Fleur du Mâle

Fleur du Mâle is a weird fragrance. In a vacuum, you probably won’t think it was made by the same company that released the much more popular, Le Male. They’re on entirely different leagues and absolutely serve entirely different purposes. Even the demographics of each scent I would assume are very different. The oversimplified way to describe it would be to call Fleur du Mâle as a more floral take on Le Male, which I’m guessing was probably the elevator pitch for this one. And I’ve heard it described so by my friends in the frag-comm that introduced me to this. However my experience with it has been entirely different from that so maybe take whatever I say with a grain of salt. This is going to be a very, VERY biased review of since Fleur du Mâle is probably my favourite fragrance of all time. There are people who have said this smells like a "fart". So YMMV to say the least. Obviously, I completely disagree with that take and think it is kind of a hyperbole. My description of it would be far from it. However I think I can tell you why someone might find aspects of this to be unpleasant, when we get to the scent profile. I’m a huge fan of Francis Kurkdjian’s work. I’ve not smelled that many from his own line (MFK) but as far as the fragrances he has created for other brands go, I think the dude is one of the best noses out there. And I consider Fleur Du Male, a masterpiece of his. If you’re a fan of the way he manipulates floral notes such as Orange Blossom, Neroli, Lavender and Chamomile, you’re definitely in for a ride with this one! *Scent profile* This is one of those fragrances whose scent profile you probably won’t see coming and it was most definitely not one I was prepared for. Especially since all the note breakdown info I had about it was from Fragrantica (which is quite inaccurate in this case). Here is how it goes... As soon as you spray it on, your nose is bombarded with an effervescent and herbaceous Petitgrain along with an intensely indolic orange blossom. If you haven’t had a chance to smell anything indolic before, you’re most likely gonna be instantly put off by the opening. Put simply, it reminds me of smelling something extremely green (almost like you crushed some fresh leaves) along with some day old, possibly dead and definitely oxidised jasmine flowers (it comes across like that to my nose). A challenging opening to say the least and possibly unpleasant to most. Jasmine flowers are quite culturally significant where I come from so I’d say I’m pretty well-acquainted with the scent of jasmine flowers, at their liveliest as well as their dead form. This is most likely the part that people compare to anything unpleasant. However this is only if you’re smelling it super up close. In the air though, it’s a completely different story. It smells like a floral version of freshly peeled oranges, which is probably the orange blossom (this is much more noticeable when sprayed on clothes) along with a couple of other florals that aren’t completely clear-cut yet. Saying that there is a lot going on in the opening would be an understatement. When you let it sit for a couple of minutes, the indolic aspect of the scent goes more and more to the background to the point where it is less of an overwhelming presence and more of a nuance that just adds some depth to the fragrance. What starts to shine as we segue into the mid is an unmistakable floral mix of Lavender, a Neroli that feels like Jasmine, with a touch of chamomile. Nope, the Neroli does not come across in this, the way it comes across in Italian style colognes like the Acqua Di Parmas you might have come across. It’s more of a creamy, floral take on the note than a soapy clean one. While the florals have a huge presence in the fragrance, what keeps it from being a very traditionally ‘feminine’ type of scent is the fact that it’s not mixed in with anything syrupy or fruity like most feminine targeted fragrances tend to be. While there is a slightly sweet vanillic backing to the lavender, Neroli and a bit of chamomile, it is also beautifully balanced with a very smooth sandalwood that keeps it from becoming a cloying, powdery sweet scent. The lavender used here is far from the ones you might smell in traditional fougeres/ barbershop scents or even the essential oils. It’s a very creamy experience here rather than a fresh or clean lavender that we generally come across in fragrances. This is mostly due to the way it is combined with the vanilla and the almost imperceptible but definitely present sandalwood. I’d categorize it as *almost* milky. Imagine the scent texture of a lavender flavoured whipped cream with a bit of vanilla adding sweetness. Definitely not a gourmand but the ‘whipped cream’ metaphor is more to describe the smoothness of the scent. In the super late dry-down of the fragrance, the super smooth creaminess fades away, leaving behind a scent that I can only categorize as a grown up version of baby powder. The floral aspects of the fragrance are pretty much gone at this point except a little bit of lavender that still remains, keeping it from smelling like a freshly powdered baby’s butt. This might be the point where it is at its most appealing to most people in its entire scent development. On a side note, a lot of fragrances kind of fall apart or are barely recognizable in their super late dry-down (10-12 hours in) when compared to how they smelled in their early dry-down (1-2 hours in) but Fleur du Male continues to feel like a very well composed, complete and an intentionally designed scent. This is one of my favourite aspects of the scent. This is what you’d get if you smell it directly from the atomizer. The lavender, vanilla sandalwood combo might make it sound very much like Le Male but the way they are done are thoroughly different. Le Male has a more youthful oriental (but not traditional) fougere thing going on with the mint and spices while Fleur is a little more grown up and not at all a fougere to my nose. This doesn’t feel like something that you can see most people you know wearing like you might with Le Male. You would probably need to have a personality that would match you in order to wear it. This will feel out of place and weird on a very manly man. I know Le Male is not particularly manly but it seems to have built an association with a certain kind of man that Fleur du Male doesn’t really align with. I think Fleur is great for someone who is looking for a scent that is not extremely sweet but has some sweetness to it which serves a purpose greater than just making the fragrance long-lasting like JPG’s other creations such as Ultra Male. Fleur is not overtly masculine at any point and probably on the ‘metrosexual’ side of things. Women can definitely pull this off, probably even easier than a man if it sits well with their nose, which is kind of the ‘catch’ about this fragrance. *Performance* Not what you might expect from a scent like this but it’s most definitely what I’d consider a beast. With about 4-5 sprays (it has a great atomizer) it lasts easily for 12 hours on me. Projects a healthy amount for the first 4-6 hours and sits a little closer to the skin after that. It’s a beautifully pleasant skin scent after the 12 hour mark. Works great all year round, might be a tad too cloying on scaldingly hot summer days where the powderiness might come out more to play. But definitely wearable if you control your sprays. Might not last as long tho. It’s super weird and I’ve not smelled anything like it from even the niche houses I’ve smelled so far. I hear comparisons to Reflection Man which I don’t get at all. Reflection man goes on the more mentholated, woody, masculine floral side which is totally different from Fleur. Montale’s Wood and Spices kinda does smell like Fleur except a sweeter, waxy, almost crayon-like version of it with fewer of the nuances. Doesn’t really fit into the same genre at that point. I do wear it in situations where I don’t wanna use up my Fleur. Wood and spices is a beast in its own right too, just not as pleasant or intentional of an experience as Fleur du Male to me. If you’re still reading (hey thank you!), you know you’re at least interested in sampling it which I do encourage you to do. You know, if the whole idea of the scent actually intrigues you. It got discontinued sometime in 2015 but can still be found online for good prices ($60-$75) depending on your market. It was a blind buy that worked out for me (probably wouldn’t recommend you to do that). Yeah I’m definitely picking up a backup bottle if I can find it. This might be the only scent I’d want to have a backup bottle of.

