Bottle Design:
Jean Paul Gaultier

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Le Mâle Terrible Jean Paul Gaultier 2010

7.3 / 10 218 Ratings

A perfume by Jean Paul Gaultier for men, released in 2010. The scent is sweet-spicy. It was last marketed by Shiseido Group / Beauté Prestige International.
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Main accords

Sweet

Spicy

Fresh

Synthetic

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Pink pepper

Grapefruit

Heart Notes

Lavender

Vetiver

Base Notes

Vanilla

Amber

Perfumer

Aurélien Guichard

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.3218 Ratings

Longevity

7.8163 Ratings

Sillage

7.4142 Ratings

Bottle

7.6167 Ratings

Value for money

7.351 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 01/13/2026.

Source-backed & verified

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Reviews

22 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/19/2018

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Darkbeat
386 Reviews

Darkbeat

Helpful Review 4

Nothing terrible, fresh and very good flanker of the original.

That is, what should be all fragrance flankers, an interpretation of the original. No, bring to the market flanker that have nothing to do with their mother fragrances, just to take advantage to sell the name or the prestige created by the origin fragrance.

"Le Male Terrible" is the original aroma with a few touches that are fresher, lighter, a less complex fragrance, but of an olfactory quality comparable to the original "Le Male". From the beginning you can see the DNA "Le Male", that characteristic vanilla lavender with warm touches of precious amber, but at the start it is fresher for the grapefruit, even fleetingly fruity and pungent for the pink pepper, then the aroma melts with a touch of vetiver, but nothing remarkable, being at all times the protagonists of the aroma lavender, vanilla and amber. The truth is that, not to be a lover of the original aroma, I liked it, it seemed simply more versatile and fresh.

The performance is very good, being quite durable on my skin, with a duration of about 8 hours or so, and a moderate wake from the beginning, although a little more noticeable in the first hour of application.

For me, it is much more versatile than the original, being able to use it at any station and time of day, in this aspect I do not see any noticeable glitch.

One curious thing is his name, "Terrible", and that's why I expected it to be more intense than the original, but it has not been like that, it's much cooler, so I do not understand what "Terrible" is, anyway, it's a very recommended perfume. Very good Flanker of "Le Male", but the best.

Sorry for my bad english.

Updated on 12/05/2018

08/15/2019

9Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

Golcher
139 Reviews

Golcher

2

Le Male updated

Le Male was a milestone in the fragrance world, a fragrance that is relevant today however, it became a victim of its own success and was also damaged by constant reformulations. It's been copied by everyone and overplayed.
Le Male Terrible keeps the DNA but changes just enough to make the fragrance new and exciting. The note breakdown is far simpler and replaces the bergamot in the opening with a very noticeable grapefruit that shines in the opening but .

Longevity is above average, projection is good but the scent is what really brings me back to Le Male Terrible. Just as the bottle, this fragrances is an edgier version of Le Male

Updated on 11/11/2020

08/03/2010

8Scent 5Longevity

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Top Review 25

Highly Interesting Remake

Francis Kurkdjian, the creator of Le Male, recently modernized his Fleur du Male, also released by JPG, and launched it as Custo Man under a different brand. Apparently, JPG could not win him over for the modernization of the long-running Le Male. Here, Aurelien Guichard took the reins, who has made a name for himself with Andy Warhol's Silver Factory from Bond No. 9 or the Unidentified Fragrance Object from Kenzo.

And Le Male is in dire need of modernization. Just recently, I encountered it again at a gas station, where an alcoholic was drinking his cheap beer. His exhalations mingled with a penetrating Le Male cloud. Le Male is as dead today as this person will sadly likely be soon.

In the facelift, Aurelien Guichard has borrowed or drawn inspiration from elsewhere. On one hand, from the new Infusion de Vetiver by Prada, and on the other, from Mr. Kurkdjian's modernization of Fleur du Male. But let's take it step by step.

Right from the first spray, I noticed a similarity with Custo Man. Specifically, a certain fresh cologne note. This is also present in Fleur du Male, where it takes on an opulent floral direction, while in Custo Man it develops fresh and green. Clearly, Le Male Terrible takes a step towards Fleur du Male/Custo Man, and that's not a mistake.

