Short answer: Afnan 9pm is widely considered a clone of Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male. Same sweet lavender-vanilla DNA, same loud nighttime energy, at roughly a fifth of the price.
Long answer: it's about 85 to 90 percent of the way there, and the last 10 percent is exactly what you need to know before you buy either one. That's what this page is for.
Quick answer
- What is Afnan 9pm a clone of? Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male (2015). Not Le Male, not Le Male Elixir. Ultra Male.
- How close? Very close after the first 20 minutes. In the opening, Ultra Male is smoother and more pear-forward; 9pm is sharper, more apple-cinnamon, and a touch more synthetic.
- Performance: 9pm gives 6 to 9 hours with strong early projection; Ultra Male gives 7 to 10 with a creamier, better-behaved trail.
- Buy 9pm if you want the vibe for nights out and don't want to spend big on a sweet club scent.
- Buy Ultra Male if you'll wear this often and want the smoother, more refined version.
- Spray count: two to three. Overspraying 9pm is the number one reason people end up hating it.
Wear 9pm for a week before you buy a bottle
Decanted from full bottles. Test on your skin, in your weather, around your people.
Afnan 9pm — EDP3ml · 5ml · 10ml decants →
Afnan 9pm vs JPG Ultra Male at a glance
| Afnan 9pm (2020, EDP) | JPG Ultra Male (2015, EDT Intense) | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Apple, cinnamon, wild lavender, bergamot | Pear, lavender, mint, bergamot, lemon |
| Heart | Orange blossom, lily of the valley | Cinnamon, clary sage, caraway |
| Base | Vanilla, tonka, amber, patchouli | Black vanilla, amber, patchouli, cedar |
| Opening feel | Sharper, apple-cinnamon, slightly synthetic | Smoother, juicy pear, cool mint |
| Dry-down | Sweet vanilla-amber, slightly flatter | Creamy vanilla-amber, more depth |
| Longevity | 6–9 hrs | 7–10 hrs |
| Projection | Strong for 3–4 hrs, then moderate | Strong for 3–4 hrs, then moderate |
| Best for | Nights out, cold-weather dates, parties | Same, plus it's safer at a nice dinner |
Those two note lists look different on paper. On skin, after half an hour, they land in almost the same place. Here's why, and where they split.
Afnan 9pm
Afnan 9pm launched in 2020 out of the UAE and became one of the most talked-about budget fragrances on the planet within two years. The reason is simple: it delivers the Ultra Male experience for the price of a nice lunch.
What it smells like: a sweet, warm burst of apple, cinnamon, and lavender up top, a quick floral flash in the middle, and then hours of vanilla, tonka, and amber. It's cozy and loud at the same time, which is a weird combination that happens to get a lot of compliments after dark.
The honest take: 9pm is a nightlife fragrance, full stop. The name is literal. It's too sweet for most offices, too heavy for July afternoons, and exactly right for bars, parties, and cold-weather dates.
The polarizing part
Some people pick up a bubblegum or candy edge in the heart that Ultra Male doesn't have. If you're sensitive to synthetic sweetness, that's the thing you'll notice. Most people don't mind it. A few hate it.
Spray count matters more than usual
Two sprays is plenty. Three is a night out. Four is a headache for everyone in your car. 9pm punishes overspraying harder than almost anything at its price, and most of the "it's too much" reviews come from guys who treated it like a fresh citrus.
JPG Ultra Male
Ultra Male came out in 2015 as the intense flanker to Le Male, and it kicked off the whole sweet-lavender-vanilla wave that 9pm rode in on. Pear and mint up top, cinnamon and sage in the middle, a thick black-vanilla-amber base.
The honest take: Ultra Male is the better-made fragrance, and you can tell in the first twenty minutes. The pear is juicier, the transitions are smoother, and the vanilla in the base is creamier and less flat. It also behaves a little better around other people because the trail is rounder rather than sharp.
After the opening, though, the gap closes fast. By hour two, most non-fragrance people could not tell you which one you're wearing.
Where Afnan 9pm and Ultra Male actually differ
The opening. Ultra Male: pear and cool mint, smooth. 9pm: apple and cinnamon, sharper. This is the biggest difference and it lasts about 20 to 30 minutes.
The sweetness. 9pm is sweeter and a bit more candy-like. Ultra Male is sweet but creamier, more like vanilla custard than vanilla syrup.
The dry-down. Both end in vanilla-amber. Ultra Male's has more depth and a woodier edge from cedar; 9pm's is flatter but still pleasant.
Performance. Close to a tie. Ultra Male edges it on longevity by an hour or so on most skin. Projection is comparable, and both need restraint.
The price-per-wear gap. This is what makes the whole conversation exist. If you wear this style twice a month, the difference barely matters. If you wear it every weekend, 9pm pays for itself fast and you'll have money left for something else.
So which one should actually be on your shelf? Depends on who you are.
Who should buy which
You want the vibe for nights out and you're not precious about it. 9pm. Buy a decant, confirm you like the sweetness, buy the bottle, done.
You'll wear this a lot and you notice details. Ultra Male. The smoother opening and creamier base are worth it if this is going to be a signature.
