Lattafa Habik For Men: The Fragrance Gaultier Took Away
In 2016 Jean Paul Gaultier released Le Mâle Essence de Parfum. It was not the sugary club bomb people expected from the house — it was drier, spicier, more grown-up. Cardamom and black pepper up front. Lavender, sage and cinnamon in the middle. Suede leather and tonka underneath. Men who found the original Le Mâle a bit adolescent finally had their bottle.
Then Gaultier discontinued it. Reformulated it first, for good measure, and then killed it. Go and read the reviews now and you’ll find grown men writing what amount to obituaries — calling it the peak of the house, begging Puig to bring it back, telling each other to grab any bottle they find.
Lattafa Habik For Men shares ten of its notes, and reproduces its entire opening accord exactly: cardamom, pepper, artemisia, bergamot.
We’ll show you the working below. But the short version is this: if you loved Le Mâle Essence de Parfum, this is not a budget alternative. It is, more or less, the only way left to buy it.
How It Wears
Top — Cardamom, Pepper, Artemisia, Bergamot. A sharp, spicy, herbal opening with genuine bite. Cardamom leads — green, aromatic, faintly medicinal — with black pepper right behind it giving it teeth. Artemisia brings a bitter, wormwood-ish herbal edge that keeps the whole thing from ever turning sweet, and bergamot lifts it. This is a proper 1980s-style masculine opening, and it is bracing.
Heart — Lavender, Cinnamon, Sage. Then it warms. Lavender arrives clean and slightly powdery, sage keeps the herbal thread running, and cinnamon slides underneath and turns the whole thing cosy. This is where the barbershop character comes through — that classic, well-groomed, grown-man smell, but with a spiced Middle Eastern warmth running through it.
Base — Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Amberwood. The landing is where it earns its money. Tonka brings a sweet, almond-hay softness; sandalwood and amberwood bring dry, radiant warmth; patchouli gives it earth and grip. Several wearers report a distinct leather impression in the drydown even though there’s no leather listed — the amberwood and patchouli combination is doing that. It’s smooth, it’s masculine, and it smells like it cost four times what it did.
The Le Mâle Essence Comparison — Here’s the Actual Maths
We’re not going to hand-wave this one. Line them up:
| Habik For Men | JPG Le Mâle Essence de Parfum | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Cardamom, pepper, artemisia, bergamot | Cardamom, pepper, artemisia, bergamot |
| Heart | Lavender, cinnamon, sage | Leather, lavender, cinnamon, sage |
| Base | Tonka bean, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, amberwood | Vanilla, coumarin (tonka), amberwood, musk, costus |
The top accord is identical. All four notes. In the same order. The heart is the Gaultier’s heart minus one note. Across the whole pyramid, ten notes are shared. This isn’t “inspired by” — it’s a reconstruction, and it is the closest dupe in the entire Lattafa catalogue as far as we can tell.
Now the honest part, because there are two real differences:
- Leather. The Gaultier has a beautiful, hyperrealistic suede note in the heart. Habik doesn’t list one. In practice the amberwood and patchouli create a suggestion of leather in the drydown — several wearers spontaneously describe it — but it’s an impression, not the real thing.
- Vanilla versus wood. The Gaultier finishes on vanilla and costus: sweeter, warmer, faintly animalic. Habik finishes on sandalwood and patchouli: drier, woodier, earthier.
Net result: Habik is a little less sweet and a little less leathery than the original, and a little drier. And you don’t have to take our word for that — a wearer who owns both bottles and put them side by side says exactly this: that Habik handles the theme just as well, deviates only in nuances, is slightly less sweet, and matches the Gaultier on performance and longevity.
When someone holding both bottles tells you that, you can believe it.
Spray It Properly — This One’s Different
Most Lattafa fragrances need a light hand. Habik is the opposite, and this catches people out.
It’s a moderate projector, not a monster. The men who report weak performance are the ones spraying two and expecting to be announced. The men reporting nine hours of wear with a strong two-hour opening are spraying five or six. That’s the difference.
Go with four to six sprays. Chest, neck, and a couple on the shirt. Done properly you’ll get seven to nine hours on skin — and on clothing it hangs around for days. Done timidly you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.
If Your Bottle Smells Sharp and Over-Spiced, Wait
A fresh bottle of Habik can arrive with the cinnamon and pepper badly out of balance — loud, sweet, slightly medicinal, drowning everything else. It’s the most common early complaint.
