JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Le Beau Paradise Garden
2024
PERFUMER
Quentin Bisch
AQUATIC NOTES
FRESH GREEN NOTES
ginger
mint
SALTY COCONUT
green fig
sandalwood
tonka bean
‘Emerald-green glass embroidered with a flamboyant vine leaf featuring colourful, couture details – who could resist this naked bottle? Let yourself be captivated. An unforgettable bottle. The tropical radiance of a Couture embroidered vine leaf conceals the secret garden inhabited by this naked, emerald-green bottle. An unbeatable force of attraction plunges you into this hypnotic, sensual masculine fragrance that is as elusive as it is irresistible. A woody, green aquatic fragrance by Master Perfumer Quentin Bisch. This heavenly fragrance is a ray of tropical sunshine with its dazzling flowers and seductive scents, all plucked from the Garden of Gaultier. Fresh, salty coconut melds with green fig and sensual sandalwood. Spicy ginger, invigorating mint and sun-drenched Tonka bean – the green aquatic and woody notes of this fragrance are as passionate as the virile men who wear it.’ – Jean Paul Gaultier
For context: I’m on record for not liking any of the Le Male’s. I tried several of them and revisited a couple after Le Male Elixir came out and I personally can’t enjoy their aromatic-sweet DNA one bit. When Le Beau came out in 2019, it was the first time I enjoyed a Jean Paul Gaultier. Performance was problematic from what I remember, but its scent profile was one that I could appreciate more.
Fast-forward to 2024 and we have a Paradise Garden flanker. I’d actually never gotten around to sampling Le Beau Le Parfum (2022), so it was definitely time for me to get back into this DNA.
Straight away, Le Beau Paradise Garden reminds me of what I remember from Le Beau. Coconut, minty, watery, but still with a sweetness. Paradise Garden is not nearly as green as I imagined based on the presentation. It is however, minty in a toothpaste kind of way. Throughout, the fig adds a slightly fruity touch, but it’s not the most natural smelling fig. It feels a tad fruitier than Le Beau, but not by much.
More and perhaps most importantly, this has a briny, sea breeze facet. It’s listed as salty coconut, but it’s overall very aquatic in a ‘skin after a day at the beach’ type of way. Not creamy like a full-on sun tan lotion at first, as one might expect from coconut, but on the airy, minty side. That being said, the scent of coconut is definitely there as a stand out. Later it goes more and more into the sun tan direction.
The citrus opening (ginger is highlighted here) is subtle. Maybe too subtle. When I smell my skin up close, you get some of that acidity, but it’s barely noticeable in the air and it’s sharp and harsh. Instead, the composition focuses more on a combination of aromatic/minty and sweet that fits what we’ve come to expect from a men’s Jean Paul Gaultier. Especially as it dries down more and a tonka bean-esque sweetness overtakes the greener elements completely.
A pretty nice flanker, with the briny, salty touch making it stand out. I wish they leaned more into the greener, fresher aspects, instead of reverting back to the familiar sweetness. I still enjoy it more than Le Male, but at the same time, it has an unmistakable ‘Le Male’ essence that keeps me from loving it. That being said, probably an enjoyable flanker for fans of Le Beau and Le Male alike and a solid pick for the upcoming Summer.