Back in the summer of 07, coming back from Prague, this and the then new Mandarine Basilic were my Duty Free purchases at Athens airport. Love at first sniff after growing tired of the heavy sweetness of Gaultier2. Two bottles, one bottle of La Cologne and about 18 years later, I once again found a sealed bottle from the first years. And my love for it ignites again! Fleur du Male was the natural evolution of Le Male. Le Male became a love after its heyday and the heavy and everywhere use subsided; i liked it but why buy something I can smell every time I leave the house right? It found its way to me in a vintage bottle a few years ago. FdM took the theme of a powdery fougere, brought it in line with the height of metrosexuality and added indecent amounts of orange blossom and cumin that make it both scandalously erotic and immaculately clean. The bottle, milky white, and the color of the juice, a rich orange/red are a perfect indication of what to expect. Andrés Velencoso was the perfect choice for the ads! Fleur du Male opens right from the start with orange blossom. Concentrated and intense, you sense the richness, which is opaque. It’s that big. Neroli and petit grain along some wonderful chamomile add expansiveness and a breath of air and freshness for the fragrance to breathe end expand on skin. They lift it up showing us all the facets of the flower, particularly the indolic side. Some jasmine in there too along some slight green notes. Mid stage in the development, Le Male’s powdery fougere accord starts to show more and more, still bathed in the orange blossom. It’s less powdery and more heady. The touch of Castoreum of the original Le Male is replaced by cumin and clean fluffy musks that while powdery, are also carnal and slightly skanky. I always liked to think that the milky bathtub water in the ads was more than just milk... FdM dries down after many hours to a skin musk, dirtier than Narciso’s For Her with a slight floral residue and a slight touch of amber. It still fills a room even at the end of the day. Back then it was considered avant garde. Those were the last years when designers still took a risk; we had this, Dior Homme, Prada Man, Narciso for Him...metrosexuality was peaking and while today these perfumes are sorely missed and loved, back then they weren’t best sellers; most guys weren’t ready for them. I had all, but I was just ahead of the game. Just like the perfumes. Inevitably they got discontinued or reformulated only to be loved after they were gone. But boy were they gorgeous!!

