Reviews of Le Mâle (1995)
by Jean Paul Gaultier

Yummy! sweet spicy peppery long lasting scent for young men.
I can smell some of its notes like cinnamon,vanilla and a little orange.
Lovely scent not something epic or luxurious but an amazingly sweet
deep smooth casual fragrance within a odd bottle.well done scent!

This is an easy one to get along with. Its refreshing and not a clone of anything else I've tried.

Decent longevity and sillage. Bottle is a little different, but I'm not holding that against this great fragrance.

A classic fragrance, definately a favourite. Smells like toffees, not too sweet, popular with the ladies.

Let's face it. This is a GOOD smell.
However it can be a bit sweet and feminine depending on your taste.
The way I get around that is not to apply too much, and mix it up with something like a "refreshing/marine/masculine" smell like acqua di gio or cool water ... or if you are looking for a woody mix, something like calvin klein eternity or that new terre hermes stuff.

This feels like a very sexy fragrance.

It has a very nice opening, where the mint is very prominent, before eventually settling down into a warm, woody-vanilla base.

The sillage and longevity are impressive.
However I can understand how some people could find this cloying and synthetic; I even think the same myself some days.

Overall, a tremendous "night-out" scent, but I won't be buying another bottle.

A classic, pure and simple. It's perfect from start to finish and can work on just about anyone.

5 stars!

A groundbreaking classic. No other perfume of it's time better defined the era. I understand the criticisms i.e. cloying and synthetic. That however is to neglect the sillage, longevity, warmth, and uniqueness of this juice. In my mind this one sits very comfortably among the other legendary frags like Paco Rabanne, Aramis, Azzaro, Eau Sauvage etc. 2 thumbs way up!

It smells very nice although it might be too popular for its own good. It has good longevity. It might smell synthetic, but who cares, it's a nice smell either way. I have almost finished my bottle and this is one that I will feel bad about if I don't get a new bottle.

It's a very sweet smell with powerful sillage so you should not over apply it.

"This is the sexiest scent a man can wear"... these were the words of the sales lady at Macy's. I'm not sure if she was talking about the bottle, or the scent, regardless though, it is awesome! It is very light to the nose, so you can spray it, it sticks around, but it doesn't make me sneeze.

The way it lingers and welcomes people into the room is really nice... A man at my work was wearing it one day--I was not--and I walked into the room and just wanted to get closer to him to smell him. It's that good.

I've had all positive feedback on this scent... a good friend of mine was with me out on the town one evening and asked what I was wearing... after I told her she said, "It's making me weak in the knees, I can't stop smelling you [with her nose pinned to my neck]"

Get this. My mom purchased this for me after her knowing a man who wore it religiously. I thought, "well, if my mom is suggesting it then I should go the opposite direction", but that's where I was wrong... this stuff is amazing and I will always have a bottle of it close by.

Perhaps it is because this was the first fragrance I ever purchased, or perhaps it is the fact that while wearing this the last 9 years I have received more compliments that I can count, or maybe it is the amazing sillage and longevity which causes the whole laundry basket to emanate of vanilla and amber for days after I have put in it a shirt with a modest application of Le Male. It is hard for me to be concise when praising this fragrance, because while going through 3 bottles, I do not have only one reason why I love JPG Le Male, but at any given time I can give at least a dozen different ones.

I have also heard the criticism, with terms such as "chemical meltdown" and "overwhelmingly cloying” often going around. I disregard these critiques, because in the end of the day, 12 to 14 hours after initial application, an aura of warmth and sweetness is still prominent and heads turn regardless, and if it is a synthetic sweetness that causes this effect, well then so be it. Perhaps time has come where a well-done synthetic can compete and hold its own with the all-natural offerings out there.

I will gladly go out on a limb and reserve Le Male's place among the venerated classics. Decades later, we shall speak of it in the same breath as Guerlain Vetiver, Grey Flannel and Dunhill Edition. Not because it shares their notes or themes, but because it shares the qualities of a classic: amazing versatility, breakthrough combination of notes, remarkable progression and development, and the sillage and longevity of a thoroughbred. I just do not know of any fragrance that was released in the 90s that better captures the essence of the decade and has even two of these characteristics let alone all four.

A thumbs up for the ages.

