Scandal Pour Homme Absolu

Today we're going designer and heading over to the house of Jean Paul Gaultier. The fragrance we're looking at today is Scandal Absolu; the newest addition to the Scandal line. Now the Scandal line doesn't get as much love as the Le Male or Le Beau lines, but those in the know are familiar with it. Scandal Absolu has been garnering an insane amount of hype in the fragcom lately, so I figured I should go ahead and grab a sample of it to see what the buzz is about. Let's get into it; Scent: The opening is fruity, woody, and warm. There's only three notes in the official breakdown; Mirabelle plum, chestnut, and sandalwood, and it's easy to pick out all three of them. The strongest note off the top is the Mirabelle plum. This note manifests as a sweet and fruity accord with a distinct accompanying freshness. Right underneath the plum are the chestnut and sandalwood. The chestnut is warm, nutty, and very reminiscent of the chestnut notes used in the Stronger With You fragrances by Emporio Armani. Lastly, the sandalwood gives the opening a solid foundation of woodiness with pronounced powdery tones. The dry down is sweet, woody, and warm. The primary notes are the same, obviously; but the strongest note in the dry down has become the chestnut. Supremely warm and nutty, reaching further into the gourmand realm. Beneath the chestnut lies the Mirabelle plum, not as bright and fruity as it was in the opening but keeping the same level of sweetness. Lastly, the sandalwood still forms the foundation in the dry down with the same powdery woodiness, albeit a bit more pronounced than it was in the opening. From opening to dry down, the fragrance is a sweet, mouth-watering, gourmand experience. I will say that it does have strong similarities to Paco Rabanne's One Million Lucky. Not saying that's a bad thing as I enjoy that fragrance too, but it did remind me quite a bit of it. Performance: Initial projection in the first hour is very strong and can easily fill a room. Sillage matches that intensity with a dense and heavy scent trail that lingers in the air. After about 3-4 hours the projection was still about 6 feet and the scent trail was still easily noticeable. The fragrance lasted about 10-11 hours before becoming a skin scent. When to wear: Scandal Absolu is the epitome of a fall/winter fragrance, best suited for evening wear. It's heavy, dark, and sweet, which makes it perfect for special occasions like date nights or anniversaries. I wouldn't dress it up too far though, it doesn't fit the bill for anything past a sport jacket. In other words, I wouldn't pair it with a suit. This also isn't something I would consider office friendly; it's just too strong and sweet. Blind buy: If you like sweet and warm fragrances like One Million Lucky or the Stronger With You line, this is a safe blind buy for you. Final verdict: So let's break down Scandal Absolu one step at a time. First things first, the scent profile. It's deliciously sweet and gourmand, and that falls right into my wheelhouse. I enjoy heavy, edible smelling fragrances and that's very much what this fragrance is. As I stated before, Scandal Absolu does have strong similarities to One Million Lucky. With them being so similar to each other there is a bit of redundancy between them and I wouldn't necessarily feel the need to own them both. For what it's worth, between the two I think Scandal Absolu is the better fragrance. Next up, performance. Scandal Absolu starts off the show with beast-mode performance that fills rooms and leaves scent trails so thick you could cut them with a knife. This continues on in some degree for at least the first 3-4 hours, and the scent sticks to the skin and continues to project and leave scent trails until the 10-11 hour mark when it becomes a skin scent. Let's talk about versatility. This fragrance fits neatly into the slot of a fall/winter non-formal special occasion fragrance, but that's about it. And even then, that's pretty niche. Mass-appeal, however, knocks this out of the park. This scent profile is right in line with a lot of other sweet fragrances being released right now, so it's gonna be enjoyed by almost everyone. To wrap this up, is Scandal Absolu worth the hype? Yeah, I would say it is. It smells amazing, it's a strong performer, and it will be liked by most people. That's pretty much everything the standard fragrance wearer could ask for. If you're looking for something mind-blowing and cutting edge, you won't find it here. But if you want something that's an easy reach for the cooler months, Scandal Absolu has you covered. Scent: 8/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 9/10

