Perfume Houses History Blog: Chapter 1 - Paco Rabanne

Introduction

Paco Rabanne is a name that resonates deeply in the world of fashion, but also in the world of perfumery. His futuristic, avant-garde fashion designs made waves in the 60s and 70s, particularly his renounced collection called "12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials". However, it was his fragrances that truly left an indelible mark on the industry. But I mean, even if that wasn't the case, this is a perfume-related blog in the end, on a perfume-centric website. So of course we'll focus on the fragrances, regardless of their impact of the designer brand. From the sophisticated classic Paco Rabanne pour Homme Eau de Toilette, to the groundbreaking gold-bar 1 Million Eau de Toilette and world-renowned Invictus line, Rabanne's olfactory legacy combines mass-appeal and innovation, setting trends along the game; trends that unfortunately, have faded away these days.

The Beginnings: 1966, Modernization's Opportunities

Paco Rabanne (born February 18, 1934 in Pasaia, Spain) launched his fashion house in 1966, having gained plenty of experience from working as a jewelry designer for major houses like Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Dior. His jewelry designs showcased his innovative mind, pushing the boundaries by using materials like plastic, wood, and metal. His reputation only grew day by day, which eventually led him to experiment with full clothing designs, and then inevitably launching his own fashion brand.

Just three years after the sprouting of the newcomer house, Rabanne partnered with Puig, the Spanish powerhouse behind numerous designer fragrance brands, to release his first fragrance: Calandre (1969) Eau de Toilette. At the time, this scent took a radical departure from the typical, traditional feminine fragrances. Its sharp, soapy, floral aldehydic and metallic green notes were what truly set Calandre (1969) Eau de Toilette apart. It was marketed as a "modern, unisex" fragrance, a bold move for its time, but also a smart one.

Rabanne saw the inevitable embracement of modernity and space-age aesthetics, which were the changing spirit of the late 1960s. Given Rabanne's innovative and modern ideas, this was the perfect opportunity for "new, different, bold, modern". And so the scent's clean, futuristic, and somewhat industrial vibe was exactly what Rabanne was aiming for. The bottle design of Calandre (1969) Eau de Toilette also reflected a sense of modernity - sleek, minimalist, and almost machine-like appearance. And so it's no wonder why Calandre (1969) Eau de Toilette found plenty of success. Many people wanted something different from the more traditional, opulent scents which dominated the market, and Paco Rabanne offered just that.

Calandre (1969) Eau de Toilette was only the beginning, however. It only set the base. The real game-changer arrived in 1973 with the launch of Paco Rabanne pour Homme Eau de Toilette.

Upon its release, the fragrance became a massive hit, particularly in Europe. Its fougère structure, with notes of lavender, oakmoss, honey, and tobacco, made it stick out like a sore thumb. It wasn't just your regular fragrance at the time; it became a blueprint for the fougère scents that followed. People praised it for its sophisticated yet approachable scent; the way it balanced fresh, herbal, and woody elements felt like the perfect blend of classic and modern. Elegance, confidence, and masculinity, all traits that resonated with men at the time, were what Paco Rabanne pour Homme Eau de Toilette exuded. And I believe that old-timers can vouch for that. Even today, 50 years later, in a world that has modernized beyond expectations and has left Paco Rabanne pour Homme Eau de Toilette in the past, with more modern and intriguing fragrances released one after another, Paco Rabanne pour Homme Eau de Toilette still has a loyal fan base who swear by it as one of the greatest perfumes ever made. I believe that says enough about its success.

Breaking the Mold: Cementing its Status

Once properly established as one of the most innovative fashion and fragrance houses, it was now time to aim for the sky. Puig bought the house in 1986, and from there on, many successful fragrances emerged from the Spaniards.

In the 1990s, fresh, woody, and aromatic fragrances were dominating the market. Rabanne needed something that would capture the bold, masculine, and sexy energy of the decade. And in 1994, the XS pour Homme Eau de Toilette was born. Its energetic mix of citrus, woods, and spices did particularly well among younger men. And its bold, almost electric essence immediately positioned XS pour Homme Eau de Toilette as a seductive and confident scent, which leaves no more questions on why it was so popular among the younger generation. Advertising also played a big role in its success, and the bottle design did give it a cool, modern appeal that stood out on store shelves.

Seeing the success of XS pour Homme Eau de Toilette, the Spanish brand continued with flankers, like XS Extrême in 1998 and Pure XS in 2017. However, Black XS Eau de Toilette in 2005 was the company's next hit after the original XS pour Homme Eau de Toilette.

Marketed as a "rock and roll" scent, the flanker was aiming directly at a younger, more rebellious audience, which was only strengthened by the packaging's edgy design and the distinctive modern black bottle. The fragrance had a unique blend of sweet, fruity, and woody notes, with a darker twist compared to the original. The fresh, fruity opening, sweetened by the cinnamon and praliné heart notes, after which it would settle with a woody undertone made Black XS Eau de Toilette quite distinctive at the time. Put in other words, it was one of the first fragrances that leaned into the gourmand category before it became mainstream.