I did a blind-buy of Fleur du Male (FdM) back in 2013 because it was inexpensive and a fragrance created by perfume extraordinaire, Maison Francis Kurkjian. Initially, I liked it but didn't love it. However, I've grown to love and appreciate FdM and feel that it's a brilliant quality scent even though it's not my style. I would love to wear it more often but I find it difficult finding an appropriate time to wear it on my uber-manly, testosterone-laden skin. Whereas I find Le Male to be a dangerous fragrance (e.g., dangerous in that I sense every female wanting to molest me whenever they get a whiff of the vintage version blended with my manly testosterone and pheromones - the ladies love this sexy elixir), I sense this same danger while wearing Fleur du Male. Unfortunately, the danger is from getting my ass-kicked, lunch money taken, and man-card revoked for smelling like a cuck with flowers in his hair. (LOL) I just don't feel this is a very manly scent...but still love it. Regardless, I really did like this fragrance and it has continued to impress me over the years (a Fleurry type of La Male). Moreover, it is certainly a unique men's fragrance, very well-blended (excellent quality) and reasonably priced. However, it's just too powdery and fleurry for me(n) to wear often...especially in public. A definite try, try and try again before you buy. Finally, just like with my vintage bottle (pre 2012) of Le Male, FdM projects like a beast and lasts a very long time. Overall, Fleur du Male is a brilliant and highly underrated and highly overlooked fragrance. Sadly, it misses with the Hoi Polloi because it doesn't smell like Department Store cologne, it misses with the Hoity Toity because it doesn't come with a $300 price-tag so it must be crap, and it misses with the dudes because it smells just a bit too chickly. Still, it is an awesome fragrance that you should put your nose on.

The flowers of evil Shocking and vulgar but at the same time romantic, the Flowers of Evil unfortunately shared the same fate as the astonishing lyrics of Charles Baudelaire. The latter were once banned, modified ... while the masterpiece signed by Francis Kurkdjian was withdrawn from the shelves. Who has a bottle is a happy one. I'm one of the few. The white of the bottle is symbolic, as is the composition. Chamomile, neroli and petit grain. White flowers that inspire purity and tranquility, but a sinister tranquility that hides an unfair and addictive depth. It draws you into a spider web from which you don't seem to want to escape. Friendly ingredients, harmless because we are talking about neroli and chamomile, but when mixed they turn into the most seductive and perfidious composition. A scent of contrasts, a symbolic and very attractive composition. You may think it's a nonsense, but JPG Fleur du Mâle, that's what I'm telling you it is. Even the name is contradictory. Who can think at malicious flowers, especially white as chamomile? Well, that's because of the unscrupulous attraction they're guilty of. An artistic composition without a doubt which, unfortunately, is no longer among the living but which will remain forever in the memory of the enthusiasts. The performances are truly amazing and the scent intoxicates you from the top. It can be worn from my point of view only in spring in cool weather, matched by the white flowers in the trees. A masculine floral bouquet that puts you to the test quite seriously if you are not used to indolic sensations. Polarizing to God, no wonder. Moreover, it is also linear, for hours prolonging the agony of feeling a dizzying balsamic scent next to you, a duplicitous state of ecstasy and anxiety. A piece of art

