Phantom

I don't get the hate for this. The scent is fine, I don't care what anyone says. Y'all wanna get on these sites and complain that companies are putting out boring, generic that lack depth, inspiration, CHARACTER, (that's laughable) and whatever else you want to call it. You want something original, and while this may not be original in terms of smell, at least there's the bottle. I mean, how many fragrances do you see with a bottle design like this? There are plenty of original scents out there. After all, that's what starts a line in the first place and gets itself flankers. *GASPS!* An ORIGINAL SCENT! *THE HEAVENS OPEN UP AND THE ANGELS SING THE PRAISES OF PERFUMERY*. And the scent itself is not as bad as people are making it out to be. You don't have to like it, but to me, it's good. There's only so much perfumers can do with notes in the world of fragrances. There's only so many note combonations they can put together to make these wonderful pieces of art that take a lot of time and effort for you fragheads to just crap on them. They have to think about how they're gonna make the fragrance, gotta think about the ingredients, the oils, the tools, the process, the time, the bottle design, etc. There's so much more to perfumery than what you think. Maybe if you take a moment and stop caring so much about "inspiration", "character," "depth", blah blah blah, (still laughing about that) and take and appreciate it for what it is, you'd probably find there is nothing wrong with and that your nose is just biased or whatever. So either take the fragrance or leave it. Y'all keep raising your expectations higher and higher without regard to how much pressure you can put on these perfumers, (and this can applied to other things with devoted, die-hardcore fanbases, like TV-shows, movies, books, stuff like that.) And is it really all that surprising that brands have lost their "creativity"? At this point in time, it's getting harder and harder for these brands to do anything really NEW. There have already been tons and tons of scent profiles and DNA's that have been explored. There are literally THOUSANDS of fragrances out there. What else can they do? What else can perfumers think of? What other kind of note combonations are truly unique? What else is there? They (kinda) know that they're making them for you, as well as the general public, which, we all know is the MAIN demographic they're going for ANYWAY. IT'S CHEMICALLY SCENTED WATER IN A BOTTLE! WHAT ARE YOU ALL FUSSING ABOUT!? Anyway, I'm done with my little rant. edit: I did not write this post to come at anyone or sound hateful in any way. This is just hatred towards particular fragrances I've observed over time and I finally went ahead and registered myself in to write my own reviews. These are just my opinions and you can feel free to disagree.

#65 of My Fragrance Journey - Paco Rabanne Phantom: a pulse, not a personality Okay. Let’s ignore the robot bottle for a minute. Strip away the chrome, the AI hype, all of that. What’s left? A scent that’s very physical. Very present. Phantom isn’t trying to be clever - it’s trying to move air. And honestly... it does. The first spray hits like a flash of green light. Lemon, but not fruit-lemon. More neon. Synthetic on purpose. Sharp, electric, almost vibrating. It feels like the moment the bass drops, and your chest feels it before your ears do. You don’t ease into Phantom - you’re just suddenly in it. Then the body kicks in. This is where it gets interesting. The lavender here isn’t soft or nostalgic or barbershop-clean. It’s thick. Creamy. Almost muscular. And once the vanilla wraps around it, the whole thing turns dense and sweet and very tactile. This is a scent that sits on skin like heat. It’s not subtle, and it doesn’t want to be. It smells confident in a very modern way - less “gentleman”, more “I know exactly why I’m here”. In the air, Phantom is... effective. That’s the word. It projects, it gets noticed, it pulls people closer. Compliment-friendly, no question. To a more niche-leaning nose, it might feel excessive, even a bit much - but that’s kind of the point. Phantom isn’t trying to be tasteful. It’s trying to be felt. Performance is solid. Easily 8–10 hours on me, with a sillage that stays assertive for most of the night before slowly settling closer to the skin. Final thoughts: Phantom isn’t for introspection or quiet moments. It’s a going-out scent, full stop. Sweet, loud, creamy, and unapologetic. If you want refinement, look elsewhere. But if you want something that cuts through noise, heat, bodies, and movement - this one does the job. It won’t change your life. But it will make sure you’re noticed while you’re living it. Vibe: club lights, sweat, confidence Best for: nights out, crowded rooms, taking up space Warning: if you don’t like loud... this will wear you. More scent stories and visuals on Instagram - @lavendercloudsjd

