Essence de Parfum by Jean Paul Gaultier

It’s the Story of two fragrances that in the wake of their best-seller status dare to step into something a little more sophisticated. Both with the fragrance and with the bottle. It is Belle Perfumerie and brave innovation at the same time.

It’s the magic of a laboratory, inside the Jean Paul Gaultier factory in fact, where we witness the genesis of it all: a place that is deliciously functional, but miraculous too.

It’s what happens to create a perfume, a “fragrance” and its bottle, unmasked as if it was a musical… with the lab team taking the starring roles. But also the cogs of the machines at work.

And the pipettes.

And the test tubes.

And the angled pipes.

It’s the very down to earth chemistry set that’s taken a leap into dreamland.

Everything that is dreary here becomes joy.

It’s a couple created by Jean Paul Gaultier in the 90’s who have discovered a new cachet. A couple who will never grow bored of each other. A couple who will never bore us. Fragrance’s most famous busts undergo a remix and their perfumes acquire a certain noblesse without losing an ounce of their legendary mischievous coquetterie. It’s the felicity of plenitude with none of its routine.

It’s the story of two iconic busts - not entirely immune to fashion. Silhouettes change – because this is the way of the world. Classique has a little less bust, a little more on the hips. Le Mâle has larger shoulder and a smaller waist.

The angles on the bottles’ crystal reflect today’s epoch: now we spend our lives baring our multiple facettes. The copper of the cans is of a softer gold, almostcarnal. In summary: It’s us, but better. It’s us all over!

It’s the story of the idea that when it smells this good you just want to eat the air.

It’s this silly idea that we love; that we are all here to desire.

It’s Classic with chantilly. The refined sobriety that we know, but with spice - ever more addictive with its lingering jasmine Sambac and precious woods.

It’s Le Mâle with a heavy dose of citrus, and (quelle surprise!) it’s a spicy citrus that encounters the sensuality of leather, as always on a bed of precious woods.

She says that from the very beginning, Classique revolved around three notes: ginger (top), orange blossom (middle) and vanilla (base).

She says that re-working the ginger was decisive in this new version.

She says she wanted to keep the gingery, almost spicy dimension, but make it lighter, and add bite and burst.

She says that to get the floral facette she wanted, she needed jasmine Sambac, that has a very particular orange note which appears as if from below. Like a surprise.

She said that the «laboratory» idea behind this project gave her the inspiration for a scent that would succeed the challenge of being both experimental and gourmand. Without losing any of its succulence hence the vanilla and the chantilly.

She also says if it’s gourmand, it’s irresistible.

And she’s right.

He says that Le Mâle is essentially sagebrush and cardamome (on top), lavender (in the middle), and Costus vanilla for the animal base. And that from here he had to decide what to keep and what to remove. Or to change.

He says that he started with the bottle. With the idea of undressing Le Mâle, now no longer hidden behind his sailors’ top.

He says he saw the new body of Le Mâle, and he thought of skin, he thought of leather, he thought of «working perfume as if it were leather.»

He says he wanted leather that was suede-like and soft as velour.

He says he wanted that we could almost smell skin.

He says that he kept the cardamome top note, but brought in a woody aspect, something more natural. More Nature.

He says he was drawn towards purity. Something immediate and direct.

He says he wanted to make “an essence with an ultra-chic soul.»

And he succeeded