Welp, on first sniff I can tell you that this is one of the hip new pure sweetness scents without too much else going on except for a few subtleties. It is ludicrous that victory elixir is not in the reminds me of section, because this family of fragrances basically consists of the scandals, the most wanted line, victory elixir, and a few others, and they all smell insanely similar. Crazy that Stronger With You is in that section, because at least that scent has some distinguishable spicy scent character and ultimately is miles away from this, considering how close the aforementioned are. They are their own thing, and there are distinctions to be made for sure, and I don't hate them. On the contrary, I actually love a lot of them, but outside of their general pleasantness, there isn't a tremendous amount of depth to the casual nose in my opinion. I will say that if we're excluding Stronger WY line, this one is my favorite so far. I find that Victory E has the musty Invictus DNA that makes me want to cough, the other Scandals seem next-level 1-dimensional to me, and the most wanteds are the same vibe plus added syntheticness. The Most Wanted Parfum has that "grape soda" thing going on in quite a pronounced way, which is the most noteworthy divergence from the bunch. I love that stuff, but I feel like it still has a slightly more synthetic vibe than Scandal Absolu and is more noticeably fruity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just something that should be sampled if you're nervous about blind buying one of these. This one projects just as beastly as the most wanteds and maybe even Victory E, but the way it is in the air has something nicer going on to my nose. I am a sucker for nutty notes, so that is possible, but I am more excited to be trying this than anything else I have mentioned, except for continuing to wear SWY Intensely, which is literally absolu plus spicebomb in a perfect balance, which I love. If you like any of the ones that I called flat out sweetness, I would sample this and all of those and decide for yourself which one you think straight up smells best. If you can be confident in that decision, then owning all of those is definitely redundant, I do not think it is a stretch to say. I own most of them, and this one is probably my favorite among them. I would include a lot of other things in that category, give or take, trying to be fair. Things like 1 million, ultramale, etc. (but to me, those have much more pronounced differences). To me, the differences are barely articulable. You just have to try them and decide for yourself. I don't mean to sound negative in some of my descriptions, I just know reading some reviews that a lot of people's noses read this stuff as quite linear sweetness also, and in a way that is extremely similar to this family of scents. There is nuance that makes a big difference between them, I believe. Just don't go in expecting great depth and complexity. Anyway this shit is lit. AFTER 1 DAY: I think I definitely prefer this fragrance to any of the other linear sweeties I mentioned above, and probably equal to SWYI just in a different way. There is something so satisfying about it. So many of this type of scent has something that eventually annoyed me after a little wearing, but not this stuff. It has that alluring, addictive quality. You don't just tolerate it or even appreciate it, you start to crave it a bit. That's when I feel like I'm discovering a scent that I really enjoy, and I'm definitely getting that sensation with absolu. It goes to show how the most minute details matter. It makes me really respect the creator of a thing like this, because that precision of the balance of aroma chemicals, not just the ingredients, is the key to a successful creation, and this scent might be a real masterpiece in its niche. I was actually struggling to justify this style of scent as a wearable fragrance before I sampled Absolu, but I really do get it now. It's a great option. Last edit: I knew I was forgetting at least a few flat sweeties that are similar to this, and at least a few of them are almost the entire Code line by Giorgio Armani. I have a huge bottle of Absolu which has a little definable spice character, but my old-style bottle edp, the older parfum, and to a lesser extent profumo all, to me, have a very similar sweetness and overall profile. I was never a fan, but I hold onto those few bottles for posterity, and I sort of regret selling the profumo, even for discontinued price. I, of course, prefer Scandal Absolu to all of those as well.

I absolutely ADORE Scandal Absolu’s scent profile. Loved it so much that I bought Armaf’s King as money was tight at the time and nearly creamed myself when one of my boys bought it for my birthday. Scent: Scandal Absolu opens with a beautifully balanced plum which smells both tart and sweet. Then it dries down into this warm roasted chestnut that’s just a touch creamy with hints of that tart plum still lingering around. I genuinely believe that words aren’t able to do this scent justice and you just gotta go smell it for yourself. Scents are wildly subjective so there are definitely people who absolutely hate this scent but to me this is PEAK designer simplistic perfumery done at the absolute HIGHEST level. Performance: Great performance. Quite a long lasting frag which edges slightly over 10 hours on each of my wears and it projects just like a JPG fragrance tends to do... with the intention to draw attention which this does a bloody good job at. Also leaves a pleasant roasted nutty scent trail that feels like it embodies the scent of fall. Versatility: Viable for most seasons except maybe summer as it’s not overbearingly sweet but still sweet enough where I’d recommend you not to wear it in high heat. Absolute belter in cooler weather, doesn’t even need to be fully cold out just chilly enough to let the roasted chestnut note truly shine. Scent: 10/10 Performance: 9/10 Versatility: 7.5/10 Personal Score: 9/10 I LOVE SCANDAL ABSOLU. Personally, this is my designer fragrance GOAT and that says a lot as it's the only designer still sitting in my top 10 list.