As a self-proclaimed fan of sweet fragrances, I can say without hesitation: Phantom was another one of those finds that has quickly become a favorite in my collection. It delivers everything it promises and even goes beyond. Its profile is sweet, modern, and addictive—the kind that sticks to your skin and grabs attention wherever you go. For me, it’s clearly a nighttime fragrance, perfect for mild temperatures, with it truly shining in the autumn and spring. Performance: The longevity and projection on my skin were simply bombastic. As for clothes, it’s on another level; it really impregnated the fabric and didn't come off easily. It’s the kind of perfume you can smell for hours and hours. Phantom is the type of fragrance that is very easy to like; it’s not complicated or difficult to enjoy. It enters the room and immediately starts pulling in compliments—in that way where everyone asks, 'What perfume is that?' And, to wrap it up, it’s impossible not to mention the bottle: simply beautiful, modern, unique, and stylish. It’s the kind that draws as much attention as the scent itself. It’s definitely one of those bottles you’ll want to display on your vanity. 🤖

This line gets undeserving hatred because of the bottle and the reputation of the current state of the house. Known for tacky bottles of unforgiving highly synthetically loud sweet aromas that can be redundant across different lines and flankers. But...I really love this house. The old and the new fragrances. From pour homme, Invictus line, 1 Million line to the Phantom line. I always feel like I get my monies worth. I actually LOVE this original. I know it's somewhat of a mess, but it IS different. I get a vanilla, lavender, almost pineapple sugary sweet profile, mixed with a touch of earthiness with a smoke that's almost a burnt rubber or new tire smell ever so faint in the background. All of this is fairly synthetic and somewhat potent and I love it. If this was made by a niche house in a fancy bottle, the score would be way higher and the hate would be a lot less. Funny thing is we sometimes like to pay more for a decorative vessel and a premium name all the while forgetting what quality actually is. All things considered, even the tacky but cool bottle, this gets a solid 8/10 in my book. Great underrated fragrance that started a solid line of flankers.

Phantom gets a lot of unwarranted hate. It came out in a market that was already saturated with masculine vanilla fragrances and because of its cheesy robot presentation most people write it off. Phantom takes notes that don't seem like they'd work together (lavender, vanilla, lemon, patchouli???) and somehow blends them in a way that is quite wearable. Is it original? No, this smells quite similar to several other designer men's fragrances. However, Phantom has an earthy/smoky/patchouli/powder note that makes it stand out from its competition. Phantom smells like a slutty, powdery lemon. This is a fragrance for a manwhore...I mean that in the best way possible. Paco Rabanne fragrances seem to have excellent performance and longevity and Phantom is no exception. Exceptional performance for an EDT. 8+ hours easy with strong skin scent that can be revived by working up a sweat. Smells great. Performance is outstanding. Can be found for very affordable prices on discounters. My girlfriend LOVES it. What is there to not love? Phantom is a really solid designer fragrance in my opinion.

LOL It's so funny how people decide to completely crap on this fragrance just because of the gimmicky AI stuff, and bottle design, but never truly judge the fragrance itself. Definitely judging a book by its cover... All of that aside, however, the fragrance itself is amazing. Despite the synthetic opening, the dry down of the scent smells sweet, creamy and masculine. It's 100% suitable as a "going-out" kind of scent, or when you just want to stand out at a club, party, etc. I would say it's daily-wearable, but I can definitely see why some people may find this too "loud" as it projects at arms length and lasts very long (6-8hrs on me). If you ask me, this is something club/party-worthy. Regardless, if you want something that gets compliments and will have people asking what you're wearing wherever you go, this fragrance is the one for you.

