5 Best Paco Rabanne Colognes (2023) Full Review
Paco Rabanne.
One of the most popular designer brands.
This review will describe the six best Paco Rabanne colognes. I will detail their smell, performance, and anything else you need to know.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Yet, we only endorse fragrances we’ve personally used or are highly recommended by trusted peers. You can learn more about our Disclaimer & Disclosure here.
Table of Contents
#5 – Invictus Legend
The opening is synthetic sweetness with a berry scent. Given there are no berry notes, it is strange. The opening is the least impressive of all the fragrance parts. After 10 -15 minutes, the scent transitions into a more aquatic tone.
Here, you’ll find the top notes that have finally shown up. Sea notes, salt, and grapefruit combine to create a robust and pleasant aroma. They are accompanied by bubble gummy sweetness in the background.
As the scent develops, the sweetness progressively loses intensity. Making way for warm amber to mix with salty aquatic top notes. The base is not the star of the show, but it gives depth for the aquatic notes to shine.
Invictus Legend lasts nine to ten hours on the skin with excellent projection. For an aquatic-based fragrance, the projection is impressive. It pushes out an arm’s length or more for multiple hours before it recedes. After this period, it maintains a mild ambiance of a couple of feet.
This is spring, summer, and early fall wear. As for occasions, it is all.
#4 – Black XS
The opening is surprisingly bright with an intense, citric lemon note. It pairs uniquely with a sweet praline note. In the background is cinnamon spice and a dark patchouli note. There aren’t any fruit notes in the scent, but that’s the general idea of the opening.
I enjoy the blend of notes in the opening. Yet, the lemon and praline notes are sweet and harsh, nearly overwhelming in both aspects. There isn’t much of a mid; the fragrance gets darker as it heads into the dry down.
Dark sweetness is retained in the base. There are new additions of warm woods and a heavier emphasis on cinnamon spice and patchouli. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
Black XS lasts six to seven hours on the skin with moderate projection. The first one to two hours pushes out well, an arm’s length at its peak. After this period, it sits pretty close to the skin. This is spring, fall, and winter wear. As for occasions, it is great for dates.
#3 – 1 Million Parfum
The opening catches my attention with a juicy grapefruit note atop an upbeat leather backbone. Some light white florals and solar notes become present within a few minutes.
What are solar notes? They are synthetic and aqueous notes with a sweet tinge, similar to calone (Acqua di Gio has a bunch of Calone). In short, the opening combination is a leather backbone with a floral and tropical twist.
The scent simplifies as it develops. Tuberose becomes more prominent, amplifying the floral nature of the scent. At the same time, the solar and leather combination lingers in the background. Salty Ambergris notes come in with power. Adding a strong amber note that will last for the rest of the wear.
In the dry down, the amber accord becomes more prominent. Woody nuances, mainly from the pine note, add a fresh accent. The rest of the wear is prominent amber and white florals with a solar leather combination and woody nuances.
1 Million Parfum lasts eight hours on the skin with room-filling projection. It pushes out five-plus feet for hours before receding. It works great for the spring, fall, winter, and cool parts of the summer. As for occasions, it’s best for all except the office, lecture hall, or any other close-quarter setting.
#2 – Invictus Victory
The opening can be characterized by its general warmth. A decent dose of lemon leads and soon dissipates. It grabs attention but doesn’t add much to the scent. A peppery kick follows; this will last longer, emphasizing warmth.
Early on, a smoky resin sits under the top notes. In this case, it is attributed to a mixture of olibanum and incense. The resins are smooth, woody accords yet generic. Incense sits on top of the resins and oozes the smokiness that is so alluring.
As the mid progresses, it gets smoother. Vanilla and Amber become more present every moment until the dry down when they dominate. Vanilla and Amber have a boxing match for the rest of the wear. While subtle lavender and a woody accord linger behind.
Invictus Victory lasts 12 hours on the skin. The projection is intense around you but doesn’t push out far. Invictus Victory is mainly fall, winter, and early spring wear. As for occasions, it is all.
#1 – 1 Million Lucky
The best Paco Rabanne cologne and the best 1 Million cologne. Before 1 Million Privee was discontinued, it gave Lucky a run for its money. However, since Privee is gone, Lucky is easily the best 1 Million cologne.
The entire scent has a lot going on, especially the opening. 1 Million Lucky is led by fresh sweetness and a deeper, woody backbone. The fresh sweetness comes from a tart, fruity plum, and honey combination. No, it is never too sweet or has “nose-puckering” bitterness.
The woody backbone is a combination of notes. It is primarily warm cedar with amber and hazelnut additions. I enjoy the addition of hazelnut as it has spicy, nutty, and creamy qualities. It puts a unique twist on the woody aroma without taking away from it.
The scent is more about the cedar and hazelnut combination as it develops. The plum, honey, and amber notes are still present but haven’t gained or lost strength.
The dry down loses sweetness, mainly from the plum note weakening. I smell warm and sweet honeyed woods with remaining nutty and somewhat spicy hazelnut. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
The longevity is in the six to seven-hour range with moderate projection. It is an intense three to four-foot scent bubble for the first three hours. After this period, it recedes but maintains a mild ambiance. This is spring, fall, and winter wear for special occasions.
Final Words
The final burning question is, are Paco Rabanne colognes worth it? For the right price. I would pay full price for 1 Million Lucky, but all the other scents aren’t full-price worthy. This doesn’t mean they are bad fragrances, but this isn’t the best designer brand.
After you try a Paco Rabanne cologne, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.