Sex under a tree of orange blossoms-- that is Fleur du Male. How they managed to make a fragrance this floral dominated, and was able to make this fit a man is completely beyond me. Women have Anais Anais, and men have Fleur du Male. It's a similar concept. A white floral, with playful innocent sexual marketing. Fleur du Male is an absolute masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to score two bottles at 35 bucks a piece at a Ross back in '14; I'm still on the first bottle, and the second bottle is packed away in the closet. It doesn't start off sexual. In fact, it starts off very green and clean. Not unlike how clean a crisp bar of original Irish Spring soap is. Combine that, with the smell of orange blossom petals squished on your fingers. Heavenly indeed. As it wears, it begins to get warm and somewhat spicy. This is where it turns erotic. Imagine herbal honeyed orange blossoms sprinkled on horchata, with the smell of post-coital sheets and bodies. A masterpiece. A masterpiece I tell you! Although this fragrance is floral dominated, I cannot imagine a woman smelling this, because. It isn't overtly dainty. Having said that, this isn't a macho man's fragrance. This is a clean-cut, shampooed, conditioned, and shaved type fragrance. I could see someone like Mario Lopez or Colton Haynes pulling a scent like this off easily. I only wear this on dinners out when the weather is mild, and sometimes to bed. I can't wear this all the time, because truth be told, it does somewhat arouse me. I can't be aroused all day every day. That's why I wear its more popular cousin Le Male. Another masterpiece.

First of all, this is one of my favourite fragrances of all time. This being said, you can imagine how disappointed I was when I found out it's discontinued. I only got a bottle left with ~55ml, which I treasure and only use on very special occasions. Fast forward to today, I got the chance to sample some random fragrances, among them Ted Lapidus pour homme Black Extreme (I had zero expectations of what was to come). After the initial spray hit my nostrils, I was left speechless as something in this juice was reminding me of a perfume which I couldn't pinpoint at the given moment. But I started analyzing what I was sensing: some sweetness, a little spiciness, some citrus and some white florals; And then it clicked in my head. It was at that moment that I realized the white floral note reminded me A LOT of my beloved Fleur du Male. I grabbed my bottle and sprayed FdM on the other hand to compare. Boy oh boy, was I amazed of how close they can get. I was so excited and so happy that I found a suitable replacer for my bottle of FdM, which I only used on certain special occasions due to not wanting to consume it too fast for obvious reasons. They are indeed not identical, they go in different directions, but share the white floral note, which to my nose is as close as it can get. For people out there that are in the same situation as me and liked the white floral part of FdM, I encourage you to try out Ted Lapidus pour homme Black Extreme.

@anaphylactic78 - I am not sure what you're trying to say? If you feel that Fleur du Male smells similar to Reflection Man then you should state your opinions in a well-written review that includes how a fragrance smells, how well it performs, appropriate times for wearing said fragrance, comments received from others, and feelings it evokes while on your skin. Piece of cakes! As for people saying t smelling similar to Le Male...perhaps, but only a fleeting similarity that is not strong enough for my to vote for such as similarity. But be aware. Le Male smells very similar (but not identical) to Reflection Man and close to 200 members have mentioned this fact in their review of Reflection Man...not to mention just about every fragrance reviewer on Youtube, Facebook and other social media. Sadly, a handful of butt-hurt punks are permitted to create dozens or hundreds of accounts just so they can vote down people who vote that it smells similar to Le Male. Obviously, others have voted Fleur du Male reminds them of Reflection Man...but you'll have to read the reviews (hope they weren't deleted by the Reflection Man trolls) because that's the only way to glean this information. Sad, but true. If you don't believe...vote that Reflection Man reminds your of Le Male, Fleur du Male, Cuba Gold (etc.) and she how long it takes one of these rubes to create another account and vote you down.