And only three years later in 2008, the company was in for another treat, as the infamous 1 Million Eau de Toilette fragrance made its debut. Its gold-bar-shaped bottle was truly unique, and it was just as flashy as its scent - an intensive red mandarin opening combined with an intensely sweet composition of cinnamon, rose, and amber, as well as a leathery undertone. It was Rabanne's boldest, most unapologetic, and most attention-grabbing fragrance yet, and people, the younger audience especially, simply loved it. Its scent defined clubbing culture and nightlife like no other fragrance, and the marketing behind it was done cleverly. I mean, what part of a gold-bar-shaped fragrance that portrays wealth and success and it is bold and masculine doesn't appeal to younger men?

While the original 1 Million Eau de Toilette has lost its appeal today, plenty of flankers have kept and keep the lineup alive, such as 1 Million Lucky, 1 Million Royal, 1 Million Elixir, and a personal favorite of mine, Million Gold. Still, few fragrances have had the cultural impact of 1 Million Eau de Toilette, and it remains as one of the most iconic and best-selling fragrances in history.

Can it get any better than that? Hardly so, but our next fragrance isn't far from matching or even surpassing the status of 1 Million Eau de Toilette. With a plethora of marketing campaigns featuring the concept of a modern-day hero, the bottle being shaped like a silver trophy, and its name quite literally meaning "unconquered" in Latin, Invictus Eau de Toilette was shaping to be yet another global success for Rabanne. And you know well-enough if that was the case in the end or not.

Invictus Eau de Toilette featured a blend of marine freshness and sweetness, which made it more appealing to a broader audience. Its versatility was key here, and if a man was looking for a modern, sporty yet sensual scent, Invictus Eau de Toilette was the first that came to mind. Just like with 1 Million Eau de Toilette, the original Invictus Eau de Toilette has lost most of its appeal in our days, but the brand made sure that the lineup would keep thriving by spawning a large number of flankers, such as Invictus Victory, Invictus Aqua (2016), Invictus Parfum, and so on and so forth.

As mentioned at the beginning, Rabanne embraced modernity as his brand's main emphasis, be it in fashion or fragrances. And although Rabanne himself retired in 1999, his company never abandoned its modern outlook on things. And with the rise of artificial intelligence in the past years, the Rabanne house saw yet another opportunity for its fragrance division - an AI-designed scent. And so, in 2021, Phantom was created.

Presented as the "first connected fragrance", nothing made it clearer that the target audience was the younger, tech-savy group. The bottle's design was robot-inspired, which screamed futuristic and modern off the shelves. But if that wasn't enough, you could take your phone (with NFC enabled, if it has NFC), put it on top of the fragrance's robot head, and you'd be taken to a website where you are met with a Phantom robot and a couple of rather weird and unnecessary features. Nevertheless, it adds to the uniqueness and futuristic feel. As for the way the fragrance was made, AI algorithms were used to analyze popular scent profiles, ending with a pretty polarizing blend of fruitiness, sweetness, and freshness. But it was hardly as successful as previously-discussed Rabanne fragrances. It certainly has its fans and its audience which, as mentioned, is the younger generation. And hence, that limited its appeal for the more mature crowd. But in the end, Rabanne's fragrances have nearly always been targeted to the youth, in case it wasn't made very very clear by now. Flankers landed on the scene after the original, however, like Phantom Parfum, Phantom Intense, and more recently Phantom Elixir, which appear to have gotten some more positive feedback than with the original, scent-wise at least. Regardless if you're a fan or not of the Phantom lineup, you have to give credit to the brand for still finding innovative ways to present and advertise their fragrances.

Present Day: Innovative Still?

It's no wonder that in our days, it is becoming harder and harder to come up with an innovative idea. Be it in the realm of technology, in the music industry, in fashion, or in perfumery - innovation is at an all-time low. That makes me wonder: have we pretty much reached the limits? Have we reached the point where nothing's new under the sun anymore? Certainly not. It's not that there isn't innovation left to be brought, it's that there's few who are willing to take a leap of faith, few who are opening their minds to possibilities and creativity; few like Paco Rabanne.

Regardless of the slightly unclear future of the Paco Rabanne house, the company remains a major player in the world of perfumery. Its rock-solid foundation built upon successes like Paco Rabanne pour Homme Eau de Toilette, 1 Million Eau de Toilette, and Invictus Eau de Toilette are what keep the company alive, and their job is to now continue the legacy that Paco Rabanne has solidified. But it will only get harder from now on, as bringing new fragrances that both stick out from the crowd and are likeable to a large number of potential customers is one tough doing. People don't enjoy the playful and youthful mix of sweetness and freshness anymore, which was typical to Paco Rabanne fragrances. People have grown up, and they want fragrances that are different, more complex, more refined and polarizing... Maybe once, all of these traits were exactly what Rabanne's fragrances meant. Otherwise, they wouldn't have found as much success. Nonetheless, the brand has sort of began experimenting with more niche-inspired scents lately, one example being 1 Million Golden Oud, which has been very well-received. This might hint that the brand will take a different approach in the future of their fragrances, which I believe they should.

But as I've said, times have changed, and the perfume game has settled down. If there's something we need more than ever is a mind like Paco Rabanne's; someone to break the ice again, to show that innovation is still possible. And with the legendary legacy that Rabanne has, their possibilities are plenty. They just need someone to grab onto those possibilities, as a man once did back in 1966.

What are your thoughts on Paco Rabanne's future? Should they stick true to their typical style, or should they experiment with more niche-like scents?