Le Male is a men's fragrance created by Francis Kurkdjian for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995. It has been manufactured by Puig since 2016, following its production by Shiseido subsidiary Beauté Prestige International from 1995 to 2015. The fragrance was developed as a counterpart to the women's fragrance, Classique, which was introduced in 1993.
A number of flanker fragrances have since been released under the Le Male name. As of writing, the newest flanker is Le Male In Blue, released in 2026.
Conception and scent
Le Male is described as an oriental fougere men's fragrance, a classification which is identified by the combination of "warm, woody, and spicy notes" and aromatic notes. The fragrance contains top notes of artemisia, mint, cardamom, and bergamot; middle notes of lavender, orange blossom, cinnamon, and cumin; and base notes of sandalwood, vanilla, cedar, tonka bean, and amber.
Kurkdjian described the Le Male bottle, a male torso wearing a marinière, as "a motif to put it in the 'Gaultier universe'" that represents "[Gaultier's] idea of what men are about – being seductive, being sexual, [and] being adventurous." The fragrance is packaged in an aluminum can, a motif Gaultier has used in his collections since 1980. Kurkdjian recalled believing that the fragrance "[was] not going to work at all" upon seeing the overall packaging because "the bottle not looking like a bottle" was "very unconventional" in the 1990s.
Release and impact Shiseido subsidiary Beauté Prestige International distributed Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances, including Le Male from launch in 1995, through a license agreement that was to extend from 1991 through June 30, 2016. On January 1, 2016, Puig acquired the fragrance license from Shiseido for $79.2 million and compensated the early termination of the license for $22.6 million. With this purchase, Puig now holds control of both the fashion and fragrance divisions of the Jean Paul Gaultier brand. A new advertising campaign was premiered in Paris during a relaunch party held by Puig on January 28, 2016, in which a joint commercial for Le Male and Classique retains the "Casta diva" aria from the original commercial and American model Chris Bunn portrays the male sailor.
Le Male has since been regarded as a classic men's fragrance by a number of publications, including Forbes, GQ, and Men's Health. Graeme Campbell from Highsnobiety wrote that "like Polo Sport, Diesel Plus Plus, and Versace Blue Jeans, [Le Male] was one of those scents that was simply everywhere at the time [for] anyone who grew up in the '90s or early '00s"; he added that "along with unisex newcomers such as CK One, it blindsided a market dominated by beefier, more masculine fragrances [and] was sexy and fell right in line with the '90s 'metrosexual,' so much that it wasn’t uncommon for women to wear it".
The brand's fragrance general manager Thomas James acknowledged Le Male and Classique as "the flagship of the brand [that] represent all the Jean Paul Gaultier values [and will] continue to be an emblematic and historical pillar" at the launch of the women's fragrance Scandal in 2017.
Products Eau de toilette spray – 2.5 fl oz (75 ml) Eau de toilette spray – 4.2 fl oz (125 ml) Eau de toilette spray – 6.7 fl oz (200 ml) Aftershave balm – 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) Aftershave lotion – 4.2 fl oz (125 ml) Deodorant – 2.5 oz (75 ml)
Flanker fragrances
Indicates repackaging of the original fragrance
+List of Le Male flanker fragrances Year Name Concentration Perfumer 2003 Le Male Jean Paul Cool Eau de toilette 2004 Le Male Eau d'Ete 2004 2005 Le Male Les d'Ete 2005 2006 Le Male Kilt Le Male Stimulating Body Spray 2007 Fleur du Male Le Male Scuba Diver Le Male Tonique Cologne 2008 Cologne Tonique Le Male Summer 2008 La Cologne Fleur du Male 2009 Le Male Limited Edition 2009 Le Male Summer 2009 2010 Le Male Prestige Edition Le Male Summer 2010 Eau de toilette Le Male Terrible Super Le Male Collector 2011 Le Male Love Actually Le Male Shaker Le Male Silver My Skin Le Male Summer 2011 Eau de toilette Le Male Terrible Shaker Eau de toilette 2012 Le Male Gladiator Le Male Summer 2012 Eau de toilette 2013 Le Beau Male Eau de toilette Le Male Couple Le Male Summer 2013 Eau de toilette 2014 Le Beau Male Capitaine Collector Eau de toilette Le Beau Male Edition Collector Eau de toilette Le Beau Male Summer 2014 Eau de toilette Le Male Capitaine Collector Le Male Edition Collector Le Male Pin-Up Collectors Edition Le Male Summer 2014 Eau de toilette 2015 Le Male Pirate Edition Le Male Summer 2015 Eau de toilette Ultra Male Eau de toilette intense 2016 Le Male Essence de Parfum Eau de Parfum Le Male Popeye Eau Fraiche Eau de toilette 2017 Le Male Collector Edition 2017 Le Male Superman Eau Fraiche Eau de toilette 2018 Le Male Collector Edition 2018 Le Male Eau Fraiche André Edition Eau de toilette Le Male Eau Fraiche Gaultier Airlines Eau de toilette Le Male In the Navy Eau de toilette 2019 Le Male Collector's Snow Globe Le Male Supreme Edition Eau de toilette 2020 Le Male Aviator Eau de toilette Le Male Airlines Le Male Pride Collector Le Male Le Parfum Eau de Parfum Le Male X-Mas Edition 2020 2021 Le Beau Le Parfum Parfum 2022 Le Male On Board Eau de toilette 2023 Le Male Elixir Parfum 2024 Le Male Lover Eau de Parfum 2024Le Beau Paradise GardenEau De Parfum2025Le Beau Flower EditionEau De Parfum2025Le Male Elixir AbsoluParfum2026Le Male in BlueEau de Parfum
References