We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.
7.4 / 10 120 Ratings
A perfume by Keiko Mecheri for men, released in 1999. The scent is spicy-green. The production was apparently discontinued.
Compare
Similar fragrances
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Spicy
Green
Sweet
Woody
Gourmand

Fragrance Notes

AbsinthAbsinth Woody notesWoody notes SpicesSpices Tonka beanTonka bean VanillaVanilla Green notesGreen notes
Ratings
Scent
7.4120 Ratings
Longevity
7.598 Ratings
Sillage
6.091 Ratings
Bottle
7.484 Ratings
Value for money
6.813 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 09/12/2025.
Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Douce amère by Serge Lutens
Douce amère
Volutes (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque
Volutes Eau de Parfum
Le Gemme - Veridia by Bvlgari
Le Gemme - Veridia
Gypsy Water (Eau de Parfum) by Byredo
Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Louce

138 Reviews
Louce
Louce
Helpful Review 0  
The green fairy´s low dance
„Green notes“ listet above as top note of Paname are usually guarantor for my disfavour.
Grassy, fresh and healthy natural scents do not touch me. But there is this dark, velvety green, that I first met in „Narcisse Noir“ by Caron, that amazes and charms me.
This „low“ green is the green that embraces me in Paname.

The note „absinth“ is surprisingly recognizable. Truly absinth-like, it is deep, sweet herbal, spirituous and dark-green. It is reminiscent of the hard liquor absinth and it brings with it some association of intoxication and soul-floating. Fresh, but in a restrained, paradoxical way anti-fresh in the same time.
„Low“ as well.

The vermouth note is tributary to the absinth, but nevertheless recognizable. It gives a dry, slightly bitter accent and underlines the acerbic spirituousness.

Paname is not loud. It intrigues with an unusual orchestration of „green“ and demands attention for a fine composition of deep and low effects.

In the late middlenote and distinctly with the drydown, Paname turns sweet, tonka-creamy, calm and very harmonically melodious. The sweet herbal aspects become sweet spicy aspects and a woody tone gives stableness, while the dark and low green melts into cream.
In the end, the interesting, demanding and challenging perfume turns "nice".
1 Comment
Art

68 Reviews
Art
Art
1  
Dedicated to Absinthe
Paname is dedicated to absinthe. I've often seen it compared to Douce Amere by Serge Lutens. I can say that there are some similarities between them, however Panama is a bit lighter and more gourmand. For me, this perfume is like one big memory of a variety of sweets: licorice, chocolate, Turkish delight, vanilla milk, sweet wipped cream....They were delicious yet not sugary-cloying thanks to the drop of bitter absinthe, pinches of spice and some woods. In the base it settles like a pleasant powdery sweetness with a joyful and carefree character.
0 Comments
Sherapop

1240 Reviews
Sherapop
Sherapop
1  
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder...
I seem to be developing a taste for absinthe. The first time I tested Keiko Mecheri PANAME, I had never encountered a detectable absinthe note in a perfume, and I think that I just did not understand what I was smelling. I made some vague and incomprehensible remarks about there being better licorice choices out there. What? Perhaps I was influenced by a picture of wormwood which looked an awful lot like licorice root and then inferred that the latter was supposed to be a focal note of this perfume. Who knows?

Anyway, what I find today, more than a year later, is that absinthe is by far the most dominant note of this perfume. What is odd, however, is that here, in contrast to other absinthe-heavy fragrances--including Tokyomilk Dark ARSENIC and L'Artisan Parfumeur FOU D'ABSINTHE--the absinthe is rendered rather sweet by a big dose of tonka bean.

Now that I've finally gotten to know absinthe in its savory, greenish glory, and I no longer mistakenly think that this perfume is an olfactory neighbor of Bvlgari JASMIN NOIR or anything along those lines, I continue nonetheless to be confounded by PANAME. I've noticed that it smells very differently at different times, sometimes very sweet and sometimes less so, but the absinthe is always shining through.

The juxtaposition of a characteristically masculine note with tonka bean I also encountered relatively recently in Hermessence VETIVER TONKA. In both that case and this one, I initially felt that the combination was discordant, and I never really surmounted that feeling completely. However, I do feel that the quality of this perfume (as of VETIVER TONKA) is quite high. It's just a matter of deciding whether sweet absinthe (or sweet vetiver) is a taste worth acquiring.
0 Comments
Dolby

69 Reviews
Dolby
Dolby
1  
Paris by night for the goody-two-shoes
Another rather faint, thin on the ground, and too discreet for its own good fragrance.
What a shame!
I would have thought, with a name like Paname, which, by the way, is the French slang name for Paris, that it would be a vibrant and exciting perfume, one seriously sexy concoction with a tinge of raunchiness.

Nope, nada, rien ... It’s all very polite, proper, and dainty.

I understand the use of absinthe at its heart since this was the drink of predilection of such bohemian luminaries as Beaudelaire, Rimbaud, and Toulouse-Lautrec, the latter spending most of his life hanging around the Moulin Rouge cabaret and nearby brothels of the late 19th century.