at first i didnt like it at all . i felt like the opening was way to syntethic and overall not my type of fragrance, even tho i love gourmand scents. by the time it grew on me and i found myself picking it up more and more often and i have to say i dont regret the decision of buying it . in the opening the plum note for me its not sweet at all leaning more tart , but i have tested the fragrance in stores since buying it and i have to say that the opening its actually very sweet and enjoyable so maybe its just my own flanker or imagination that its messing with my love for this fragrance. even tho the opening its not the same to the flankers in stores ,it doesnt bother me anymore to the point i d say its syntethic or bad . the dry down its amazing and where personaly i think the fragrance shines the most .the chestnut note its sweet and warm ,almost as id bake my own tray and tossing them in a bowl of sugar afterwards .combined with the sandal wood its giving me christmas vibes and i have to say its almost nostalgic of some sort. the performance its amazing , 8 to 10 hours on my skin and projects like a beast in the first 3 maybe 4 hours, afterwards turning more intimate by having to get closer to smell it but not quite skin scent .overall i have to give this a 8.5

No regrets on this one, a welcomed addition. Opening to dry down is a hit. It starts off pretty light to my nose with a kind of fresh element. In the mid it starts to put on weight, activating the sweetness of the plum. It's not cloying to my nose, but I could see the level of sweetness here might be a problem for some. The way the notes blend creates a almost creaminess and thats warm, sweet, comforting, intimate and inviting. Definitely a good option for a date night with your lady. I would say majority of women would enjoy this profile on a man. I haven't sprayed this on clothes yet, but the way this rest and radiates off skin is really nice. Well into the dry down, it continues to levitate off the skin with subtle movements, reminding you its still there. But not in a aggressive eternal beast mode kind of way, but rather in a "just right," Goldilocks zone type of way. At least for me, its just right. I think this falls in the mass appealing realm for smell-ers. But wear-ers is gonna be a smaller number. Safe blind buy if you dont mind sweet profiles. Overall: Tis nice me Lords. Certified winner winner chicken dinner, increase your chance to be invited inner. 👍 9.5/10

Scandal Pour Homme Absolu is a sweet, dessert-like fragrance that opens with fruity Mirabelle, providing a caramel-like aroma that feels rich and indulgent. The chestnut note adds warmth, creating a sense of caramelized chestnuts. The sandalwood in the base offers a creamy, woody smoothness that holds everything together beautifully. Compared to the original Scandal, Absolu is a richer and more concentrated version. The sweetness here is more refined, giving it a creamy, gourmand touch without being overpowering. The chestnut and sandalwood shine, making this perfect for fall and winter evenings. It projects well without being overwhelming, making it ideal for intimate settings or colder weather. With its excellent longevity, you can expect this fragrance to last for hours, keeping its warm and inviting presence. For fans of sweet and nutty scents, this one is a must-try, as it manages to stay comforting while still being undeniably luxurious. In Short: A rich, warm, and creamy fragrance with caramelized chestnut and sandalwood. Perfect for cool evenings and long-lasting.

This fragrance smells like Scandal mixed with Paco Rabanne 1 Million Lucky. It is very similar to 1 Million Lucky and it should moreso be a flanker of 1 Million Lucky than Scandal in my opinion. However, this is not a bad thing at all and I actually really enjoy 1 Million Lucky and own 2 200ml of the clear glass batch (IYKYK). Scandal Absolu may seem like it took inspiration of the 1 Million Lucky DNA, but it made it a lot more dense, sweeter, and nuttier. Someone below said like cotton candy sweetness and I can definitely attest to that. So, this is the difference compared to 1 Million Lucky, because 1 Million Lucky has a more fruity freshness to it that makes it more "airy", whereas this one is a bit more heavy. I would not say this is an exact copy of 1 Million Lucky, but I am finding it almost redundant to own both. In conclusion, Scandal Absolu smells great, has amazing performance, and has even gotten me compliments on the first wear. So if you want an easy compliment-getter and/or are seeking for the approval of women, this is a great fragrance to own. 8/10