This is lovely. What a wonderful combination of masculine and feminine. I was so afraid that I wasn't going to like this. I was expecting something heavy and smothering. When I sprayed it on, what I picked up right away was a bitter "green" blast with something powdery. The initial blast settles down fast and slips into something that is somewhat of a contradiction in terms - bold yet soft. The star of the show here really is the orange blossom and it's done so well, mixing with the other notes flawlessly. I am not a huge fan of the original, over-exposed, Le Male. Something about it irritates me and turns my stomach. You can smell a little of the original in here at its base but it's understated and kept at bay when mixed with the other notes. Not every man will like this. In fact, I don't think the average man will. You have to be in touch with your feminine side and be comfortable in your own skin to pull it off. I only needed one spray and that sufficed nicely. I believe that this scent is best suited for the cooler weather. I can't see wearing this in hot weather. I think the heat might make it a little aggressive and obnoxious. Different and unique as far as men's cologne goes. A modern throwback! Head and shoulders above the original. A classic in its own right. Highly recommended for the self-assured, confident man!

This flower keep blooming in the shadow of my dream. Finally I found Fleur du Mâle 75ml. bottle! If you read my previous review below you will know that how this fragrance meant to me. The one I love, the one I look for. When I first saw this I was a university student , it too expensive to me , I can’t buy it, but year after year this smell never leave my memory.. until now I got a bottle from online store(which much more expensive price). Yes, this is second time I smell it, and it transport me to the time I was student again. This is kind of White flower in the old fashion way, classic and modern scent. I always thought this is a kind of opposite of “Narciso Rodriguez for Him” when FDM is white side, NR for him is a dark side of me ( Like yin-yang ) no surprise these two fragrances were composed by same perfumer “Francis Kurkdjian” and launch in the same year 2007! I think Francis Kurkdjian created these two fragrances as inspired by each other! One is the dark side and one is the bright side, composed with Aromatic Fougere way, and the same background same old fashion DNA . So creative, so artistic and contemporary.... Antonio Puig please please please bring it back! Can’t believe it discontinued. Reason why fragrance is so beautiful... “This fragrance keep blooming in my dream”

I love the power of this blend. The quality of its ingredients, otherwise it wont last this longer. Im always deeply disappointed, not to say enraged, with anything watered down or weak longevity. So, all the Kudos for this true profumo! It was funny when I actually got to know the notes(very few!) from this fragrance. On my skin theres a Tornado of Orange Peel, like candied ones, the ones you would find in the jam. I was so surprised there was no orange or orange blossom at all in the composition, which are different from Petitgrain. When it sets down a bit, the Chamomile hits very intense too, however, the orange peel its there to the last breath. In the end of the day, the animalic base is very evident to me. I cannot sense the Neroli,and I'm a big fan of Mediterranean plants, being mediterranean myself. The Basil turned to me like Tobacco, and is very subtle perceived when all that Petitgrain storm calms a little, after 2 hours maybe. I miss that Storm. This bottle is one of the most beautiful ever created, nothing speaks pleasure louder than a classic greek/roman Torso!