This fragrance is so unique. It is soft but spicy in the same time. My Swiss exboyfriend was wearing it and anytime i smell it reminds me of him. He was sexy, charismatic, charming, sometimes tender and sometimes wild, exactly as this fragrance.
Last time i smeled it few days ago on one Italian man...when i looked at him i thought hmm, he is handsome but when i smell the cologne i thought oh...he is soooo sexy.
I understand the girl in Critic´s review...this fragrance also turns me on:-)

It was around 3 pm, about 7 hours after I had sprayed it and I was just socialising with some friends. Then it got very windy and a gale force proportion gust of wind burst through the window and swept my shirt. Suddenly a girl uttered " Who's wearing Joop? It turns me on". She followed the trail and finally decided I was the source. She then realised it wasn't Joop! Before she could correct herself on being so insulting, I smiled and said "Le Male.. Jean Paul Gaultier"

ATTRACTIVE!

"Le Male" is really a wonderful and exceptional scent. It is sweet, spicy, flowery and very feminine but at the same time also very strong and masculine.
I can't imagine of any scent that smells similar to this one.
The main notes of Le Male are mint, lavender and vanilla, but somehow Le Male is so overpowering, that it is really difficult for me to smell one of those ingredients.

The best time to use Le Male seems to be cool weather or evening.

The worst thing with Le Male is the fact, that so many people use it (and use it wrong) even when it does not seem to fit them very well. That keeps me from using this one.
If you should like Le Male (like I do) then PLEASE apply it sparingly! That will make a far better impression.

this is a classic & i c why it is still popular after 13 yrs..altho im going 2 go out on a limb & say that I would prefer the FLEUR DU MALE over this! why? bcause i like DIFFRENCE & FLEUR DU MALE IS IT!

A naked sweaty muscle bod's dirty musk that's like crack for some women. it says I'm a bad boy who loves sex...must be the lavender and vanilla

I have a vial of this. At first, it made my eyes roll back in my head. I thought maybe I got some marine diesel by accident. But. After the initial punch, it dried to a great and sexy, and I mean SEXY scent. Uh....be SURE to use it lightly or with a gas mask at first. I am ordering a bottle to add to my lineup.

A great sexy cologne, but way and i mean way too over used. Not unique. Go with body kouros which smells similar, but better, and you will be the only one wearing it.

Not fresh enough but by far the longest lasting perfume ever.On my clothes,after a wash and a week it is still smellable.


Its oil smell like oil but whatever,it works ;)


A bit heavier then light and a bit lighter than heavy.A heavy fresh fragrance but alright.Girls will love it I think ;)


8/10.The longest lasting perfume in my collection.

As a woman I can assure that this is a very sensual scent on a man. It is just so inviting I can't tell you!! This is the only scent that makes me want to keep nuzzling the wearer - could encourage stalkers.

Quite nice. A well-blened one. These notes work well to balance each other off. The sweetest men's frag that I wear.

Smooth, sweet, spicey, vanillic, woody, and sexy.

This is about as sweet as I can go (Opium, both men and women, not withstanding), but I still enjoy wearing it.

The good thing is, that it seems to be declining in popularity, which will make it a little less over-used.

A contemporary power-house perfume.

To be used with jurisprudence: If you can smell it as you walk backwards, re-tracing your steps, the you've used too much, and it only intensifies as your body heat rises. Please, no more than six squirts, under any circumstances!

I've recently rediscovered Le Male after a period of absence.
Yes, to be blunt it seemed "common as muck" a few years ago, perhaps emphasised by the strong sillage.
But to my mind, that shouldn't detract from the fact that it is, in my opinion, an original and well composed fragrance.
It can be a trifle overpowering at first unless used sparingly, but I find the coumarin and sandalwood notes of the drydown very relaxing.

If worn lightly...smells like cool minty vanilla with a slight powdery babershop twist to it ;-) Great Addition to your weekend aresenal!

Im going to keep it short:
Brilliant..
exotic..
WOMEN LOVE IT!
lasts FOREVER!!
dries beautifully...

One of THE BEST fragrances EVER made!!

Screw the thumbs, id raise every finger if i could!

I received this as a gift in 1995 from a friend in France. I used to love it, but since 1999 I seem to drown in the sillage left by pierced teenagers wearing fur-lined hooded jackets in almost every damned mall in America. But, this is not the fault of JPG.
It is warm right out of the bottle, and the vanilla/tonka bean lasts until you bathe the next morning. It is worthy of a purchase, just avoid malls on Friday nights.

