Perfume Review: Jean Paul Gaultier Gaultier 2

Jean Paul Gaultier’s new perfume, Gaultier 2, is described as a fragrance “for a skin-to-skin encounter” that “reunites masculine and feminine through the most intimate human feature: sensual skin”. That sounds like a typical perfume-marketing talk, vague in an artsy kind of way and rather meaningless, but I was intrigued, because the notes (amber, vanilla and musk) seemed to promise that Gaultier 2 would be a warm and maybe even gourmand scent, somewhat a departure from more typical fresh(-er) unisex fragrances. I was not disappointed in my expectations and must say that it is a very pleasant scent, indeed warm and gourmand. I love the fact that is also has a certain spicy kick to it, especially in the beginning, when I smell ginger and nutmeg. At that point Gaultier 2 reminds me of I Profumi di Firenze Zenzero, Annick Goutal Mandragore and Jo Malone Nutmeg and Ginger all at once, and these are very agreeable associations for me. As the spiciness subsides, and especially in the drydown, I am reminded of yet another scent, namely Lea St Barth. The drydown of Gaultier 2 is positively almondy on my skin, a lovely mix of bitter almonds and musk. In fact – dare I say it? – at this stage I find Gaultier 2 much more interesting and “deep” than popular Lea St Barth, the scent that, however hard I try to like it, is consistently pale, bland and sour to my nose. Because of the fact that there is quite a bit of sweetness in Gaultier 2, I am not sure that many men will find it wearable. Like Robin (NowSmellThis), I also think that it leans towards the feminine end of the unisex spectrum. I find it to be a very agreeable, wearable and pleasant fragrance. Having said that, as far as I am concerned, it doesn’t make the earth move, and I will not be in any rush to buy it, maybe ever. Gaultier 2 can be found at ImaginationPerfumery.com, $42.99-$80.99.