Cologne notes are top notes, and so it is here. It's just the starter. What remains, however, is a green touch from the vetiver noted here as well. This initially takes a back seat in the fragrance development, only to present itself again in the drydown. Some cedarwood could also be involved in this note. Just like with Infusion de Vetiver, with which Prada recently modernized its successful fragrance Infusion d'Homme in such an interesting way. This idea is simply too good to be limited to one fragrance.

So far, so good. But Aurelien Guichard has set further accents for which I can't think of a template. I perceive a distinctly animalistic note. Whether this is due to the interplay of vetiver and the Le Male base accord, I cannot say. Civet is not listed, but this smells, especially in the heart note, a bit like the Cologne Zoo, department wild cats.

Moreover, there are traces of a fruity acidity that endures through the top and only disappears in the drydown. However, I perceive it less as grapefruit - as indicated. It is fruitier, more like apple cider. And this creates an interesting symbiosis with the vanilla component of the Le Male base tone, somewhat like the acidity in Montale's Boisé Vanillée, which is otherwise a completely different perfume.

In the drydown, which begins after 2 hours, the vetiver note significantly modifies the Le Male base accord.

I have the impression that Le Male Terrible stays much closer to the body and does not tend to form clouds like the original - a blessing for the troubled humanity!

I want to return to Infusion de Vetiver. I described it in my comment as the ideal office variant of Infusion d'Homme. Does this also apply to Le Male Terrible in relation to Le Male? Well, only in emergencies, and for two reasons. On one hand, this variant is also clearly Le Male and as such simply too expressive for boring offices. This is especially true for the middle part of the fragrance development. On the other hand, the drydown with the vetiver dominance sets in too early for me, namely after just 2 hours. The great thing about Infusion de Vetiver or the similarly designed English Breakfast by Mark Buxton is that you have the freshness in the morning and in the evening, the cedarwood-vetiver power delivers another energy boost. But for that, Eau de Parfum strength is needed, and Le Male Terrible does not have that. It is not up to this brilliant office fragrance concept.

Thus, Le Male Terrible leaves me somewhat perplexed. The name is pure marketing, as it suggests something even crazier than Le Male. For that, the wild cat note should have been more pronounced. Le Male Terrible is a Le Male that reaches out in three very different directions: noble cologne-freshness in the top, animalistic in the heart, dark vetiver-wood note in the base. Not that all of this doesn't harmonize well - but it is too complex to be labeled. It is not a functional fragrance (office, evening, etc.).

I think Le Male Terrible is best suited as an alternative for die-hard Le Male fans who critically view the strong proliferation of Le Male, yet cannot let go of it themselves.

Sorry for the many name drops, but it had to be done here.

11/18/2014

8Scent

Parudol
11 Reviews

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Parudol

Top Review

The Forgotten

Then I’ll get started on my first Parfumo comment.

A little backstory:

I am a big fan of Le Mâle (even though this masterpiece is often ridiculed in the Parfumo community ;-)).
As with every birthday, my mother gifted me a bottle of this elixir, hoping to bring me a little joy.
She succeeded! I was surprised back then (2010) by the razor blade around the sailor's neck, but I placed the bottle, unopened and unnoticed, next to my nearly full 200 ml bottle.

Months passed, and so did my Le Mâle supply. But then my mother's gift smiled at me, still sitting unopened. My practiced fingers opened the bottle, and a spray of the magic potion clouded my neck.

Question marks. Silence. Something was different. I examined the packaging and saw that it was Le Mâle Terrible. In the room was a familiar yet unusual scent. There was a daring citrus note that I didn’t know from the standard work of JPG. Like the good old black leather jacket that turns a banker into a daring and mysterious stranger in seconds.

Now and then, I treat myself to a spray of this three-day stubble in a bottle. It doesn’t turn me into a daring stranger, but it transforms my beloved Le Mâle into an olfactory leather jacket.

08/20/2018

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

N471v3
135 Reviews

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N471v3

Very helpful Review 14

The Name Says It All!

"Terrible," French for:

Bad, terrible, awful, fantastic, great, sensational, cool, dreadful, fearsome, massively intense, grim - severe, devastating.

I think you can criticize the fragrance for many things, as some do: swimming through the sweetness of the mainstream, being quite similar to the original, being a bit weaker than the original (vintage)...

But one thing you cannot accuse it of: that it doesn't live up to its name. And I don't mean that negatively at all..

