Le Mâle (Eau de Toilette) by Jean Paul Gaultier

Bottle Design:
Jean Paul Gaultier

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Le Mâle Jean Paul Gaultier 1995 Eau de Toilette

Ranked 39 in Men's Perfume

7.6 / 10 4484 Ratings

A popular perfume by Jean Paul Gaultier for men, released in 1995. The scent is sweet-spicy. It is being marketed by Puig.
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Main accords

Sweet

Spicy

Fresh

Oriental

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Lavender

Mint

Cardamom

Bergamot

Tarragon

Heart Notes

Neroli

Caraway

Cinnamon

Base Notes

Tonka bean Vanilla

Vanilla

Amber

Sandalwood

Cedarwood

Perfumer

Francis Kurkdjian

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.64484 Ratings

Longevity

7.63951 Ratings

Sillage

7.53871 Ratings

Bottle

7.83935 Ratings

Value for money

7.82737 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 02/16/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Infinite Navy

Cabal pour Homme

Cuba Gold Eau de Toilette

Le Mâle After Shave Lotion

Cabana Eau de Toilette

Le Mâle Terrible

Reviews

278 in-depth fragrance descriptions

11/10/2023

10Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

HugoMontez
81 Reviews

HugoMontez

Very helpful Review 5

A Legend.

There's not many fragrances that are still relevant and carismathic after 30 years. This is one of them. A classic, a must-have, one of the best creations and super influential.

I remember being a young guy and a friend of mine was wearing Le Mâle. back in the late 90's early 00's. I was not into fragrances although i always like to spray on whatever my father had. Usually Original Eau de Toilette , Black Eau de Toilette , Don Algodón para Hombre Eau de Toilette , Pull & Bear Eau de Toilette or Springfield Eau de Toilette .

But this smell stuck with me and years later, i worked with a guy that took baths with Le Male. Everytime i entered in his car i would be drowned by his scent. I knew the scent but never asked what fragrance was.

In 2015, i started collecting fragrances and in one of the first perfumery stores i immediately picked up Le Male and recognized the smell. Since then, i have Le Mâle and wear it often.

Everybody knows it already but to sumarize it, it's fresh, sweet, powdery and a bit spicy-earthy in the opening. Mint, lavender, vanilla, orange blossom, woods tonka beans... The combination is perfect, mind blowing, iconic and still influential.

You can hype the new flankers but none can reach the greatness of the original. They all smell similar to Le Mâle, but aren't as good as the original. The only one that is very good is Fleur du Mâle which was created by FK and has a nice floral twist on the DNA.

Le Parfum is a really nice flanker too but like the new Elixir, falls flat, although I prefer Le Parfum over Elixir.

Overall, the fragrance still performs well, has depth, uniqueness, an iconic smell and it's pleasant. A must have masculine scent. Youtubers always criticize it saying it's played out. It's just a way to get money from the newer stuff that they hype. This is great and i even go further saying it could be considered a masterpiece. Forget the new flankers. go to the original.

A legend. 5/5

07/06/2025

9.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

WZ05
22 Reviews

WZ05

Very helpful Review 6

I Sprayed It for the Culture. Now I Can't Stop Sniffing

I have seen this fragrance being talked about or referenced so much since I dipped myself into the world of perfume. So, I had to try it, but I was shocked to find out that this was released back in 1995 and was Kurkdjian's first creation. This is the perfume from the ’90s that’s still relevant to this day, just like my beloved Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme from 1994.

For context:
1) People associate this with a ‘daddy’ or old-man scent, since it was released decades ago. I, for one, have never been into the perfume world until recently, so I have no idea what the scent trends were back then. More importantly, I wouldn’t be affected by nostalgia.

2) The term 'barbershop scent' is a Western-centric concept, rooted in what Western or European barbershops traditionally smelled like. To me, especially in the Southeast Asia region, we have a different idea of what a 'barbershop scent' smells like. Spoiler alert, Le Male doesn't exude barbershop scent to me

Now that that’s out of the way, Le Male is my new favourite. It opens with a fresh, powdery scent and a clear cardamom note. My nose kind of went wonky at first because it had never experienced something powdery fresh yet spicy. It almost rejected it right away.

But once it settled down and my nose got familiar with it, I started to warm up to it. It then transitions into a clean scent, almost like ambroxan but not quite. Maybe it’s ISO E Super? It eventually settles into a warm vanilla base.

I didn’t get any old-guy scent from it or any barbershop vibe, but it is clean and mature without smelling synthetic. It’s powdery, spicy, and honestly kind of addictive to sniff.

Le Male may be nearly 30 years old but to my nose it still feels bold, clean and entirely relevant. I came in with no expectations or nostalgia and it still managed to win me over. Sometimes a scent does not need to follow trends. It just needs to catch you off guard in the best way.

Updated on 07/06/2025

04/23/2025

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Mrscentdude
24 Reviews

Mrscentdude

Helpful Review 6

Don't let certain phrases or opinions put you off...

The title is pretty self-explanatory. I'm talking about phrases or opinions that certain people constantly repeat—things like, "This is outdated," or "Don't buy this, someone's dad wore it, so you shouldn't." A bunch of silly, what I call, "nothing opinions."

To me, a nothing opinion is an opinion that doesn't really mean anything. One person says it, the next person repeats it, and before long it becomes accepted as truth. In certain groups, especially among newcomers or beginners, this can totally skew their opinion of something. And let's be real—these opinions often come from influencers. Let me be straight with you: a lot of these influencers are idiots.

Take Le Male, for example. Sure, it's been worn to death—your dad might've even worn it. But here’s the thing: the fragrance community is very biased. It’s not uncommon for the average person to have little or no knowledge of scents like Le Male or Acqua Di Gio. A lot of people—especially men—don’t wear cologne at all. Or if they do, they have just one or two bottles, and that’s it.