Wanted it for the collection, blind bought it. Super sweet off the top (but not in an annoying way), JPG Scandal DNA alive and well (a proper flanker), and potent. Very, very potent. One spray on a test strip and one on my forearm and the entire home office and finished basement is filled with it. I'm going to say that it might be my favorite from the Scandal lineup (Le parfum is really fricking good though). This is smooth, nutty, creamy, sweet, and pretty much everything I don't like hearing about in men's frags. But this works. Dare I say, I can sense a little bit more of Natalie Gracia-Cetto's touch here. As it dries down it just keeps getting better and better. Starts off very youthful and charismatic, then it edges itself into a slightly more elevated space as the sweetness dials back a little and it gets woody and smooths out (best way I can describe it). I get no sunscreen vibes from this one at all, the way I do from Le Beau Le Parfum. I'm an older guy, but I'll wear practically anything if it suits my mood or occasion. This stuff is incredible.

Scandal Absolu es un perfume que no pasa desapercibido. Desde el primer momento, su apertura con mandarina es vibrante y refrescante, pero rápidamente evoluciona hacia algo mucho más profundo y sensual. La miel es el alma de la fragancia, envolviendo con su dulzura pegajosa pero elegante. Lo que me encanta es cómo se combina con el jazmín, aportando un toque floral que equilibra esa dulzura sin ser empalagosa. El secado es cálido y embriagador, gracias a las notas de fondo como el pachulí. El resultado es un aroma potente y duradero, ideal para la noche o eventos especiales donde quieras destacar. Personalmente, encuentro que Scandal Absolu es audaz y provocador, perfecto para quien busca una fragancia que exprese confianza y poder. No es un perfume sutil, sino uno que se impone, por lo que puede no ser para todos los días o para quienes prefieren algo más discreto. Si te gustan las fragancias intensas y dulces, con un toque atrevido, este podría ser una excelente elección.

1.Bought from Maple Prime 100% authentic. 2. Smells very synthetic on first initial spray but then the magic 🎩 happens. 3rd. On first spray and a few 2-3 minutes later the plum kicks in last for about 1 hour then a little bit of chestnut then rounded out beautifully with sandalwoood and all comes together and last for a good 8 to 12 hours. 4. Price I paid was $112.36 and free shipping. 1. Scent = ★★★★★ 5/5 2. Longevity = ★★★★★ 5/5 3. Versatility = ★★★★ 4/5 4. Sillage = ★★★★★ 5/5 5. Performance = ★★★★★ 5/5 6. Projection = ★★★★ 4/5 7. Bottle = ★★★★★ 5/5 6.Versatility was a 4 because probably not to good in high summer heat but if you love ❤️ it 2 sprays will do. 7. For projection its a parfum and will sit close to the skin but man it sticks to your skin and stays and any breeze what so ever and you can smell this easily. My Score is an Easy 5 out 5 Star Rating it just Checks all the Boxes. ★★★★★

The juicy mirabelle plum has this fuzziness that transitions so well into the powderiness of the chestnut, if you’ve had chestnuts you’d know how starchy and almost woody they taste. I get a beautiful chocolatey chestnut dry down on my skin which I find quite addicting. There is a short dizzy phase when you first spray though were the strength of that chestnut can give you a headache but don’t be afraid of it, I was a bit skeptical since chestnut can sometimes give off that wood polish or wood cleaner spray association since thats kind of the first time I experienced it in scent form, those car fresheners and interior trim wipes too. But thankfully I don’t get that rough synthetic nutty scent at all, this is a high quality gourmand chestnut. It’s simple but so luxurious. Perfect cozy fall scent. I imagine it would layer beautifully with a chocolate fragrance.

After around 8 months of owning this fragrance, I made up my mind. It would've been an absolute 10/10 if it would've been an smooth, creamy chestnut, like if it had vanilla or tonka. But not, it's way too sharp, too stingy; just like detergent. It has a clear purpose: to be a "scandalous" fragrance, being really long lasting with a big, big sillage. It does accomplish that. With a cost. Being too stingy. The first month you will absolutely love it. After the second month, you won't want to smell it anymore: it will be torturing your nostrils with that sharp Scandal adn. I still use it when I go to nightclubs, parties or bars, because it does get compliments. Whenever I am with a girl, they ALWAYS compliment it, but at the cost of hatingg my own fragrance. It's your call, if it's for mating, then go ahead. If it's for your own use, then think twice about it.