I have had this fragrance for quite a while (in terms of my Parfumo time..). I must admit, I haven't worn it for a while, but I've always known that I wouldn't part with it; it has a fixed place in my collection.
When I tested it "hardcore" back then, I wore it heavily - even overdosed while exercising (alone, not in the gym or anywhere where I could torture people with it..), which I sometimes do with fragrances to find out where their soul lies.
It works great with sports because the heat and sweat bring the fragrance into a different working area; perfumes really come alive and express themselves, as if you were breaking them down.

And from that experience, I can tell you, you CAN overdose this fragrance. I find it even easier than with the original Le Male.

Back to the name and the fragrance. The name and the design of the bottle (translucent blue with worn stripes) and the box (in black) already tell its story; it's supposed to be a dirtier "Bad Boy" version of Le Male. Like torn jeans or something.. RogerWilco put it nicely, I think: "Leather jacket and a cigarette in the corner of the mouth." And that’s exactly what the fragrance represents for me.

It has this vanilla-lavender-amber trio that makes it somehow pretty and beautiful at its core, but here it has been enriched with grapefruit, pepper, and vetiver, which makes it a bit rougher, edgier, and less likable than Le Male. Beautifully "edgy"... Le Male, on the other hand, seems really smooth and lovely to me! And I don't know if the reduction in performance (or adjustment to the weak reformulated Le Male performance) was intentional, but for me, this fragrance would be too intense if it were stronger... As it is now, you can distribute it a bit better with several sprays over the body, achieving a more even distribution.

I have just rediscovered it after a long time, and I find it really, really cool. It is somehow different due to this olfactory plot twist, and its casual nature makes it really interesting to smell. I completely understand this "Terrible" term; if you apply a bit too much, you still want to keep smelling it because the notes are somehow addictive - but at the same time, it's too much and somewhat intrusive. Because then a citrus sharpness cuts through the vanilla, which can be a bit cloying. I really believe this is a fragrance that could draw a lot of attention through its sillage, because you feel even more than with "Le Male" that sensation of "WHAT WAS THAT SMELL? WHO WAS THAT? I NEED TO SMELL IT AGAIN."

Please don't take my words too literally... but I find it really underrated and timeless. With its slightly fresher appearance, I could also imagine that it would be very useful in summer. And now that "Dior Sauvage" has made pepper mass appealing again, you probably get twice the recognition from people as before. Whether that matters to you or not, it's just the fashion phenomenon.

I think if Le Male Terrible could express its opinion, it would say, "I don't really care if others like me... I don't even want everyone to like me." *Grins, lights a cigarette, and leans coolly against the Shelby Mustang GT500* ;)

Updated on 08/20/2018

More reviews

Statements

26 short views on the fragrance

Golcher

6 years ago

9Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

3

Nust as the bottle, this is an edgy version of Le Male

Darkbeat

7 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

3

One of the best Flanker of Le Male by far.

Sirbennyone

2 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

10

8

Similar yet different!
Take 70% Le Male and add
Grapefruit + Pepper and a bit of
Vanilla + Amber = done!
Beautiful flanker!
...

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Dawg

6 years ago

9Scent

8

The original with a bit of spice. And a little less vanilla. I really like this flanker too. S&H works great for me.

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4ajbukoshka

4 years ago

5

1

It's not so bad that you'd want to off yourself, so WHAT'S with the razor blade?! Actually cool, but I'm Team sweet and LeMale.

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DerDefcon

3 years ago

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

5

3

No tonka bean = less sweetness, pepper adds a bit of spice, grapefruit brings freshness. Both do the job that mint...

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Mynxx

5 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

5

Better than the regular Le Male and lasts longer on me. Overall, it's more intense.

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Digitoxyn

9 years ago

8Scent 5Longevity 7Sillage

5

This variant is the most bearable for those around. The pepper note even makes it interesting at times.

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Morpheus1

7 years ago

6Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

4

Lavender, lavender, lavender, vetiver, a bit of vanilla. Otherwise, I don't smell much. If you know CH Men Privé, this is a strong scent.

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Achilles

9 years ago

6Scent 9Longevity 10Sillage

4

1

More citrusy and synthetic than the original, unfortunately different - "terrible" - from what I had imagined ;)

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Keppy 5 years ago

Perfumes & Brands

How good is Le Male Terrible?

I got Le Male Terrible back in 2015 and it's getting close to being empty. It's not my personal favourite fragrance, but I do like it and my wife loves it. She thinks it's the best Le Male flanker. That's why I have...