1 Million Intense

In 2008, Paco Rabanne has released a cologne that became, almost immediately, a worldwide record sales: 1 Million. It was created to conquer faithful users, where every detail of its conception was thought to generate followers and awaken the greed and the desire of others. Its bottle was inspired by a gold bar, having as line of thinking, the idea that in all civilizations and religions, the gold has always been used to seduce people. In addition, the scent is amazing and powerful. The result of this combination of luxury and power, became one of the biggest cases of sale, in recent years, in the world of masculine perfumery. The success was so big that the popularity achieved by sales came to be seen as something negative for some, who judge the fragrance as an exclusive piece of seduction, created for the "playboy" who gets what he wants, with a simple snap of fingers, as was shown in the ad campaign. However, it was not just this public who sympathized with the mixture of insolence, seduction and elegance brought by this cologne. Young men were seeking new weapons of seduction for their unfinished nights, in which it would be need something more to help them stand out amid the crowd. It is ready the recipe for success! Now, to continue the 1 Million saga, Paco Rabanne has released recently, a more powerful version yet, called 1 Million Intense. In fact, in 2012, there was the launch of a more concentrated version called 1 Million Absolutely Gold, with less notes in its composition and with more floral aspect and a rich leather. Little was heard about it here, in Brazil. So, let's get down to business in this review: talk about 1 Million Intense! Basically, this version was born respecting the title received, which means it is an intense version of the traditional, with a little change in its composition, retaining the DNA of the original version and praising parts of evolution that deserved a greater prominence before. So, what's changed? Well, just in the beginning, we no longer have the mint. Now, the composition brings the sweet cardamom, allied to a pepper, that warms the senses, as well as notes of saffron and red mandarin (or blood mandarin). At 1st sight, it can be felt a more "juicy" scent, almost “vanillaish” and fruity than in the original version. In the heart, the rose and cinnamon were kept, but the mix of spices gave way to neroli (orange flower oil), extolling, even more, the fruity fragrance tone. At this point of evolution, when the heart notes are more noticeable, the rose and neroli absolute reign, for hours. Finally, an even more creamy base, without the amber and the wood notes, but with the presence of sandalwood and iris butter (which is not as dry as the notes taken from its root). The notes of leather and patchouli were maintained. The bottle suffered a slight change: the back, in dark glass before, now has a golden hue (gradient), giving greater sophistication. The projection is terrific for about 3 hours, getting quieter as it evolves on the skin; the lasting is as good as in the original version. In my opinion, we have reached a new level!

Yeah, I can definitely see how someone could see this as grape soda, but it's also much more than that. This and 1 Million Absolutely Gold are two of the best fragrances in my collection. They both have one of the absolute best openings of any fragrance I've had the opportunity to smell. With this one being a little louder and sweeter, while Absolutely Gold is a little brighter and more effervescent in the opening. But both are equally amazing, and I definitely think that they are the best of the 1 Million flankers. So why do brands make such awesome fragrances and then just discontinue them? I have no idea, but that is most definitely what is happening with this line. And now to top it off, I hear that 1 Million Prive' is getting axed as well!!! If that is true I will be grabbing a backup bottle asap and I've already been trying to find a good deal on backup bottles of 1 Million Absolutely Gold and 1 Million Intense. But if you like sweet, deep, sexy, and loud fragrances you are pretty much guaranteed to like this one, if you can find it. I just wish I had more of it than I do. If you have the opportunity to get your nose on this stuff don't pass it up!!! Edit: After spending about four more months with this fragrance I can tell you that the saffron and orris are what really shine and set this apart from the original. I really like Absolutely Gold, but there's no doubt in my mind now that this is the absolute best fragrance in my collection!!! That might not be saying much because I've only got about a hundred or so in my collection, but this is an absolute masterpiece among them. I'm on the hunt for at least one backup bottle and maybe more if I run across a real good deal.

This was one of my favourite fragrances. I’m so sad this is discontinued. I feel like this was one of Paco Rabanne’s best offerings out of the 1 million line. I only got a 50ml bottle when I was broke. I wish I could purchase a 200ml or two now because I can but it’s unfortunately not available anymore. Flash back to 2015 I needed to head to some seminar that was being conducted at work. I shit you not I witnessed a girl get seduced in real time as in, I could feel her feelings developing as the scent was slowly developing and progressing through its notes/accords. I was doing nothing and wasn’t even trying to flirt with her and I had no interest to I just happen to wear this while being sat next to her at work( yes I wore this to work a couple of times who cares). I was fully cognizant and amused at what was unfolding infront of my eyes : Her talk getting more sweeter and flirtier, her body shifting towards me, her acting cute and smiling way more than needed and asking me personal questions. Bear in mind when I first took the seat next to her she seemed a mildly upset cause she probably reserved that seat for a friend or someone I guess. It’s an indescribable feeling of what I witnessed that day. That was the day I fully understood the power of scent. From then on whenever I wore this I had an air of confidence (never tried to attract with this but just knowing that I was literally harnessing a weapon on my skin/clothes which could, put my confidence through the roof) Guys, 1 million lucky: next best thing: get your hands on it before it gets discontinued. Edit 2025: cringe I should probably delete this but it’s a true story lol

I was initially surprised by how rose dominated this is, and more so how light the rose smell is. I was expecting a more intense 1 Million, but if anything, this is a LOT lighter. Just as strong and long lasting, but definitely less "heavy". This should have been in a red tinted bottle and called "1 Million Roses" instead! It's literally half 1 Million and the other half is a very strong yet light rose, which is actually what people notice about this scent when I wear it. I'm finding that the leather stands out more in this as well, especially towards the end of its life, but the rose sticks around with the leather until the end. With that being said, I don't get a ton of compliments on this one, but I still like it a lot! Sometimes you just can't replace the urge to smell like roses... I've also found that the dry down of this layers quite well with Tuscan Leather clones, and the end result is very interesting! Try it if you can! You'll be pleasantly surprised! All things considered, this is a great scent. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but this is very nice and can even be worn in the office when applied lightly. Who doesn't love the smell of roses?! Lastly: In my opinion, Armaf's Tag-Him Prestige is what an "Intense" 1 Million should have been - deeper, smoother, more complex. If this scent wasn't what you were looking for, but you would like a deeper, smoother, and slightly more floral version of the original 1 Million's dry down, try Tag-Him Prestige! At only $18 for a 3.4oz bottle, you really can't go wrong! This and 1 Million are in my top 15, but Tag-Him Prestige is in my top 5!

Well, I finally got this, only because I was at my local Goodwill, and behind the counter, I see that familiar "1 Million" packaging, so I assume it's like a body wash our something, but nope, it's the actual fragrance, sealed in the box. I was going to buy a guitar I found there, but then I noticed the neck had been repaired (poorly might I add) So I hand it back, and I say "How much for that cologne right there?" The lady looks, there's no price tag, and she says "5 bucks." To which I say, "I'll take it." So, I already own one million, which I'd actually say is still a lot stronger than this flanker, but I think I like this one better, it's actually toned down, mixed better, and not in your face the way the original is. I find this one to be a bit more mature than its big brother, and balanced a lot more carefully, it's also not as sweet and cloying, which can be a good thing. If you're a fan of the original, odds are you'll like this one too.