6 Best Jean Paul Gaultier Fragrances to Add Into Your Rotation
GQ RecommendsFragrance expert Adrian Clark uses almost three decades of experience in the grooming industry to select the six best Jean Paul Gaultier scents for men.By Adrian ClarkDecember 6, 2024Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.It is as true of the best Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances as it is of any eau de parfum or eau de toilette: sample a lot at once and you'll find it hard to distinguish one from another. You might even feel as though you've lost your sense of smell altogether. Luckily, we have fragrance expert Adrian Clark on hand to sniff for us. With 25+ years experience in the grooming industry, he's had plenty of time to digest what he's smelled at all of those eau de parfum launches—launches that include three decades of Jean Paul Gaultier releases, all the way back to the very first (Classique for women) in 1993. Of all that he's tried, these are the six best men's and unisex Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances.The Best Jean Paul Gaultier Fragrances, At a GlanceThe Best Amber Scent: Le Male Eau de Toilette Spray, $95 $80The Best Woody Scent: Le Beau Le Parfum, $145 $123The Best Luxurious Scent: Scandal Absolu Parfum Concentré, $79 $74The Best Green Scent: Le Beau Paradise Garden, $137 $1161/6Le Male Eau de Toilette Spray$95 $80 NordstromFragrance Family: Amber/aromaticConcentration: Eau de ToletteMotivation: Reassuring with a modern trailVery few fragrances have achieved overnight success—and managed to hold onto it over several decades—as Le Male has. Gaultier’s first fragrance for men, it was a hit when it launched in 1995, and remains on the list of global bestsellers. I remember how disruptive it was when it burst onto the scene; offering a new and nonconformist take on masculinity. Unlike the ozonic and aquatic fragrances that had defined the period (such as Davidoff’s Cool Water, L’Eau D’Issey by Miyake and Eternity by Clavin Klein), Le Male explored the warm and sensual signatures usually reserved for feminine perfumes. Created by master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, it opens with an intense and unexpected hit of mint before taking a more traditional turn with soft and powdery lavender. The base gives its Gaultier-ness: a sweet and woody collage of vanilla, tonka bean, amber, sandalwood and cedar. A fragrance made up of contrasts, it will always have a place in my heart, and be celebrated for being an iconic game-changer.2/6Jean Paul GaultierLe Beau Le Parfum $145 $123 Macy'sFragrance Family: Woody/amberConcentration: Eau de Parfum IntenseMotivation: EmpoweringMore intense than the original eau de toilette created by Sonia Constant in 2019, Le Beau Le Parfum is Le Beau on steroids. Featuring many of the same ingredients but in a much higher concentration, it has greater depth and more complexity than the original juice—without alienating the fragrance’s diehard early adopters. Brimming with masculine mischief, it plays to Gaultier’s sensual strengths as woody and amber-filled nectar. I've always been a fan of the original EDT, but have to admit that this reformulation has better longevity on the skin and more presence. Opening with a cypress-ginger accord, it softens with powdered textured iris before settling down to a foundation of Gaultier's signature notes of tonka bean, sandalwood, ambergris, and amber. Composed by perfumer Quentin Bisch, it has an addictive quality that makes you keep going back for more. A future classic.
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
It is as true of the best Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances as it is of any eau de parfum or eau de toilette: sample a lot at once and you'll find it hard to distinguish one from another. You might even feel as though you've lost your sense of smell altogether. Luckily, we have fragrance expert Adrian Clark on hand to sniff for us. With 25+ years experience in the grooming industry, he's had plenty of time to digest what he's smelled at all of those eau de parfum launches—launches that include three decades of Jean Paul Gaultier releases, all the way back to the very first (Classique for women) in 1993. Of all that he's tried, these are the six best men's and unisex Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances.
The Best Jean Paul Gaultier Fragrances, At a Glance
- The Best Amber Scent: Le Male Eau de Toilette Spray,
$95$80 - The Best Woody Scent: Le Beau Le Parfum,
$145$123 - The Best Luxurious Scent: Scandal Absolu Parfum Concentré,
$79$74 - The Best Green Scent: Le Beau Paradise Garden,
$137$116