Afnan 9PM is widely compared to Jean Paul Gaultier's Ultra Male. Both are sweet lavender-and-vanilla evening scents with cinnamon and amber, but 9PM opens on apple where Ultra Male opens on pear and mint. 9PM Night Out, the extrait Afnan launched in 2026, has no single designer twin, and Afnan presents both perfumes as its own creations rather than tributes to anything.
So if you want to know which designer perfume 9PM resembles, the honest answer is Ultra Male, with differences you will notice when you wear them side by side. If it is the Ultra Male style you are after, Gloria's Phantom is inspired by it and costs AED 90. Below are the notes, a comparison table, how each one behaves in UAE heat and who should buy what.
Why Afnan 9PM is compared to Ultra Male
Afnan is a UAE perfume house, founded in 2007, and 9PM is the original men's eau de parfum in its 9PM line. Afnan lists bergamot, lavandin, cinnamon and apple on top; lily of the valley and orange blossom in the heart; and patchouli, amber, vanilla and tonka bean in the base. Fragrantica classes it as an oriental vanilla fragrance for men.
Ultra Male arrived in 2015. Fragrantica credits it to perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and lists pear, lavender, mint, bergamot and lemon on top; cinnamon, clary sage and caraway in the heart; and black vanilla husk, amber, patchouli and cedar in the base. Jean Paul Gaultier sells it as an Eau de Toilette Intense and sums it up as black lavender, pear and woody vanilla.
Put the two lists side by side and the overlap is clear: lavender, bergamot, cinnamon, vanilla, amber and patchouli. Lavender does much of the work in both (here is how lavender behaves in perfume), sitting on a sweet, ambery base. That shared backbone is why Fragrantica reviewers and many fragrance retailers describe 9PM as an Ultra Male-style alternative.
Where 9PM and Ultra Male part ways
- The fruit. 9PM uses apple; Ultra Male uses pear. Apple reads crisper, pear softer and juicier.
- The mint. Ultra Male has a cool mint note in its opening. 9PM does not list mint, so it starts warmer.
- The flowers. 9PM adds orange blossom and lily of the valley to the heart, which Ultra Male does not list.
- The volume. Reviewers commonly describe 9PM as louder and sweeter, and Ultra Male as smoother and better blended.
None of this makes one a copy of the other. They are two takes on the same idea: lavender and spice over a warm, sweet base, built for evenings.
What 9PM Night Out is compared to
9PM Night Out is a separate perfume, not a stronger version of 9PM. Afnan sells it as a unisex extrait de parfum, presented it on the global stage in February 2026 with actor Ed Westwick as its face, and names Quentin Roussel as the perfumer.
Afnan lists dragon fruit, bergamot, cognac, lavender and apple on top; cardamom, Mahonial, suede, toffee and cedar in the heart; and tonka bean, Akigalawood, Ambrofix and patchouli in the base. Fragrantica classes it as oriental spicy.
So what is it a dupe of? There is no settled answer. Some reviewers place it near Jean Paul Gaultier's sweeter men's releases, but Fragrantica's own review names no designer reference, and some reviewers say it stands on its own. If a video tells you Night Out is a copy of one specific designer perfume, treat that as one person's opinion.
What Night Out shares with the original 9PM is apple, bergamot, lavender, tonka and patchouli. What it adds is a fruit-to-suede arc: juicy dragon fruit first, then cardamom and toffee, then a soft suede and woody finish.
Other 9PM bottles you may see
Afnan has also released 9PM pour Femme, 9PM Rebel and 9PM Elixir. Each is a separate perfume with its own notes, so check the box before you compare yours with a friend's.
9PM vs Night Out vs Ultra Male vs Phantom
| Afnan 9PM | Afnan 9PM Night Out | JPG Ultra Male | Gloria Phantom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | Afnan (UAE) | Afnan (UAE) | Jean Paul Gaultier | Gloria Naturals (UAE) |
| Concentration | Eau de parfum | Extrait de parfum | Eau de toilette intense | Eau de parfum |
| Opening | Apple, bergamot, lavandin, cinnamon | Dragon fruit, apple, cognac, lavender, bergamot | Pear, lavender, mint, bergamot, lemon | Pear, lavender |
| Heart | Orange blossom, lily of the valley | Cardamom, suede, toffee, cedar | Cinnamon, clary sage, caraway | Mint, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper |
| Base | Vanilla, tonka, amber, patchouli | Tonka, Akigalawood, Ambrofix, patchouli | Black vanilla husk, amber, patchouli, cedar | Vanilla, amber, patchouli |
| Widely compared to | Ultra Male | No single designer perfume | The reference | Inspired by Ultra Male |
| Best UAE setting | Evenings, cooler months | Nights out, winter | Evenings, cooler months | Evenings, cooler months |
| Price | Check current retail price | Check current retail price | Check current retail price | AED 90 |
Read the table as a map of direction, not a promise of how each will smell on you. Two perfumes can share half their notes and still feel different on skin, because proportions and materials matter as much as the list.
How 9PM and Night Out wear in UAE heat
Sweet, vanilla-heavy perfumes change character at 45°C. Heat makes them radiate faster, and humidity keeps the sweetness hanging in the air, so a scent that feels warm and inviting in an air-conditioned mall can feel heavy on the walk from the car park in July.
