Best So Scandal! by Jean Paul Gaultier Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Noblemen becoming highwaymen, women becoming men, Englishmen becoming Arabs and prostitutes becoming clergy. Here is a gathering of misfits, the rich, famous and infamous all shrouded in drapery of varying deception as one steps into another world for an evening of flirtation, posturing and risqué conduct.

An elixir to give oneself airs of grandeur and mystique. A complex silky composition, comprised of ambrée and chypre fragrant qualities, A Masquerade is an exquisite companion for social occasions and long evenings, befitting those that seek an alluring presence.

An iconic classic in its own rite, Quelques Fleurs is a true ingenious scent of its time. The French perfumer, Robert Bienaimé, unveiled Quelques Fleurs the first true multi-floral blend ever created, in 1912.

Since then, his perfectly-balanced, refined bouquet has become modern perfumery’s peerless criterion for pure, meticulously-crafted, multi-floral accords. Prior to his bold invention, floral fragrances had been mainly singular flowers, or florals combined with various nuances of herbs and spices. Bienaimé’s singular triumph is remarkable for its secret, mythical formula. Upwards of 15,000 exemplary flowers and 250 prestigious raw materials are diligently-curated in the creation of a single ounce of perfume.

Delirium is a voluptuous bouquet of tropical abandon: decadent gardenia, heady jasmine, honeyed champaca, ripe narcissus, creamy frangipani and delicate white lotus. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, every breath is an addictive journey into the blissful unknown. With Delirium, the wearer becomes the dreamer and the dream, lost in a world where anything is possible.

In India, flowers are sacred symbols and an essential part of daily life. “Malli Nadu” means “land of jasmine”, inspired by the paradise of perfume ingredients found in India. There’s jasmine sambac, cultivated in India since antiquity, with its radiant fruity/green sheen and animalic undertone. There’s tuberose, an opulent, powerful floral, along with davana, an aromatic plant unique to India with a profile that vibrates between apricot and herbaceous. Palmerosa oil supplies a geranium-like lift, while Indian vetiver and sandalwood deepens and softens the composition. Perfumer Ilias Ermenidis sought to translate the romance of India into this luminous scent, which he calls “a fragrance for lovers”

Tuberose is arguably the most divisive and polarising floral note due to its narcotic and carnal tones, here Pierre Guillaume pays tribute to its couture complexity.

The camphorous and medicinal opening of PG17 Tubéreuse Couture, is softened by shoots of green ripe jasmine and a sour tart accord created by rare South Asian citrus kalamansi.

PG17 Tubéreuse Couture soon develops in a creamy, fleshy and opulent tuberose bouquet. Ylang-ylang heightens and supports the buttery and lactonic (milky)  tones of tuberose, sweetened by a base of sugar cane and benzoin.

A daring and head-turning scent, PG17 Tubéreuse Couture is a wonderfully dramatic interpretation of this flamboyant flower, in its pure, unadulterated state.

Definitely not for wallflowers.

Perfumer: Dominique Ropion

An enigmatic leather perfume merged from captivating nuances of tuberose, orange blossom and gardenia. The wild facet of ylang ylang intertwined with the woody notes of patchouli add a sensuous tone. Frankincense and labdanum complete the leather theme. The trail left by the perfume is surprising, narcotic filled by a magnetic elegance.

Named after a rare, indigenous white grape variety from Savoy, this cool, modern iris interpretation is built on the brand’s highest-dosed and rare Bavarian iris pallida. Based on standard iris concentrations of around 0.1% in the fragrance oil, Iris Altesse contains an approximately 26-fold higher dose of iris butter and iris extract. Here, iris root revels in its chalky, clean leather side, with a fruity flourish supplied by jasmine sambac and cassis. Classy and hip.

Perfumer: Antoine Lie

An unexpected fragrance, a contrast of spicy, fruity and tangy notes, pinioned by the creaminess of tuberose. Ginger and cardamom play with the taste buds, while the delicate aroma of black tea blends into a warm milk accord.

Almaz, the Arabic word for diamonds, are renowned not only for their beauty, but also for their timelessness as they withstand millions of years of immense pressure in their formation. This EdP references the indestructible nature of diamonds with a powerful blackcurrant-led bouquet. Juiciness is enhanced with raspberry, while powdery heliotrope and musk add padding to the cushiony feel. The ambered base, redolent with vanilla and brown sugar, offsets blackcurrant’s tartness.
 
The jewelled bottle incorporates a poem composed by Elen Jeres Ayoub, portrayed in Eastern Kufic calligraphy. The words have been meticulously placed so that the vertical lines create eight zones on the bottle, representing the lunar phases in each lunar calendar month to represent the passage of time.

The seasons and their times
And pressures and their effects,
Bear Diamonds as their fruit.
-Elen Jeres Ayoub