It settles. One wearer documented it: on retesting later, the sweetness had dropped away and the citrus, lavender, woods and tonka had finally emerged from underneath. Give the bottle a few weeks in a cool, dark cupboard before you form a view. Here’s what maceration does and why Lattafa bottles need it →
Habik For Men or Habik For Women? Check Before You Order.
Lattafa released two fragrances called Habik in 2025, and at least one large retailer has managed to publish the men’s notes on the women’s product page. They are not related:
| Habik For Men (this one) | Habik For Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Cardamom, pepper, artemisia, bergamot / lavender, cinnamon, sage / tonka, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, amberwood | Pear, bergamot / lily of the valley, jasmine, freesia / musk, amber, oakmoss |
| Smells like | Spicy, herbal, woody, warm — a grown-up barbershop | Fresh, fruity, floral — pear and clean white flowers |
| Comparable to | JPG Le Mâle Essence de Parfum | Versace Dylan Purple |
Completely different fragrances sharing a name. If cardamom and lavender is what brought you here, you’re in the right place.
Good to Know
- It’s a cold-weather fragrance. Autumn and winter, and evenings. The spice and tonka come alive in the cold and can feel heavy in real heat.
- It is not for everyone. A minority find the pepper harsh and medicinal and the opening soapy — one wearer says it can read as body odour on him. Skin chemistry is doing a lot of work here. If sharp pepper and artemisia have never agreed with you, this won’t be the exception.
- The bottle looks the part — dark and sculptural — though the decorative elements are plastic and glued on, and one reviewer found them a little fragile. Handle the cap gently.
- It’s a mature scent. If you find Le Mâle or Ultra Male too sweet and too teenage, that is precisely the gap this fills. That was the whole point of the Gaultier it’s built on.
Why Buy From Royal Scents
Every bottle is genuine Lattafa, sourced properly and stored in the UK. And we’ve just told you the top accord is a straight copy, where the two fragrances differ, and that you need to spray more than you think. We’d rather be the shop that tells you the truth than the one that sells you a bottle you don’t want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lattafa Habik For Men a Le Mâle Essence de Parfum dupe?
Yes — and it is the closest dupe in the Lattafa catalogue that we’ve assessed. The two share ten notes, and the entire top accord is identical: cardamom, pepper, artemisia and bergamot. The differences are that the Gaultier includes a suede leather note and finishes on vanilla and costus, while Habik finishes on sandalwood and patchouli. Habik is slightly less sweet, slightly less leathery, and slightly drier.
Is JPG Le Mâle Essence de Parfum discontinued?
Yes. Jean Paul Gaultier discontinued it, having reformulated it beforehand, and remaining stock has become scarce and increasingly expensive. This is a large part of why Habik For Men has found an audience — for many wearers it is now the most practical way to get that fragrance.
What are the notes in Lattafa Habik For Men?
Top notes are cardamom, pepper, artemisia and bergamot. The heart is lavender, cinnamon and sage. The base is tonka bean, sandalwood, patchouli, musk and amberwood. Be aware that at least one major retailer publishes an entirely incorrect pyramid for this fragrance.
Is Lattafa Habik For Men long lasting?
Yes, with the right application. It is a moderate projector rather than a beast, and it rewards a generous hand: wearers using four to six sprays report seven to nine hours on skin with a strong opening, while those spraying only once or twice find it turns into a weak skin scent. Spray more than you think you should.
Is Habik For Men the same as Habik For Women?
No. They are entirely different fragrances that share a name. Habik For Men is a spicy woody aromatic built on cardamom, lavender and tonka. Habik For Women is a fresh fruity floral built on pear, lily of the valley and oakmoss, and is widely compared to Versace Dylan Purple.
Why does my bottle smell harsh or over-spiced?
The cinnamon and pepper are frequently unbalanced on a fresh bottle. Resting it in a cool, dark place for a few weeks allows the sweetness to drop back and the lavender, citrus, woods and tonka to emerge properly.
What season is Habik For Men best for?
Autumn and winter, and evening wear. Its spice and tonka warmth suit cold weather and can feel heavy in high summer.
Written and wear-tested by Shaheen Shah Abrar, fragrance buyer at Royal Scents. Tested through a Newcastle winter, alongside a surviving bottle of the Gaultier. The Gaultier is sweeter. It is also not coming back.
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