This has to be the most nauseating concoction on the market. I'm sorry to all those who like it, but it smells very much like the artificial flavours in fairy floss (cotton-candy for the americans).

It's sweet beyond the point of cloying, and really does not offer a great deal of complexity. A good fragrance smells pleasant. A great fragrance takes you away to another world. This is not good enough to even fall under mediocre.

Obviously, this fragrance has been reviewed to "death". So I will keep it short...good smell, nice sillage.

This scent is an affirmation that there is still magic yet to be discovered in this world...

It's a trip to a strange place, to find new things you've never experianced before. It's calm, relaxing, and yet, there is a livelyness that sparkles just above the surface.

The initial spraying is a bit soapy or almost "fizzy"...it kind of reminded me of opening up a Sprite or something...but it quickly mellows out, and warms up just a bit...it takes on a powdery scent as the day progresses. Very clean and crisp...

Powdery, musky and reminds me of male animal pheromones. It seems to be popular men from all ends of the spectrum and the colour and design of the bottle is just beautiful. There used to be a sailor shaped bubble bath when I was a little girl called 'Matey' with lovely blue liquid inside. come to think of it, 'Matey' would have suited the fragrance well. It's definitely a date fragrance and will impress most girls. Or maybe just me. It manages to be sexy but fun and lighthearted with nothing overpowering in there. Always picture younger lads who have graduated from their first sporty deodorants and are looking to get their first decent adult fragrance getting on with this. Nice memories attached, of someone I should have dated, but bottled out.

Le male is a fragance to have. Its young, fresh and long lasting. It smells pretty fresh because of the mint on it but it is also pretty sweet. In my personal opinion i like it very much but, i dont know even though that this is a fragance for men i guess it has a lil bit of a girly smell maybe because of the vanilla but i guess this has been some kind of advantage since girls compliment this fragance very much.

Le male is sexy and metrosexual. The opening notes are just perfect, mint and bergamot, it just couldn’t be better.
I think it’s a winter’s sense that reminds me Paris. There’s also something seductive about him (Le Male) , indeed it’s a popular sent, however who cares, it’s a great perfume and point!

I finally decided to smell Le Male last week. I had been hesitant thinking it would be vastly too sweet for my taste, but I was quite surprised. It is of course all about vanilla, but not vanilla wafers or vanilla ice cream, more like vanilla extract straight out of the bottle. Combine this with a woody undertone and it is a very nice scent when worn sparingly... and I do mean sparingly. One thing about it though, it lasts forever. I applied it very lightly the morning of the first day I wore it and the next morning could still smell it quite easily.

I'm wearin Le Male for the first time in about a year. I wore this fragrance from when i was 16 to when i was 18, it reminds me of lots of great times, summers with my friends before they went off to university, my ex boyfriend and a Madonna concert. It's very sentimental. The scent itself is very strong. The opening is very fresh (mint) and it stays quite fresh for a long time before it settles to a soft vanilla and musk drywown. Le Male lasts for ages, and like others have said needs to be applied sparingly. It's only downside imo is the fact that it's so popular, i like to be quite individual in the fragrances i wear, unfortunately you only need to go to any bar (gay or straight) in the UK and you'll find most of the boys drenched in it. For me, i think i'll wear this one on occasional summer days when i want to reminisce on my teenage years.

Le Male, is sensual, seductive,warm and certainly captivating...Le Male is not for any man to wear...it takes a certain something the works with the fragrace to create an ultimate...scent...some people love Le Male and swear by it...while others hate it...but certainly the fragrace can not be ignored...Women adore it...and it does get you many compliments...simply the fragrance...radiats sensuality...it is long lasting...Smells good from start to finish...Worth the price...Your getting great value for your money...some other fragrnaces that I have used in the past smelt good for a while and then went bad and did not last that long and need to apply constantly...Well with Le Male I dont have these issues...You can certainly depend on it...Truly Le Male

Good, I've perceived some coconut notes in it maybe due to overdose of haba tonka and vanilla, so it makes me think of suntan lotion. I'd wear it on a breezy vacation night in a tropical island.

Can't say that I going crazy over JPG as a designer, but this fragrance...my goodness...it is just as wonderful as it gets... It has a distinct signature, but yet intimate and intriguing... A little sad though, is that it is so main stream when it comes to market profiling...