This was my signature night-out-on-the-town fragrance for about 8 months and I had numerous compliments from this fragrance! hence why im desperate for a second bottle of it! Its a really nice woody and nutty fragrance, I get a hint of pale/bitter almonds in this which I imagine comes from the chestnut scent, following closely by a creamy drydown with that soft sandalwood. I wore this for 5 days straight when I went on a lads holiday to Portugal and got a good few compliments from people at the bar, I got even more when I took this on a holiday with my girl, I was wearing this in 20 degree weather which I wouldnt recommend now aha a solid 8/10 from me, longevity could be better however, but thats just a JPG problem overall

Very lovely, not remotely as SCREAMY as the EDT is, more confident, long lasting caramel-nutty going out goodness. Feels like it has a little bit of the entire line. Projection is very intimate for me, not something that will grab the attention of the entire room, but not super weak either. Longevity is excellent and it leaves a good trail. As always with these kinds of fragrances I don't subscribe to the normal notions of seasonality, this can be used all year round depending on conditions and location, adjust sprays after room size and temperature, that is it. I do think it is almost exclusively an evening and night time fragrance though, not super casual either, too pornographic for the post-office.

Scandal Absolu is undoubtedly one of the best Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances released in recent times, it starts of sweet and slightly fruity with that mirabell, then goes into that delicious chestnut. It’s well blended, the smell is of quality, and longevity is great, ~10 hours, the projection is a little soft but the scent trail is good. If you can find it at a discounter for a good price I’d say it’s a no-brainer. It’s youthful, delicious, and exquisite. It’s in a similar style as fragrances like 1 Million Lucky, so that fruity, nutty, sweet goodness. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 10/10 Value: 7/10 I would definitely recommend finding a sample of this stuff. It’s awesome.

Nose note #18: Sweet but not dense. This fragrance opens with a fresh chestnut, but not in an swy absolutely vanilla gourmand way, more like a sweet fruit. Definitely not a blind buy, and you gotta like sweet scents. It has the Scandal DNA but won't share that aromatic scent; this is more like a sweet and seductive kind of perfume, that's why I think it holds the room for the best Scandal of the line, along with Scandal Le Parfum. Not a daily or summery fragrance, more like a sexy, nightly, and alluring scent. You are gonna receive compliments for this one. It has good performance, and I recommend it for youngsters. Price: 51€, 50 mL Rate: 8.5/10

This is a performance beast on my skin. I'm getting 12+ hours of wear, and even after showering, I can still smell it. At 24+ hours, there's still a soft, intimate projection. It's sweet in a typical JPG way, but leans more into a creamy, gourmand, edible direction. I like that the chestnut is not too strong as often the perfumes having it push. Although it's not my usual style, I'm enjoying the blend and the bottle design is not that horrible. I would recommend this to a 19-year-old guy who might have a bit of an f boy vibe but is ultimately a good person at heart.

The Scandal line from JPG get good attention and some negative attention but you can't deny JPG make some damn sexy fragrances. The first thing I get when spraying Scandal Absolu is the Mirabelle Plum which gives you this fruity, sweet and fresh vibe that dominates the life of the fragrance Thrn it's followed by the chestnut for that nutty vibe. The Sandalwood adds the creaminess. The combination creates a rich, textured fragrance that’s pleasant, warm, and festive. It’s delicious and addictive. Can't go wrong with this in the Fall and Winter during the night time.

This is by far the best fragrance in my collection. I fell in love directly after the first smell in a store. The note overview is really confusing to me because I mostly smell vanilla, I get that mirabelle and doesn't smell as woody as it sounds. It's really sweet and gourmand like you want to eat it really. Addicting smell. It projects heavily, 2 sprays are enough and the longevity is insane all day type. If you like gourmand sweet and sexy vanilla go for it. I'd suggest buy this one, all the other scandals smell almost the same but with less performance.

Yea, it's another sweet and woody, but man.... I love it. I think of this class of fragrances as the new "blue" scents for winter. They just work. Haven't smelled the rest of the line, but this one is not overly sweet, and it really lasts on my skin. Still a bit on the expensive side, but the price is slowly coming down (and this one lasts longer than a lot of its competitors that I've tried). *In the voice of the Men's Warehouse commerical from 20 years ago* - You're gonna like the way you smell... I guarantee it. Really happy I picked this up.