Bought this a few months ago, didn't really like it initially. This fragrance will get you compliments. It smells like fresh tangerines with a sort of sourness. Lavender note is not very prominent but I would say it's at least somewhat floral. Vanilla slowly fades in and it smells incredible once it does. The fragrance smells best about 45 minutes after spraying, then just slowly gets weaker. I wore it to class one day and could smell it on myself the entire time. Others around me also noticed. However, I couldn't smell it at the end of the day. The strength and projection is amazing, but the longevity not so much. Very easy to over-spray and this stuff can seriously fill a room for a rather short period of time if one does over-spray. Definitely not a safe blind buy but also definitely worth testing. Would recommend 8/10.

There is no reason to hate this much. So much hate for this versatile fresh citrusy cologne. You can wear it any time people around you will love this. Lemon Zest hits my nose sharply bit synthetic but yet its good fresh one. Pretty linear no complexity which is not in a negetive way. Better than some clone houses. It has a quality juice inside the gimmicky bottle, though I love this bottle which stand outs. And the sprayer is fantastic. I am not a big fan of citurs fragrances but this is more than ok. Projection - Heavy (9.5) (got compliments from distance 10+ feet) Sillage - 8 Longevity - Above moderate (7.5) Smell - 7.5 All over - Solid 8 It may not please your own nose but will be noticed by others around you and you will get heavily compliments. Dont over spray (3-4)

Sem dúvida alguma, este é atualmente o meu perfume favorito. Ele abre com um frescor limpo e agradável, acompanhado por uma doçura deliciosa. À medida que evolui, torna-se ainda mais limpo e confortável, enquanto uma suave baunilha adocicada aparece ao fundo, trazendo um toque de aconchego à fragrância. É um perfume versátil, que se encaixa facilmente em diversas ocasiões, e com certeza é uma fragrância que vou levar para a vida toda. Falando sobre desempenho, ele é simplesmente incrível para um EDT. Na minha pele, projeta bem por cerca de 2 a 3 horas e dura facilmente mais de 8 horas. Esta fragrância cumpre perfeitamente o propósito para o qual foi criada. É extremamente bem equilibrada e proporciona uma genuína sensação de conforto e bem-estar durante todo o uso.

I honestly do not understand the negativity this fragrance receives. It is a genuinely enjoyable scent that smells great, performs well, and offers plenty of versatility. I can imagine it working in almost any scenario. It feels just as appropriate in the gym as it does in the office, at night in a club, or even on a date. If someone wanted a single fragrance to cover all occasions, this would be an excellent choice. The criticism of the packaging also baffles me. The fragrance itself should always be the main focus and in this case the packaging is far from bad. It suits the scent perfectly well. Overall this is a good fragrance that deserves more appreciation than it gets.

As of the time of this writing: Rabanne Phantom (2021) is at 3.52 Azzaro Wanted EDP (2023) is at 3.77 Im-pos-si-ble 1. The Azzaro smells like they were trying to clone this, but something went wrong and it turned into burnt popcorn. Phantom smells better than the Azarro and came out first. 2. Phantom smells great in its own right: The soft, vanilla-lavender combo rubbing against the harsher earthy notes creates a beatiful play of consonance and dissonace for the citrus notes to stand on. 3. Robot bottle. It's uber mature and screams "stoicim" and "masculinity" just like Robocop and the Terminator. I can always feel confident knowing that my fragrance came from a robo-bottle.

this is my boyfriend's signature fragrance, and i can't overstate how delicious and sweet it is. think devotion by dolce and gabanna but for men, and this is what you get: lemon and vanilla, airy pound cake but never too sweet, always masculine and a bit serious, definitely not a gourmand. easy reach, stays close to the skin for a while (no sillage on this one, sadly for me, since i love to smell it) and lingers on clothes for the longest time. can be used all-year round, and it's definitely inoffensive, though incredibly pleasant. plus, you get the cutest bottle, which is always a gift. love this fragrance, maybe unoriginal, but deeply comforting.