I initially wasn't interested in this, or JPG's perfume overall, my brother has Le Male, and I just don't want to use his signature scent. But somewhere in the review I read that this one had been discontinued, but I was still indifferent at that time, because I was searching for Bond no 9 I Love New York for All. Nonetheless, during my search for Bond no 9, I came across the last batch of this discontinued perfume for a reasonable price (around $60 ish), and I was like, heck, let's buy this for the sake of boasting that I have a discontinued perfume in my collection. SO I bought it, and I'm very glad that I did. This still has Le Male DNA, but just about enough flower to make it different than the original Le Male. Yes it's a bit sweet, spicy, floral, and smell a bit like baby powder. However, I still think this is a masculine scent, the spiciness is too masculine for a woman to wear this. Having said that, don't let stereotype decide what you wear... Masculine, feminine, unisex.... Wear what you like, and be confident enough to pull it off.

I've owned several bottles of the original Le Male over the last 20 some odd years, I love the stuff. I have not found a single Le Male flanker I've liked until now. Wow, everything about this fragrance is impressive. It's floral, it's powdery, it's green, it's great quality, and it's friggin nuclear ☣️ When I first tried a spray when the bottle arrived, I was almost certain I was going to sell it. It was very indolic when sprayed on my sweaty skin after a workout. Tried it again with a few sprays on clean skin and I liked it immediately. I love neroli, iris, musk, and white florals and this ticks all the boxes. It's daring and smells niche. It's also a powerhouse. They really amped up the performance. I definitely won't be selling this bottle. Reminds my slightly of Prada D'iris Cedre and a tiny bit of Amouage Reflection man, but stronger than both. I look forward to wearing it, and every time I wear it feels like an occasion. Fantastic release, it's a travesty that this was discontinued. Scent 9.3/10 Performance 9/10

I have two bottles of this masterpiece and I can't get enough of it, but it's so difficult to find on grey market. Found one in 2020 and another one in 2022. I just remembered the scent when I came across it here on fragrantica, it led me straight back to 2011 when I got myself first bottle. If u want to have something like really similar, go for Xerjoff Oesel, it's not discointinued as someone mentioned before. It's like 90% same, but without camomile note that hit in the drydown with FdM. Less soapy and less potent, maybe little more fresh beacuse of citrus, but I don't really get it. Can't really feel Rose and Patchouli in the drydown too. I've tested it once and got 10+ hours of longevity with good projection around 6 hours. Sillage is like 1 meter for the first two hours then start to fade. I'm letting it rest now and we'll see how performs next summer. The only problem is price, it's 240€ for 50ml. Looking for another bottle full or partial of FdM, if someone is willing to sell feel free to PM me.

This was the fragrance that started me on my fragrance Journey almost 12 years ago, I was in Shopper's and I noticed they had a bunch of discount fragrances for 20 bucks and as I stared at them thinking maybe I should get one of these perfumes, one of the sales girls walked by and said I'd get that one as she pointed to a white can, she goes that's the best one and it's the last one, it'll be gone soon. I threw it in my basket and when I tried it at home I was blown away, it made me into the frag chronic that has 400 bottles of perfume now. But in case you're wondering the next one I bought , I went into London drugs and they had a sale on and I said well what's the most expensive one you have , and the lady goes , Aqua di Gio profumo and I blind bought that one as well!..... talk about getting lucky. I still have the same bottle ,12 years old more, than half full , and I just sprayed three sprays and it's an absolute bomb just like the day I bought it , smells just as good.

There's some nasty-ass pungent, rotting chamomile chemical here that for a few seconds, smells absolutely horrific. Animalic doesn't convey the sensation, it's sort of trigeminally animalic, and wrong-smelling like when you smell smelling-salts, but then it either disappears or I go noseblind to it (worrying, as god alone knows what this scent could do to a room of innocent bystanders), and I smell a herbal version of le male, still sweet but massively less so than most JPG scents, with a sort of radioactive yellow/white floral hum. I can only imagine that whatever chemical is responsible for this assault on my brain in the opening is now completely banned and buried I a bunker somewhere with 25-metre thick concrete walls. This is a monstrous scent, but the lack of monstrous sweetness exposes a more sublte technical wizardry with inklings of what FK would go on to do for his own brand. I doubt I'll find many occasions to wear such a perfume but I appreciate it.

