Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male has been a bestseller since the mid-90s, and Le Male Le Parfum — the 2020 eau de parfum intense version — took the original's sweet, spicy signature and pushed it further into rich, oriental territory. It's become one of the most recognisable "masculine gourmand" fragrances on the market, prized for turning heads with very little effort. A 125ml bottle typically retails for around £89.60 at Boots UK (RRP £112), with prices climbing higher at department stores and the JPG boutique.
What does Le Male Le Parfum actually smell like?
- Top: Cardamom
- Heart: Lavender and iris
- Base: Vanilla, oriental notes, and woody notes
The result is a warm, spicy-sweet fragrance built around vanilla, with powdery iris and aromatic lavender softening the edges, and a woody backbone holding it all together in the drydown.
Why people look for a Le Male Le Parfum dupe
At £89–£112 a bottle, Le Male Le Parfum sits well above what a lot of people want to spend on a fragrance they might wear a few times a week. The formula is also fairly simple in structure — a handful of strong, well-blended notes rather than dozens of rare or expensive ingredients — which makes it a realistic candidate for an affordable, inspired-by alternative that captures the same warm vanilla-spice character without the designer price tag.
Introducing Clooney — Insp by Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Le Parfum
Clooney is D&E's take on that warm spicy vanilla direction, starting from just £19.99. It leans into the same cardamom-lavender opening and settles into a sweet, woody vanilla base, making it a good fit for evening wear, date nights, or anyone who wants a confident, cosy scent that lasts through a night out without reaching for a £100+ bottle.
Being upfront about the comparison
We want to be honest here: Clooney is not, and does not claim to be, an exact clone or replica of Le Male Le Parfum. No inspired-by fragrance — from us or anyone else — perfectly replicates a designer formula, since the original uses proprietary aroma-chemicals and a specific accord balance that isn't publicly disclosed. What Clooney offers is our own composition built to sit in the same warm spicy-vanilla family, at a fraction of the price, so you can judge the resemblance for yourself.
Longevity and projection
Like most affordable eau de parfum-strength fragrances, Clooney should give you solid longevity on skin for several hours, with the strongest projection in the first couple of hours before settling closer to the skin. Factors like skin type, weather, and how much you apply will all affect how long it lasts, so a couple of sprays on pulse points is usually a good starting point.
The verdict
If you love the warm, sweet-spicy vanilla direction that made Le Male Le Parfum so popular but don't want to commit £90-plus to find out if it suits you, Clooney is a low-risk way to try that scent family for under £20.
Shop Clooney at D&E Fragrances
Jean Paul Gaultier and Le Male Le Parfum are registered trademarks of Jean Paul Gaultier / Coty Inc. D&E Fragrances is an independent UK fragrance brand and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Jean Paul Gaultier. "Clooney" is our own original composition, inspired by the popular fragrance family that Le Male Le Parfum helped define.