The typical sweetness of Paco Rabanne is noticeable. The perfume smells quite synthetic - which is basically what the bottle itself tells us. The perfume has a quite similar atmosphere to The Ghost In The Shell Etat Libre d'Orange - they don't smell similar, but if people in the cyberpunk world would wear any perfume, it would be this one. This scent also reminds me of a solid car air freshener. The scent is kitschy and great at the same time. I would like to check out the other versions of EDP and Perfume. The projection is good and the durability is rather long-lasting.

I can see why people think this has synthetic notes. I kinda enjoy that though. It's synthetic in the way that ELDO The Ghost in the Shell is synthetic - beautiful, unusual, and reminiscent of AI/robots/cold, hard hardware. Regarding Phantom, I get an aromatic lemon creamsicle lol specific & slightly odd of a comparison, but it's really delicious on my skin. Settles into a warm, powdery skin scent. I am in love. It has slightly poor longevity, but it's worth buying a larger bottle, decanting it into a travel size bottle, and spritzing through the day. 9/10

If this fragrance was released by Parfums de Marly in one of their gold capped bottles, I bet it would have a 4+ rating on fragrantica. I think the main takeaway is that people that are into fragrances think that the bottle is gimmicky and childish which is true. But I’d recommend giving it a try and pretend it’s made by a brand you like to remove any perceptions the presentation might give you. It’s like people into wine thinking any bottle less than $100 is trash, but if you put cheap wine in a nice bottle, they’ll think it’s amazing.

My first impressions where great, coming back to finally buy though i was a little left out. I remembered it way more pine-y than this weird spicy pineapple scent. The bottle looks very cool in my opinion, call it silly but I personally like it. For some weird reason its very universal all year, I think that provides great value!! I projects very well too, lasts pretty much all day for me. Dry down isnt as intense as well. The atomizer is great too! 8.5/10 Robot bottle me like

I dislike fuckbois and their overly sweet, bubblegum sugar gold brick scents. I like this though, even though it is tangential, it is just on the cusp of fuckboi....fuckboi adjacent, if you will. When I think of creamy vanilla + citrus, Allure Homme Sport line is the undisputed and most refined king of the genre. This skews younger, brighter, more synthetic sweeter in a way that makes it fun to wear anytime.

Bought this one when it was released in 2021 as I was very impressed. Back then this was hunted and beaten heavily review wise. Still the 3.52 rating doesn't do this justice. This one is an intense combination of Vanilla,lemon and smoke. this is very punchy. Super Strong projecting and vibrant, would say that this aims at younger males, probably below their 30s or for any one feeling young

This is such an underrated fragrance. The combination of lavender, citrus, and dry down of vanilla is very good. It lasts and is hated on for the bottle and packaging but not the scent itself. It is versatile and I would recommend this fragrance. It is in some ways similar to other fragrances, but it lasts long and is its own scent itself and is unique. Silage is also good

Ive been wearing this for almost 3 years and with the more and more releases so far.. this is still my number 1 despite the bottle maybe a little bit too childish, the scent is masterfully blended top note is totally fresh, and a bit zesty to my nose but then fades away into something sweet and cookie-liked very uplifting, super versatile and always gets me compliments

After maceration my experience with this fragrance blew my mind. Out of nowhere this started projecting crazily and I received a lot of compliments. Quite controversial with this perfume but I enjoyed every bit which is my own personal reflection. Don’t be shy on the sprays - if you want the compliments and to be noticed then spray around 10 times.

Starts sweet with the scent of vanilla and citrus, but has a massive earthy and woody depth. Great fragrance, lasts a while too, although becomes subtle after a couple hours. Best suitable at night or on cold crisp days - feels too sweet and thick in summer. Pairs best with a dark shirt and trousers, or other dark and grey clothes. 80/100.