An excellent fragrance, on of the best that I own. My only grief is that it gets old very quickly. I'm on the verge of running out and am not sure whether to buy another bottle or not.

I love this stuff. I'm not a fan of most male scents, I think they are musky and overpowering, and frankly don't smell good. However, I love this scent. My best freind owns it, and everytime he wears it I hug him more than usual just to smell it. Once I even sprayed it on myelf to smell it all day long.
It's deliciously metrosexual, and if worn correctly it can be a amazing sentual experiance *wink*.

JPG's Le Male is a soft, sweet & spicy fragrance that opens with a myriad of notes that evokes a somewhat casual youthfulness. It amazing, but if the color of blue of the bottle actually had a "smell", I think it would smell exactly like Le Male. I can see how others would find some scents in the drydown resembling some chemical tang, but for me it's a gorgeous scent with an amazing staying power. This is truly one of my signature scents that receives constant compliments, even after all these years on the market.

While it may be seriously ubiquitous (depending on the region you are in), I still enjoy this scent a lot. It is somewhere between oriental and gourmand, with a quite pleasing minty freshness to it, which may feel synthetic to some, but I am not sensitive to that. Very delicious if you like sweet scents, and a longevity/sillage that is amazing, so you get a lot for your money.

One Alternative should be mentioned: Javari by The Body Shop. It's quite similar, but cheaper and has a good dash of pepper, which may be good for those of you who find this here not manly enough. And it is also said to last as long. If I ever finish my bottle of Le Male, I'd probably get this.

Masculine,sensual and very suitable for a metrosexual.She will definitely want him.I like this fragrance, it lasts and lasts, but it is not as special as Very Irresistible de Givenchy or Xeryus Rouge.

This is definitely one of my favourite scents. It just hits you with an aroma that is both dark and heavy as well as fresh at the same time.

The most noticeable characteristic for me upon first applying is the vanilla/little bit of mint/almost soapy kind of scent. As it progreses I can see how some are turned off by the kind of chemically scents in there but I think that for the most part that is an issue of overapplication. This scent is meant to be worn lightly. I spray once on the neck, once on the wrist and rub together. Any more and it is overpowering and plain gross, but lightly this is one of my favourites if not #1. Longevity is one of it's strong suits as well. Even a light application will last almost all day for you, no problems with that.

So all in all, this is a versatile cologne which you can wear during the day to school or work, and just as easily when you're going on a date, to the bar/club, or anything else. Remember the key is to go light on this one. It's a little played out but not as bad as your Armani/Lacoste colognes around where I live. Definitely worth a shot.

This is my most favorite male sent in the entire world.

Like some, I place sentimental value on it as it brings back fond memories from the late 90s. I have been considering another bottle just to relish in those carefree days when anything could have been posilbe. The trick is to spray conservatively which means only 1-2 sprays tops or it will beceome headachy.

This one works great as a roomspray. This might sounds like I disliked it but I dont. It is just not me anymore. Very well made with great sillage. Lasts forever but this days it is a little bit too sweet for me.
benb

I'm now onto my third bottle of this. For me, it was the first fragrance that I felt really suited me - sensual and sexy, but not overtly musculine (and, no, I'm not gay) - maybe it's my skin, but I always get compliments from women (and some of them can't believe I'm wearing Le Male when I tell them). I must say that I'm soon in need of a short break from it (it's only now that I'm broadening my collection, rather than relying on a couple of fragrances at any one point in time), but it will always remain the 'backbone' of my collection. Also, the design of the bottle is nothing less than pure genius!

This drys down to Versace Dreamer on me. Lasts OK on my skin. Dreamer lasts far longer for much less.

This is the Ultimate perfume. a little splash and everyone around will start sniffing you. awsome effect on gals.
My advice: apply after shower and the effect will be superb. the bottle seems a little fag.

Everyone's got a view on Le Male. I was much more enthusiastic about this scent when I first purchased it. It can either be EXTREMELY pleasing to the nose or quite annoying depending on application and mood. It's a warm and powdery scent, but at times can be irritatingly sweet. From my experience, girls have really enjoyed this fragrance on me. It is still one of my regulars, despite the fact that it seems that every third person wears it. Overall, still a good fragrance, just not the "touch of god" that I had thought about purchasing it.

Its really deep, rich playful fragrence.Its great as an eveing wear!!And its quite a hit with the ladies!!

