I used to think the Ultra Male was the best in line until I got my nose on this. I know Absolu is said to be a big hitter, but I'm doubting it could come on par with the Elixir. Launched in 2023 and created by perfumer Quentin Bisch, its a Woody Aromatic Amber fragrance that brings a thick, opulent sweetness to the Le Male line. The overall scent is a very sweet, warm, resinous, and masculine fragrance, perfect for the cooler months. With top notes of Lavender and Mint, the opening provides a quick, subtle touch of freshness, mainly from the lavender, but this is dominated by a sweetness, that appears very quickly. At its heart, a creamy and warm combination of Vanilla and Benzoin. Benzoin is a resin that gives a deep, balsamic, and slightly syrupy vanilla-like richness. The dry-down is where the magic happens, delivering a dense, addictive blend, of Honey, Tonka Bean and Tobacco. For a long time the mention of Honey, put me off this fragrance. I'm not a lover of the stuff, but to be fair, it does not smell like you would expect. Instead of a sickly sweet aroma, it's more of a golden, mellifluous warmth. Tonka Bean adds a sweet, almond-like, and slightly tobacco-infused sweetness, creating a powerful, long-lasting trail. One of the best aspects of Elixir is its exceptional performance, which truly lives up to the "Elixir" name for a change. Longevity is pretty awesome here too. Easily 8 to 9 hours on my skin with a protection that radiates far beyond an arm's length for the first hour and maintains a noticeable, beautiful scent trail for many hours after. This is a classic winter scent, now is the best times to wear this fragrance. It is ideal for parties, clubbing, date nights, or any event where you want a scent that stands out and draws compliments. This is probably the sweetest of the Le Male line that I've tried to date, let's just say I'm really impressed with this one. My Rating: 9/10 Scent: 3 Longevity: 2.5 Sillage: 2.5 Y/N: 1

Reading the reviews of this one on fragrantica I think one of the reasons that it can be polarizing is that it's mismarketed. It's definitely unisex and I think it was intended to be unisex leaning feminine, but because of the dry down actually leans heavily masculine with a sort of interesting beachy coconut milk, sweet opening and a base that reminds me of Boss bottled Elixir. Not sure on the strength of this one is. I think I went nose blind almost right away but I definitely got a very pleasing coconut milk and spicy cardamom and mint sort of vibe that was quite nice fresh and summery. I didn't notice the florals as much as my wife did, but in the deep dry down almost thought I sprayed Boss Bottled Elixir as it has that certain dry woodiness that is rich and creamy at the same time. So this might be an interesting dual fragrance. I can imagine wearing it somewhere hot maybe in the afternoon while it's still sunny and sort of beachy feeling and then when it dries down in the evening gets a little darker and more intimate for Torchlight drinks and the like. Thinking about that association reminds me I'm probably overdue for a vacation somewhere warm Notes: Sandalwood, coconut milk, mint, lemon zest, cardamom, some moss, vetiver, and nutmeg Evolution for me went from lemon zest and mint with coconut and cardamom drying down to a a woody sort of dry and Slsmoky base with some creaminess. I guess a very good sandalwood Vetiver and moss. Definitely have to be open to a very abrupt evolution, definitely not a linear fragrance by any stretch. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!