Of course, there’s probably citral and citronellol and linalool and these other molecules that give off a citrusy vibe. In terms of the note breakdown, there really isn’t a citrus fruit listed in there, not even bergamot from what I can remember. But nevertheless, the projection is excellent. It became an elbow’s length scent right around hour 7, a skin scent right around hour 9 or 10.
In terms of the versatility, masculine leaning, great for the colder weather—fall and winter. Great for casual or formal scenarios. The sweetness allows you to dress it down, but the complexity of the blend allows you to dress it up. And anybody of any age would really enjoy this one. And to be honest with you, I think the le male would probably cater to somebody who’s been around in the 90s. Maybe had it as their signature scent; it might have a nostalgia component for that person.
Final Verdict
My final verdict on jean paul gaultier le male elixir—it is one of the best releases. I wouldn’t be surprised if other reviewers or critics or whatever are putting out content saying that it’s their favorite release, and I think the brand jean paul gaultier really did an amazing job with this one. Thank you guys for joining me today on My Scent Stories, I really do appreciate it.
