Le Mâle Essence de Parfum
Jean Paul Gaultier (2016)

Slightly sweet leather with a supporting cast of notes that seem to blend just right. This may be a future purchase. 7.5/10

It’s fucking brilliant, got myself a back up bottle. The only other back up I have is Dior Homme. I rate it as highly. TS1

I heard it's getting discontinued. I then got myself a sample to see how it is. I did try it in a mall and wasn't blown away but couldn't really remember what it smelled like. This time over, same feeling. It's nothing like Le Male except for being a freshie as well.

Sour citrus opening. The overall drydown combo you get is a mix of mint-cardamom-lavender and likely the costus adding a funky twist to that. Just looked it up and it's a sort of thistle. The essential oil of it apparently smells violet like but: "changes to a more unpleasant goat-like smell as it ages". From its current Wiki-page.

I don't get goat but it is a rather weird smelling violet all in all. There is also a powdery note that I recognize as evernyl, the leather note. Which is a nice touch to me.

Anyway, this one's so so.

ssence (sometimes referred to as "Gaultier Premium Cologne) is of the warm/spicy/sweet variety a la Spicebomb, Bulgari Man in Black, CH Men, La Nuit, etc. It's mostly a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, tonka, some vanilla, lavender, and leather. What's nice about it is that all the notes are doled out in the proper proportions. It's well-balanced and nothing seems to dominate to the point where it becomes overbearing or annoying, and it doesn't feel like anything's missing either. The addition of costus to the composition has worked well here, adding a nice musky warmth underneath everything, which makes the fragrance sit well, blending it with the body's natural heat and creating a very cozy kind of "second skin." What Le Male Essence reminds me of most is a blend of two Parfums de Marly scents, Habdan and Layton. While Habdan is the darker of the two, possessing a sort of leathery myrrh made sweet through the addition of caramel, Layton relies on cardamom and lavender to generate its spicy heart, which is also a central accord in Essence. So while LME isn't wildly original, it's original enough for the mainstream market and actually smells really good, especially up close. And up-close is how you'll have to smell it because unfortunately Essence doesn't project more than a few inches off the body. That's my one serious gripe with this one--its performance is significantly lacking. Anyone expecting to wear this and have others notice it will surely be let down, as it seems designed (whether intentional or not) for intimate situations only. Personally, I'd like to see its projection beefed up quite a bit. While I generally don't complain about projection, its reservedness in this case feels like more of a mistake or the effect of cutting corners rather than any kind of intentionally calibrated subtlety. Longevity is nothing great either, clocking in around 4 to 5 hours. Overall, I'm giving Le Male Essence a neutral because of its below average performance, though it smells nice for the most part. So definitely sample it first if that concerns you.

EDIT: I just read another review where the reviewer said this smells like Carven Homme. That nails it! A big part of Essence reminded me exactly of something else and I couldn't put my finger on it. Carven Homme it is.

I get a fragrance that has a bit much oily-leather in the beginning for me but then calms down to a sophisticated, sexy cardamom scent in the drydown. Good for date nights.

Good projection to start with but then it goes to skin scent if not sprayed enough. Wear on clothes to increase performance.

Average longevity.

Pretty disappointing with this. The best thing I have to say about this is the bottle looks nice. The perfume is forgettable and very boring and plain to me. Very average in performance and would not buy. I prefer the original le male over this any day of the week.