So, full mark for the inspiration, but the final outcome is too cute, subdued, and lacking.
Would have been better to call it “Joli Paris”.
0 Comments
Pollita

385 Reviews
Translated · Show originalShow translation
Pollita
Pollita
Top Review 25  
And yet another one says goodbye
Everyone is leaving me, now Paname as well. When I wore it the other day, I read with shock that Mrs. Mecheri is no longer producing it. This is another favorite from my collection that will leave me. The best I can do is dedicate a nice comment to it before it completely departs from me.

Paname is also declared as a men's fragrance. Interesting. So Amouage's Reflection is not the first men's fragrance I own. I encountered Paname many years ago. I must have gone through my third or fourth bottle by now. What made me curious about it back then was the comparison to my beloved Macadam by Il Profumo. In reviews, I read that Macadam fans might also like this one. The notes are totally different, but let's see what the sniff test brings. This was an absolute hit! I fell in love with the absinthe, the spicy finish, and the delicate, flattering vanilla. Personally, I always perceived Paname as clearly feminine, but in principle, it doesn't matter whether it's a men's, women's, or unisex fragrance. We wear what we like, period! And a man who smells like this? That's a fine idea too!

Paname has accompanied me in nearly every situation of my life. It was allowed in the office and at trade fairs, and I enjoyed wearing it privately, both at home and when going out. It never clashed anywhere and always fit perfectly. And I always felt great with this delicate, slightly boozy-vanilla-spicy hint around me.

I only discovered SL's Douce Amère later, and yes - I find them very different and believe one needs both! DA starts a bit spicier and completely without green. In DA, I also perceive notes of coffee liqueur, which I can't sniff out here. The base note is also slightly different, even though vanilla dominates in both at the end. The Mecheri is and remains the darker scent of the two from start to finish. I also smell dark chocolate here, even though the pyramid above says nothing about it. Paname is also quieter, which is why I never felt it was out of place in business.

It hurts to lose this one too. So many years of my life are invested in it; it will be a sad farewell. At the same time, I am looking forward to discovering new fragrances that can enrich the coming years of my life.
12 Comments
More reviews

Statements

25 short views on the fragrance
35
25
Let's drink absinthe, says the little bear
Oh yes, with lots of vanilla, replies the tiger
Oh, how beautiful is Panama!
Translated · Show originalShow translation
25 Comments
32
19
Oh how beautiful is Paname
There lives a green anise fairy
Paname is wonderful
A vanilla reservoir
Tonka cream with vermouth tea
Yes, how beautiful is Paname
Translated · Show originalShow translation
19 Comments
26
22
Absinth isn't usually my thing ---
But here it's wonderfully blended with the green woody notes and vanilla.
Very nice*
Translated · Show originalShow translation
22 Comments
18
12
Spicy absinthe that lingers longer, ending in tonka and vanilla with a powdery cocoa note. Warms you up in autumn winds.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
12 Comments
17
11
Initially delightful with a hint of anise, the liqueur becomes increasingly sweet and vanilla-like. Quite tasty, but not as special as I expected.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
11 Comments
4 years ago
15
10
We're sitting in the English Garden
the tree provides shade
the grass is so beautifully green
we're drinking Pernod with tonka vanilla
Translated · Show originalShow translation
10 Comments
12
4
I don't like too much anise, but the blend here is just right. The absinthe is prominent yet subtle, slightly gourmand with vanilla and tonka - perfect.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
4 Comments
12
8
Dark green + spicy, the absinthe swirls among the witches in the dark Bois de Boulogne. Slightly tipsy, they sink into sweet, tonka-vanilla dreams.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
8 Comments
5 years ago
12
8
fast smoky dark green fairy
Anise, so soft like Tonka, briefly reminds me of TicTac from the 70s (but no mint in it)
inviting sweet wood-spice
Translated · Show originalShow translation
8 Comments
11
6
Soft, gently spicy green, starring absinthe, without the bitterness! For friendly herbal witches or the enticing green fairy.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
6 Comments
More statements

Charts

This is how the community classifies the fragrance.
Pie Chart Radar Chart

Images

11 fragrance photos of the community
More images

Popular by Keiko Mecheri

Loukhoum by Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum Eau Poudrée by Keiko Mecheri Datura Blanche by Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum Parfum du Soir by Keiko Mecheri Les Zazous by Keiko Mecheri Cuir Fauve by Keiko Mecheri Hanae by Keiko Mecheri Bois Satin by Keiko Mecheri Peau de Pêche by Keiko Mecheri Umé by Keiko Mecheri White Petals by Keiko Mecheri Rebel Hearts by Keiko Mecheri Mihimè by Keiko Mecheri Bal de Roses by Keiko Mecheri Oliban by Keiko Mecheri Tarifa by Keiko Mecheri Vetiver Velours by Keiko Mecheri Johana by Keiko Mecheri Iris d'Argent by Keiko Mecheri Embruns by Keiko Mecheri