Le Mâle Jean Paul Gaultier 1995 Eau de Toilette

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 I'm talking about phrases or opinions that certain people constantly repeat—things like, "This is outdated," or "Don't buy this, someone's dad wore it, so you shouldn't." A bunch of silly, what I call, "nothing opinions."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