Some might think, “How can someone not have heard of Acqua Di Gio?” But you'd be surprised. If someone isn't part of this fragrance space, they just don't know.

So don’t be afraid to wear Sauvage or Le Male or whatever. Chances are, most people haven’t smelled it. And even if they have, they probably can’t identify it. You're listening to people with biases, trying to shape your tastes and opinions based on nothing. It makes no sense. It’s like calling a fragrance “teeny-bopper” or “old”—it’s silly.

With that rant out of the way, let me talk about Le Male. I still get more compliments on it than any other cologne I own. So clearly, it works.

I’ve described it before as smelling like a bar of lavender soap—clean, powdery, herbal, with a soft layer of vanilla sweetness underneath. But it also has a slight dirtiness to it—by that I mean mustiness. You really notice it when you smell it up close. It’s an odd twist, but interesting. You have to press your nose to your skin to really catch that unique aspect.

Whoever says this fragrance is weak is crazy. I’ve had people notice it 8 to 9 hours after application, and that’s with around 7 sprays. It's not light at all, but it’s also not overpowering. No one’s ever said it was “too strong,” and most compliments mention how fresh it smells.

Le Male is a timeless classic. The EDT version is still going strong, even with all the flankers JPG has released over the years. It’s still easily accessible, too.

So here’s my review in short, plain and simple:
Don’t get put off by Le Male's popularity.
It’s still amazing.
And it’s a staple every guy should have in their collection.

Updated on 04/23/2025

01/09/2022

9Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

Elysium
915 Reviews

Elysium

Helpful Review 8

I Had It, I Have It, I Will Have It

Hey, Parfumo's assistant reminds me that I know Le Mâle and should write a review. Truly? I mean, I had it, I have it, and I definitely will have it, and I haven't commented on it? My bad. People have already spent a lot of words on the torso bottle design or the metal tin box, so that I won't say more. Instead, let me tell you this is one of those perfumes that I think every guy has owned, and if you don't have it, you should have it and keep reading the review. The scent is a clean, sensual musky sweat, like a man's squeaky skin. It is an aromatic and desirable type of fragrance, which has nothing to do with other dirty things designed with sinful and raunchy male fluids in mind, like Kouros Eau de Toilette. A kind of barber's perfume, which befits a handsome man. So disruptive, trendy gay clubbers and straight men alike welcomed it with enthusiasm--I would swear a lot of women wore it too. Le Mâle was everywhere in the late '90s, and it still smells great today.

Le Mâle is back to its golden age. It is a cologne that revolves around mint, lavender, and vanilla blend. If you missed it, Francis Kurkdjian is the perfumer behind it, the same one he created Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum. Sophisticated yet playful, sensual yet fresh, it is still modern. They've reworked it over the years, so if you still remember it from the mid-90s, it's worth a second sniff. Subsequent releases have reduced performance, but the essence of the perfume is still there. Fresh mint is a symbol of strength and characterizes its delicious opening. Ignoring the other aromatic and spicy things, like bitter mugwort and green cardamom, and a touch of powdery bergamot that adds a citrus twist to a freshly spiced start, but my nose picks up a powerful hint of mint.

It may seem like some intense opening, but it settles down pretty quickly. When the heart arrives, a traditional soapy note of lavender, which remains prominent until the end, announces it. The blue flower shares the stage with a sweeter citrus bloom, orange blossom, I bet, and a punch of spices. While I don't take too much of the sweaty cumin, I sense a lot of sweet cinnamon barks.

And then, the coumarins give warmth and tenderness to the dry-down. Both powdered vanilla and toasted tonka are featured and blended with a salty, honeyed amber. The base also features some woods, creamy sandalwood contrasted with a dry cedar. Overall, the amber, woody, and creamy cocktail create an oriental accord. It has a kind of barber vibe but is slightly off the classic fougére shade we're used to. It still retains the combination of vanilla and lavender with a muted spice and the remnants of a strong mint.

The original luxury of Le Mâle made me prefer to wear it in the cold months of late autumn and winter, for the evening or the night. Both the sillage and the longevity were indescribable. They are moderate nowadays, although that won't stop me from keeping Le Mâle in my collection. Clean, woody, and fresh, but with wonderful warmth, this fragrance is incredible! The recent target has changed from clubbing to everyday use. However, it is a delightful scent to revisit from time to time, as it brings back many positive memories. Finally, I have Le Mâle Eau de Toilette on my right wrist and Cuba Gold Eau de Toilette on my left wrist, and they have many points in common.

I base the review on a 75ml bottle I have owned since March 2018.

-Elysium

Updated on 01/12/2022

01/25/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Missk
1350 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 4

Sweet in a masculine and totally acceptable way

I can't say the word wonderful enough when it comes to describing this amazing Jean Paul Gaultier creation.

I don't know where these so-called 'homosexual' and 'metrosexual' terminologies come from. I'm not one for throwing a fragrance into a particular category, Le Male can be either masculine or sweet with a feministic touch, it all depends on how you interpret the scent.

Because vanilla and musk are dominant notes in this fragrance, I can see why some men might think that this lacks masculinity. Let me assure you that when worn by the right man this has all the potential to make me swoon.

Le Male is sweet yet refreshing at the same time. Some have noted an almost soapy and powdery quality, which is certainly there, however I quite like it. I particularly love that for a fragrance which is so popular, it is so unique, one of a kind.

The lasting strength, is honestly, out of this world. It has the ability to last and last. I must add that I rather like the bottle. I like its bold and straight-forward design. It's beyond me to understand why someone would be ashamed of displaying it.

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