When I think of Jean Paul Gaultier I think of effeminate, yet muscly sailors, cone-bras, corsets and spanking. His fashions, fragrances and even he himself embodies all that is naughty about the french. There is a reason why he has been dubbed the ‘L’Enfant Terrible’ of Parisian fashion

What I don’t imagine when I think of Jean Paul Gaultier is softness, subtlety and warmth, but that’s exactly what I find in GAULTIER². Each of JPG’s fragrances are so bold and popular that it’s a hard job to escape them out there in the real world, but not GAULTIER² – the stealth Gaultier and black sheep of the family. Classique and Le Mâle may get all the attention, but GAULTIER² is the quietly clever one, severely underrated yes, even misunderstood, but it cannot be denied that it is a stroke of genius.

“Him and Her. Her and Him. Mixing the genres is Jean Paul Gaultier’s favourite game. With GAULTIER², he breaks through traditional fragrance barriers with his unisex fragrance. A true olfactory statement.” [1]

GAULTIER² was created by Francis Kurkdjian (we’re all in agreement that the man’s a genius, right?) in 2005 and is a scent for both the boys and the girls. It is described as “the essence of two skins in love. A warm, sensual fragrance that blends the masculine and feminine in a trio of musk, amber and vanilla” [2] and is housed in a bottle of two halves, one for him and one for her, held together by a magnetic force.

I find it interesting that JPG, the king of excess, would go for three simple notes in this fragrance and I’m sure that if we were to look at the formula we would discover that there are more ingredients, but I can’t help be attracted to the idea of three aromas blended together to find the perfect equilibrium. There’s something really quite romantic about that simplicity and the harmony it brings.

The Notes

Amber, Musk and Vanilla

How Does it Smell?

It is pretty safe to say that GAULTIER² is a weird scent. It starts out with an opening that sort of smells like metallic grape soda but at the same time also smells like caramel soaked biscotti. Underneath all of that is the off-beat odour of sweaty skin, almost if someone has sprayed on something strong and sweet to cover the fact that they perhaps aren’t at their freshest…

The biscuity come sweaty grape soda vibe never really disappears but before long the vanilla wades in and takes charge. What I really adore about GAULTIER² is that it smells very French, there’s just something about the amber-tinged, powdery vanilla that makes me think of the boudoir and the kitchen. It is the warm, tussled and slept in bedsheets mixed with the remnants of a french breakfast in bed (that may sound like a euphemism but I promise you that it isn’t) It speaks of excess and enjoyment, but it does so quietly.

GAULTIER² is a very unusual scent in the respect that it really doesn’t play to any form of gender convention or trend. It is simply a scent and a feeling that can be adopted by anybody who falls for it. It is also very much a skin scent, in the sense that it wears very close to the body, almost like a second skin and it invites you to roll around in the hay with your loved one, smelling delicious.

The Bottle

Available in both single and duo bottles GAULTIER²’s flacon is designed for both sexes – one for him and one for her:

“A bottle that follows the grand traditions of perfumery, but in an unconventional way. Things are not always what they seem to be: one bottle can be magnetically attached to another for an irresistible encounter.” [3]

And the best part? You can stick your GAULTIER² to your fridge should you wish to. Not that I would do that. Nope….

Availability

GAULTIER² is available in 40ml, 120ml and 2 x 40ml Eau de Parfum with prices starting at £40.50. Matching body products used to be available but I believe that they have been discontinued.

Disclaimer

Image 1 osmoz.com. Image 2 centdegres.com. [1] & Notes via Jean Paul Gaultier. [2] & [3] via Escentual.