You tried Ultra Male and found it too sweet. 9pm will be worse for you, not better. Look at Versace Eros EDP or Azzaro The Most Wanted instead.
You already own Ultra Male. You don't need 9pm. Spend the money on something that smells different.
You want the 9pm style but different. That's what the rest of the 9pm line is for.
The rest of the 9pm line, and what each one copies
Afnan kept the 9pm name on a whole family of bottles, and almost none of them smell like the original. Here's the map.
Afnan 9pm Rebel (2024)
Not an Ultra Male clone. Rebel is a sweet, fruity pineapple scent, Granny Smith apple and mandarin up top over oakmoss, vanilla, caramel, and ambergris. Reviewers mostly compare it to Creed Aventus with a caramel sweetness underneath; Lattafa Qaed Al Fursan and Afnan's own Supremacy Collector's Edition come up constantly as close relatives. Performance is its calling card: 8 to 12 hours is common. If you want 9pm's loudness in a fruity-smoky direction instead of a sweet-vanilla one, this is it.
Afnan 9pm Elixir Intense (Parfum)
The darker, denser take on the 9pm idea in a higher concentration. Expect the sweet-spicy warmth turned up and the fruit turned down, with a heavier, more honeyed base. Published note lists for this one are inconsistent, so treat it as a wear-it-and-see; the decant is the safe way to find out if it's your winter 9pm.
Afnan 9am Dive (2022)
The daytime sibling. Mint, blackcurrant, lemon, and pink pepper over apple, cedar, and frankincense, finishing on patchouli and sandalwood. It's a fresh blue scent and most people file it next to YSL Y EDT and Bleu de Chanel. If you love 9pm but need something for the office and summer, 9am Dive is the pair. We break the two down head-to-head in Afnan 9pm vs 9am: night vs day.
When to wear Afnan 9pm
Yes: bars, clubs, house parties, concerts, fall and winter date nights, any cold evening where you want to smell warm and a little bit dangerous.
No: the office, daytime in heat, funerals, first days at a new job, anywhere you'll be in a small room with people who didn't sign up for it.
Season: October through March is the sweet spot. Spring nights work. Summer only after dark, at one spray.
Is Afnan 9pm worth it?
If you like sweet, bold, compliment-magnet fragrances and you want the Ultra Male experience without the Ultra Male price, yes, and it isn't close. The craftsmanship gap is real but small, and it disappears on skin after the first half hour.
Rating: 8/10 for what it is. Points off for the slightly synthetic opening and for being easy to overspray. Points on for performance, price, and the fact that it genuinely works in the setting it was named after.
FAQ
What is Afnan 9pm a clone of?
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male. 9pm shares its sweet lavender, apple-cinnamon, and vanilla-amber structure, and most people consider it a direct clone. It is not a clone of Le Male or Le Male Elixir.
Is Afnan 9pm a dupe of Ultra Male or just similar?
Close enough to call a dupe. The opening is noticeably different for about 20 minutes (9pm is sharper and more apple-cinnamon; Ultra Male is smoother and pear-forward), then they converge into a very similar sweet vanilla-amber dry-down.
Does Afnan 9pm smell exactly like Ultra Male?
No. 9pm is sweeter, slightly more synthetic, and flatter in the base. Ultra Male is creamier and better blended. Side by side you can tell; on their own, most people can't.
How long does Afnan 9pm last?
Six to nine hours on most skin, with strong projection for the first three to four hours and a moderate trail after that. Dry skin and cold weather push it toward the low end; it lasts longer on clothes.
Is Afnan 9pm an EDP?
Yes. The original 9pm is an eau de parfum. 9pm Elixir Intense is a parfum concentration, and 9pm Rebel and 9am Dive are also EDPs.
What is Afnan 9pm Rebel a clone of?
It isn't an Ultra Male clone like the original. Rebel is a sweet pineapple scent that reviewers most often compare to Creed Aventus with a caramel-sweet twist, and to Lattafa Qaed Al Fursan.
What does Afnan 9am Dive smell like?
A fresh blue daytime scent: mint, blackcurrant, lemon, and pink pepper over apple, cedar, and incense. People most often compare it to YSL Y EDT and Bleu de Chanel.
Can I wear Afnan 9pm to work?
Not comfortably. It's sweet and loud. If you want the 9pm family at the office, 9am Dive is the one built for daytime.
Try before you buy
The one thing no review can tell you is whether that sweet-synthetic edge in the opening bothers you or not. A decant lets you wear 9pm for a full week, a night out and a quiet evening, before you commit to a bottle you can't return.
Decanted from full bottles, shipped from Ohio.
Made your pick? Grab a decant
Afnan 9pm — EDP3ml · 5ml · 10ml decants → Afnan 9pm Rebel — EDP
3ml · 5ml · 10ml decants → Afnan 9pm Elixir Intense — Parfum
3ml · 5ml · 10ml decants → Afnan 9am Dive — EDP
3ml · 5ml · 10ml decants →
Keep reading: Afnan 9pm vs 9am Dive · Best sweet colognes for men · Best clubbing and nightlife fragrances