- Save them for evenings and the cooler months. From November to March, at winter gatherings and desert camps, 9PM and Night Out make sense. At midday in August they are hard work.
- Go lighter indoors. In an office, a lift or a car with the air conditioning running, one or two sprays is plenty. Night Out is an extrait, so start with fewer sprays than you would use with 9PM.
- Mind the majlis. Where bakhoor is burning, a loud vanilla scent competes with the smoke. One spray on the chest, under your kandura, keeps it close.
- Keep the bottle out of the car. A glovebox in summer is no place for any perfume, sweet or fresh.
How to test them before you buy
Spray 9PM on one wrist and Ultra Male or Phantom on the other. Smell them straight away, again after 30 minutes and again after an hour. The opening shows you the fruit and the mint; the drydown shows you the vanilla base, which is what you will live with longest. If you can, step outside for five minutes before you decide, because mall air conditioning flatters sweet scents.
Which one should you buy?
- Choose 9PM if you want a loud, sweet, apple-and-cinnamon evening scent and value is your priority.
- Choose Night Out if you want something fruitier and less familiar, you like suede and cognac notes, and you do not need it to resemble a designer perfume.
- Choose Ultra Male if you want the reference that started the comparison, with its pear-and-mint opening and the smoother blend reviewers describe.
- Choose a Gloria option if you want the Ultra Male style at AED 90, or a calmer direction for office days.
Which Gloria perfume fits you
You want the Ultra Male style for nights out: Phantom, AED 90. Phantom is inspired by Ultra Male. It opens with ripe pear and cool lavender, moves to mint and cinnamon with cardamom and black pepper, and dries down to vanilla and amber around earthy patchouli. It keeps the pear and mint that 9PM leaves out, and the Ultra Male dupe page has the full picture. Skip it if 9PM's apple opening is what you love; Phantom does not list apple.
You like pear and lavender but need something calmer for the office: Nobel, AED 95. Inspired by Givenchy Gentleman, Nobel opens with crisp pear and cardamom, moves through lavender and powdery iris, and settles on leather, black vanilla, cedar and vetiver. The iris, leather and vetiver make it drier and more tailored than the 9PM style. Skip it if you want a sweet vanilla trail that fills the room.
Night Out's cognac and toffee are what hook you: Desert Angel's, AED 130. Inspired by Kilian's Angels' Share, it opens with cognac and cinnamon, moves through tonka bean and settles into oak, praline and vanilla. It is a different perfume from Night Out, with no dragon fruit or suede, but it shares that warm, boozy-sweet evening direction. Skip it if the fruit is your favourite part of Night Out.
You need something for a 45°C day: Horizon, AED 90. Inspired by Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue Pour Homme, Horizon opens with Sicilian mandarin, bergamot and grapefruit, then black pepper, rosemary and rosewood over musk, incense and oakmoss. Keep 9PM or Phantom for the evening and wear this in daylight. Skip it if you only ever wear sweet scents; it lists no vanilla.
Wearing it from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah
The air is not the same across the seven emirates. Summer humidity on the coast in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain makes a scent feel louder, so fewer sprays go further there, while the cooler mountain air around Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah and the Hajar mountains in Fujairah lets richer notes open more slowly. Wherever you are, delivery is free on every order and cash on delivery is available in all seven emirates.
Questions people ask
What is Afnan 9PM a dupe of?
It is widely compared to Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male. Afnan names no inspiration, but the two share lavender, bergamot, cinnamon, vanilla, amber and patchouli. The clearest differences are apple instead of pear, and no listed mint.
What is 9PM Night Out a dupe of?
There is no agreed answer. Some reviewers compare it to Jean Paul Gaultier's sweeter men's releases, while others say it does not closely resemble any one perfume. Afnan presents it as an original extrait.
Does Afnan 9PM smell like Ultra Male?
In direction, yes; in detail, no. Worn side by side, 9PM starts warmer and sweeter because it swaps pear for apple and leaves out the mint. Reviewers usually call Ultra Male the smoother of the two and 9PM the louder.
Is 9PM Night Out stronger than 9PM?
Night Out is sold as an extrait de parfum, a higher concentration than 9PM's eau de parfum, and Fragrantica's reviewer described its projection as very strong. Performance still depends on your skin and the weather, so start with fewer sprays.
Is Afnan 9PM good for summer in Dubai?
It is a sweet evening scent, so it works best on summer nights indoors and through the cooler months. On a hot, humid day, keep it to one or two sprays, or switch to something fresher such as Horizon.
Is 9PM Night Out for men or women?
Afnan markets Night Out as unisex, while the original 9PM is sold as a men's fragrance.
Is there an Ultra Male dupe in the UAE?
Gloria's Phantom is inspired by Ultra Male and keeps its pear, lavender, mint and vanilla structure, at AED 90. Our Ultra Male guide goes into more detail.
Is Phantom a dupe of 9PM?
No. Phantom is inspired by Ultra Male, not by 9PM, which is why it opens with pear and mint, two notes 9PM does not list.
Whichever bottle you settle on, Gloria perfumes come with free delivery on every order across all seven emirates, and you can pay cash on delivery. Orders usually arrive in 1–3 days.
Wear what makes you feel remembered.
Gloria Naturals