1 Million Parfum Rabanne 2020

1 Million Parfum offers a fresh take with a sophisticated twist on the original DNA making it a standout among typical designer releases.

While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to its beachy vibes, Parfum certainly leaves a lasting impression and is worth exploring for seasoned fragrance enthusiasts seeking something different and shockingly refined.

TOP NOTES
The top notes of Parfum are constructed out of tropical monoi oil, a fragrant essence derived from Tiare flowers. It is a rich floral and sweet smell that evokes thoughts of far and exotic tropical places. Accompanied by sparkly but tamed grapefruit, perfumers added an unexpected element of sea salt accord which introduces a subtle marine nuance that adds depth and complexity to the fragrance. Right from the start, the familiar cinnamon/amber/leather combination from the original Eau de Toilette is immediately detectable, bringing a sense of nostalgia for lovers of that scent.

HEART NOTES
As the fragrance enters its middle stage, the initial white floral opening gradually gives way to beachy tuberose. Renowned for its intense and captivating aroma, tuberose brings a luscious and honeyed floral quality to the composition. The tuberose note in this fragrance strikes a perfect balance, offering a seductive scent that exudes sensuality without overpowering everything else. Adding to the heart notes is the warm and musky cashmeran, which further enriches the composition with its velvety texture and comforting essence

BASE NOTES
As the fragrance reaches its dry down phase, a delightful blend of sweet leather and musky notes emerges. The musky quality, reminiscent of amber, is derived from labdanum, while the combination of spicy vanilla and leather, along with the presence of amberwood, adds a luxurious touch to the composition. This final phase brings the original concept of the fragrance to life. The scent now carries a sun-kissed skin aroma that intertwines harmoniously with the smooth leather, infusing the fragrance with a subtle warmth and luminosity. The addition of amberwood provides a lively and effervescent quality to the overall experience.

CONCLUSION
To be completely honest, I haven’t been the biggest fan of the 1 Million fragrance line, but this flanker is the first one that I find worth owning. Why? Because it finally captures the essence of a proper flanker by incorporating the best elements from the original while venturing in a new and intriguing direction. Magnificent release an the best 1 Million so far.

Read the full review at scentgrail.com

Back when I was just a “casual user” of fragrances, 1 Million Eau de Toilette was my go-to. I went through at least three bottles.
So, yes, I definitely liked that 1 Million DNA. Now, enter the 1 Million Parfum, and this one’s the closest relative to the original, but it’s been modernized and made even stronger. Think of it as the OG on steroids.

Like the original, this parfum version is super versatile. Depending on how trigger-happy you are with the sprayer, it can work for almost any occasion - even formal events, perhaps thanks to the white floral notes.
Full bottle worthy? Absolutely.

As for those saying it’s similar to Scandal pour Homme - well, kind of.
I owned Scandal EdT, and while there’s a vague resemblance, Scandal has that distinct mandarin note, which is totally absent here. 1 Million Parfum leans more into that “sun cream” (a.k.a. "solar") vibe, which I’m totally here for.

Ever since the widely-known 1 Million Eau de Toilette, Rabanne has been releasing numerous flankers in an attempt to keep the DNA up to date and improving it little by little with every new entry. One such flanker is 1 Million Parfum which is definitely an improvement over the OG 1 Million Eau de Toilette, but it's still nothing more than a synthetic, attention-grabbing designer not reeking of quality, but I'll admit that it does have a touch of originality as far as designers go.

It starts off with clear resemblance of the OG - sweet, synthetic, youthful. However, it doesn't just bump the sweetness with cinnamon and spearmint like the OG. 1 Million Parfum departs this approach by introducing an intoxicating tuberose that presents a clear saltiness which makes for the slightly more distinct edge. It is progressively warmed up by "solar notes" which appear to not be listed in here, while the cashmeran offers a velvety, gently musky and creamy nuance that does pair nicely with the tuberose. A fruity accord is also prominent, but I can't put my finger on what exactly exudes it.

Labdanum introduces a sticky, ambery profile underneath the still dominating salty tuberose, while I further get some musky/clean, almost mineral touches that slowly transcend into a gently creamy, lotion-like aroma. Seemingly, there was also an attempt to incorporate some piney notes in here, and... unless you imagine it while smelling 1 Million Parfum, you don't get any true pine scent. Similar case with the leather, which is quite muted and overpowered by the rest of the notes. It's definitely more prominent in the OG 1 Million Eau de Toilette. So while 1 Million Parfum might be slightly better composition-wise, mostly in terms of originality, me personally, I'd still lean towards the OG if I were forced to choose, which strikes me as slightly more smooth, whereas 1 Million Parfum seems to go all out on attention-grabbing. More "well-behaved" is better put than smoother.