Suprised nobody's mentioned it, but this is clearly Gaultier's version of a French Vanilla scent. Not very original but... it's rather good though. And well executed too. A female friend used to wear French Vanilla by Dana and when I sampled this at Ulta, that's what it reminded me of. When I first bought it, I couldn't figure out how to open the tin can so I got out the can opener! The scent is pure unalterated vanilla. The sweetness is almost overpowering if applied too much. But just a little bit will lead you to vanilla heaven. The vanilla note pretty much kills the other notes but so what. Cedar? Amber? Cumin? Don't think so. It would be interesting if they would tone down the vanilla note and let the other notes perk up for a follow-up scent. Instead we have the awful Gaultier 2!

Very good one, masculine with orange-like top notes (top note stays more time than an average parfum) and vanilla wood base notes. Easy to recognize... but due to department stores (at least in Chile) it tends to be a bit common.

I admit I've grown tired of it over the years. Lately, I've started to notice a dirty grittiness in it that's never been there before. It's like burnt lavender. However, I'll give it a thumbs up due to the sentimental value it has. I'll never forget those carefree nights of clubbing and being irresponsible (it was also the first scent I smelled upon waking up the next morning hung over). This scent has a "who cares" type of feel to it. It's potent and lasts long as well.

yum! its all i want in a scent sumthing to slap all in the the face who come nr me!

I've always been a big fan of Le Male since it was release in 1996 on local market and still using it today. It really last a whole day with only a few spritz. I'm gonna stay loyal to this fragrance. Mr. Armani pls stop trying to imitate this fragrance.

nice staying power , sexy, and cool . it isn't a fragrance you will find every one wearing it or it's copy

Really sweet and really vanilla like, which I tend to love in fragrances. But try it first, especially with all this controversy. But it may be a bit too popular for those looking for something different. Le Male isn't for those who want an everyday scent.

Interesting. This is a very modern and chic take on lavender and oriental fragrances. I can’t but feel a lot of inspiration was taken from Caron Pour un Homme. While Pour un Homme is much different from Le Male, they are both built around vanilla and lavender. Either way, Le Male is interesting, but has become so popular that wearing it makes me feel like a bit of a lemming. Also, like Pour un Homme, Le Male is pretty easy to get tired of.

I really enjoy Le Male on myself but not on others. For this reason, I only wear it around the house-- as I assume others would like it only on themselves, not on me. I especially love the mint vs. the lavender and vanilla. SENSUAL is the word for Le Male, sensitive perhaps. I find the sweetness to much at times, though. Le Male is addicting, I did not like it at first, and then I just began craving it. I wore it straight for like a month, I had a chair that smelled more of Le Male than I. I think it is an ideal choice for a hip, 17-21 year-old man,

It's very simple: Just don't overdo Le Male and it will be perfect. Every who has once encountered this Gaultier knows its uncanny potency. Therefore 2-3 spritzes should please even the most hardcore wearers. Much of this fragrance's bad rep stems from the fact that many guys just go bananas on the trigger, creating a thick, nauseating cloud for anyone close by. It is however a brilliant blend and I feel it's also very contradictory. In the sense that the overall impression feels extremely modern while the composition and notes definitely are inspired by and pay hommage to classic french perfumery. I mean how many modern best sellers have a lavender note this prominent? Also the seductive, heavy vanilla in the base reminds me of the old Guerlains like Shalimar.
As most of us know, Le Male has been a mega-bestseller in Europe since it's creation, and this goes to show that being creative and original does pay off in the long run. Le Male should be a lesson to all the companies trying to make a quick buck on all these seasonal launches, re:editions and hollow new gimmicky releases. -Put some real effort in and you will be rewarded!
With that being said I think Le Male should be a part in every mans wardrobe, unless you can't stand orientals that is =).

The ultimate "body" scent. Very loud, but undeniably sexy. Makes you want to get naked and dance. Crazy. I love the vanilla dry down, and the musk is a very loud but sexy one. A great blend. The only downside is that too many people wear it.

A friend of mine gave me this one as a birthday gift and I didn't like it at first.
I thought it was too sweet and feminine. But after wearing a few more times and in rainy/colder days I started to like it. There's a sour vanilla smell that seduced me and makes a good mix with the sweet notes!
Now, I like it a lot, although It's not one of my favourites...