This is masterpiece and I sad to know it discontinued. R.I.P. Once I have been try this when I was 1st year university , and year after year this scent never leave my memory. Whenever you find it guys please grabs it! It so feminine and synthetic but it scent is just like out of heaven, like a smell from angel itself! It silage like bomb and longevity is marvelous! Gods please bring them back! Scent 9.5/10 (Heavenly white flowers/bright included Le Male DNA and clean) Silage 10/10 Longevity 10/10 (Last forever on skin and in the memory of people) Seriously guys this is the greatest of JPG! It stick to people memory just like a tattoo, they can forget your face but they won't forget this scent on your skin, people around you will stop talking and everything he does and look at you whenever you walk trough them. No one will smell like you, you will standout even from Original Le Male, One millions or Aventus. No scent can compare with this.

I got finally got in to fragrance just a few years ago and JPG's Fleur du Male was my foray. I had somehow got lucky enough to get a sample of FDM as my first non-axe frag, loved it and mistakenly got the Le Cologne bottle which wasn't bad(though not for me). I then got a few clones and niche samples before pulling the trigger on a bottle of FDM and then proceeded to go overboard and picked up all FDM I could be my hands on(aftershave balm, deodorant stick, shower gel). In recent months I had grown tired of FDM and reached for its more traditional cousin Custo Man and lots and lots of Cool Water. However no I have been wearing it for about 25 hours and the dry down is exceptional. I have found frags with animalic bases can sometimes soften/sweeten in dry down but this is more animalic in dry down. My sole critique of FDM is in its first few minutes it can be cloying but after that it's great and only waxes in it's magnetic charm.

YES! A very strong, intoxicating orange blossom. I grew up in the rural/suburban Mediterranean, and it annoys me how most brands' 'orange blossom' perfumes or candles are this wishy-washy soft floral with vague orange undertones...like they've never smelled the actual flower and are constructing what they imagine an orange blossom would smell like! This is a true neroli - zingy, bittersweet and with green undertones. Of course, JPG adds honey into the mix so it IS a sweet perfume, but it's still a great and true orange blossom/neroli. It also has a dreamy hay-like vibe in the background, which isn't mentioned. Might be the camomile. I smell zero basil (or any kind of herb). It's very strong and lasts 24 hours on clothes, and 3-4 hours on my skin which might not sound like much, but my skin absorbs any fragrance within 30-60 minutes, no matter how generously I spray or how strong it's supposed to be. So that's quite the feat!

I know how you feel John_Dude. I just got my first bottle of this yesterday. It was new, still in the sealed canister. I got a good deal, I have been looking for quite some time. It felt funny taking off the plastic wrap on this old canister that had not been opened in years! I like it. Its Fragrantica score of 4.14 is slightly too low. It is about a 4.25 to me. It is best described as clean and fresh yet soft like a pillow and very, very SOAPY. If you would like to smell like neroli soap, this is for you. My favorite part is the soft, comforting chamomile which I get from start to finish. You can also definitely smell the Le Male minty DNA in the background, it is just subdued by all the SOAPY SOAPINESS. If you are a person like John_Dude or me and you have been looking for a bottle, try to make it happen. It is better than most currently available designer scents in the $200 price range.

There are only a few fragrances that when I finally got a chance to sample and put my nose to them that I had a revelatory moment 🤯, the fragrances that started me on my fragrance journey were Angel Man and Armani Profumo, they were awesome, but when I popped $400 for a vintage Gucci Pour Homme 🤯,I was blown away, and then Gucvi did it again when I finally splurged on a bottle of Envy🤯(11/10 my alltime favorite) .....but, the first time I smelled this it was 🤯, this is THAT good, its all the hype says it is, the 🏅🥇🏆the champion of JPG. I think I leave this same review every time I pull out my vintage half used 75 millimeter bottle( don't worry.I have three large ones in the can and a gift set, no none of them are for sale😃😉) I actually can't believe they just sold this at the Regular counter, if this was in one of his MFK bottles, it would be six hundred dollars.