Hence, it's no surprise that the performance is also on point with 1 Million Parfum. Significantly stronger than 1 Million Eau de Toilette, on my skin, reaching about 11 hours in longevity. Projection is plenty the first 2 hours, leaving a hard-to-miss trail wherever you go. But afterwards, it takes a step back and it keeps projecting more around 1-2 feet for one or two more hours, just enough for someone next to you to catch a whiff from time to time.

I say that because most people buying 1 Million Parfum (and fragrances from the 1 Million line in general) are teenagers who might be searching for their first fragrance. And of course, attention is one of the main criteria here. So simply put, beast mode performance is a must in this case. That's not exactly the case with 1 Million Parfum, at least not for me, but anyone daring to overspray will achieve an annoying level of sillage. Versatility-wise, this is made for clubbing, parties, and more so daily wear than anything else.

But for anyone over the age of 20 who understands that he's not a kid anymore and doesn't want to be perceived as such will certainly not consider a fragrance from the 1 Million lineup. It's still clearly aimed at a young demographic. Most of the flankers smell clearly youthful and playful, screaming for attention more often than not. Maybe that's more fitting for a teen going through puberty, but not exactly fitting for someone who already has to pay taxes. In the end, you wear what you like, and 1 Million Parfum does manage to get many people's approval. I can see why it's so liked, but judging the overall composition as it stands, it's just another designer that stands out a bit because of the salty tuberose combo.

Overall Rating: 5.9/10

1 Million Parfum does remind me of the original, though this one is more floral, with vibes of coconutty sun lotion and salt.

It immediately brings to my mind holidays by the sea, it is a happy fragrance. A rare instance of marketing actually somewhat accurately describing the fragrance.

However do not be fooled into thinking this is appropriate for beach or hot weather. This is a dense fragrance with strong projection. It is more versatile than the original and should work all year-round except hot days. For summer I would limit its usage to the cooler evenings.

Performance is good and about on par with the original. As it goes deeper in the dry down, the floral and sun lotion aspects recede more and more to the background though not totally disappearing. After a good night's sleep, having had it on my skin for some 15h, it is now a weak skin scent with prominent salt/ambroxan but still hints of the floral/sun lotion aspects.

If you've ever wondered which would be the most different and unique 1 Million scent, then you should give the Parfum a try.

This is not for everyone but it can be liked by almost everybody that encounters it. It's unisex, floral, very sweet at the beginning and slightly synthetic. It resembles the idea of summer, beach, suntan lotion and leather bag perfectly - also, as Quentin Bisch described his creation.

The opening is a blast of tuberose (which is not the same with the common rose) and sweetness. It can also come by as sparkling or effervescent, this being a sort of outcome between the combination of the notes and tuberose.
Since this is not a complete but a somewhat linear fragrance - you are also going to sense the other notes in the opening: the salt, solar notes and suntan lotion scent which would be the monoi oil and labdanum.

The mid will develop and provide the leather accord and animalic touch. At this stage, it does not lose the notes from the opening but they become more balanced, less intrusive or explosive.

The dry-down is where the leather starts to be sensed the most, accompanied by the suntan lotion. A slight and gentle white floral accord will still be present in the background but it will be very subtle.

Overall, the fragrance does not evolve too much, it's rather linear but what makes it amazing is that, at least until the very far dry down where you get mostly leather, suntan lotion and white floral, you will enjoy the unpredictability of all these notes.

Now you are smelling the white floral, then the solar note, then it's the salt then it's the sunscreen note, then some sweetness and so on but never in the same order.
Yes it is a sweet fragrance, especially in the opening and early stage of the mid but definitely not overbearing or too much. It's very well-balanced.

Note that this is a parfum concentration, it's strong during the first 2-3 hours - beast mode projection and silage. After that, it will still linger in the air for a long time and create a strong scent bubble around you. I got 10 hours+ on my skin, on clothes it lasts even more. People will recognize that you are wearing and projecting it.

It can be worn during the day and night, during most of the seasons: spring, fall and winter. I tried in the summer but it gets too cloying, at least during the day and warm. Might be an option for the summer nights, the ones which are not humid. If you calibrate the sprays, it can also be worn at the office.

This is unique, I haven't smelled anything like this before and I haven't seen other people comparing other releases to this one neither. I already got a back up bottle as I've heard it's been discontinued, although my back up bottle was produced recently, in August 2023.

Disclaimer: is it a safe blind buy? No. I've heard people complaining about it's sweetness, white floral and some might actually perceive it as a banana (bread) scent. Test it before (I like bananas anyway).

This is a compliment monster, a long-lasting, unique and mesmerizing scent. It's a solid release.