Scandal by Jean Paul Gaultier

As a part of my latest giant batch of sample fragrances, I bought a bunch of female perfumes in the lot. At this point, there are more and more perfume reviews on this site, and that trend will continue (not that I have slowed down on the men’s colognes side of things). Today, I have another entry from Jean Paul Gaultier, an EDP called, Scandal. How does this perfume perform? What does it smell like? Is it worth a purchase? Continue below for my full take.

What does Scandal by JPG Smell Like?

Notes include: honey, blood orange, patchouli, gardenia, caramel, jasmine

Click here to try: Scandal by Jean Paul Gaultier Eau de Parfum Spray 50ml

My Full Review

First, I’m going to let the Eau de Parfum’s sample card describe this scent and what to expect from it: “A honey chypre. During the day, it’s a delicious, fresh honey with the wonderful scent of gardenia and blood orange. At night, it’s a sensual and scandalous honey combined with patchouli: an addiction that’s just so Jean Paul Gaultier.”

So, from the immediate spray, I’m obviously going to get a strong honey note…which I do. However, it isn’t alone, as there is a familiar note of beeswax and patchouli occupying the flanks.

I used to work at a place that had beeswax as a part of its inventory and that note really stood out to me.

There is a sweetness here, but it is more of a floral/honey kind of sweet, rather than candy-like. Although, the caramel note emerges later and adds a sugary quality to the mix.

A few minutes after the initial spray, I pick up a dose of gardenia, and a sprinkle of jasmine to boot. It’s a floral aroma that hangs around in the background throughout its life cycle.

Mostly, what I pick up on throughout are the honey, patchouli, caramel, and gardenia notes. The blood orange is definitely present but it feels completely bonded to the caramel note in this EDP.

With a name like Scandal, I was expecting something either bold, dark, hyper-sexy, or some combination thereof.

I will say that it is a pretty fragrance and has a certain sexiness to it, I don’t really think the name fits particularly well. What’s so scandalous about it? Scandal isn’t a boring office scent, but it doesn’t have a real edge to it either.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this thing can definitely fill a room. You don’t need to overspray to get any type of real sillage. It’s loud, maybe that’s the scandalous aspect? If you’re looking for a bold sort of wear, Scandal can provide that kind of huge sillage.

Spray it on and it will follow…and leave a trail.

Also, it gives a great performance. This is an all day wear eau de parfum, that can easily hit the double digits. Anywhere from 10-11 hours at the max, is what I got from Scandal during testing. Outstanding, in this regard.

There are some crummy designer fragrances, with how long they last. But, this isn’t one of them.

Weather wise, wear it in the cooler months all the way up to moderate spring days. It doesn’t seem like it’d hold up well in the high heat. Just keep it in that cold to moderate temperature range and it should be just fine.

Again, I don’t think this is an office scent or one for school. Daytime casual on days off? Yes. Nighttime? Yes. Romantic wear? Yes. This does have an attractive and sexy kind of aroma, just not a formal perfume.

With that, it can be somewhat limited in its use when compared with some other popular fragrances. Bold and smells good, but probably not one to reach for on a daily basis.

Overall Impressions of Scandal

Overall, do I like Scandal by Jean Paul Gaultier? I really do. It’s not very unique in the female perfumes space with those honey, caramel, and orange notes but it also does everything well. It’s attractive and something that will get complements.

It performs extremely well and one would get good use out of it for the price. I’m not blown away by it, but this is something that I enjoy smelling and would like very much on a lady.

On all fronts, with its smell and its longevity it is at least above average. If you’re in the market for a loud nightlife or casual fragrance, this can be a great pickup. Not for everyone, but this is a great representation of this niche.

Scandal at least gives you some bang for your buck, with nothing standing out as being too much of a weakness.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.