It's a beautiful scent. Sweet citrus with a juicy apple, fresh lavender and a vanilla touch. Now bare with me... it's kind of if "Libre" by YSL had a brother... this would be it. The patchouli, smoke and vetiver give it more oomph... but yea it's in the same family. Brother from an other mother type of thing ^^. Anyways... love it !

This reminds me of when I was younger getting a popsicle and getting down to the stick and chewing on it to get the remaining flavors out. Cedar woody with super sweet fruits and a hint of vanilla. This DNA is my absolute favorite. Like Eros but summer. Overprices bc it doesn't last long, find an edp that resonates like this.

I actually passed on this and bought MYSLF and have been buying more and smelling more stuff since. I smelt this again yesterday and I can say this is pretty good actually and it lasts very long too. The rating is too low, I don't get it. It's fine. Kinda like Allure actually. Rabannes perform well.

To my nose I get orange creamsicle, but with lemon, wrapped with vanilla. It’s very sweet. I don’t think there’s anything to hate about this fragrance. If you don’t like sweet fragrances than obviously this isn’t a good choice for you. I’d give it an 9/10. I really like it.

The initial spray is an unappealing synthetic lemon, dries down to a lavander earthy smell with a decent smokey presence, and ends with a creamy vanilla/almond smell. I got it as a gift and would not purchase again cause there is better stuff out there.

I don't get why people dislike this fragrance so much, to me it smells like mangoes and cocoa and I absolutely LOVE it, I had my friends smell it too and they said the same thing, all in all the hate for this fragrance is completely undeserved.

I dont get the hate. very nice lemony lavender opening with a smoky vanilla drydown. performance:8/10 solid 5 hours with good projection value: 9/10 from discounters its really good smell:8/10 its js a pleasant smoky lavender lemon

Smells like sunscreen/body lotion, its one of my favorite and strongest colognes(stays on clothes even after washing), it's mostly vanilla I get zero lemon, since it's mostly vanilla it makes most other sweet fragrance redundant.

This used to be my favourite and gotten me many compliments on nights out. The new flankers far exceed this one though. Both the others seem a little less sweet and synthetic than this one does now in comparison.

I truly don’t know what this perfume has that keeps pulling me back, but every time I smell it, I fall in love all over again. It’s my favorite fragrance from the Rabanne house and one of my all-time favorites.

this is a nice fragrance a mix of 1 million and versace eros i think its definitely overhated like most paco rabanne fragrances and on older batches smells and lasts well

I bought this perfume and I'm a woman but I love wearing it it smells so good on me and it really lasts and it should be an EDP not EDT

The opening is a lemon synthetic smell, but the dry down i would describe as a lavender bubblegum, not a must have but it’s nice.

Very synthetic opening but dry down smells like a sweet lavender vanilla bubble gum. Pretty good, not my favorite but i like it.

Paco really made a fragrance you love or hate. Seeing the reviews make this sound unpleasant but upon trying it, its very good.

Perfume bem jovial, baladeiro sexy! Achei muito parecido com o scandal ! Fixa bem e projeta bem ótimo para noites de festas!!!

I own this 3 years now, it smells synthetic yes, but again, it smells great, good to wear in the beginning of the spring.

Smells like a rich teenager at a penthouse party, really sweet and reasonably well blended. Great gift for teens

how cant ppl love this fragrance? for me it is 10/10 the most unique, playful scent

@YaGirlSniffsMe: you have the best comment out there for this scent haha thank you

this is the best fragrance I've ever had despite the hates it is getting everyday

This is the fragrance I have gotten the most compliments on. People love this.

BEST BEST BEST nothing can describe this fragrance.. Im so in love with it

10/10 compliment getter even in tropical country like Vietnam

its lowk cloying but i love it, had my eye on this for ages

10/10 super good, it gets compliments a lot, in my case

idk why they hate it its good tbh they just gatekeep it

I love it a lot. It is a very easy scent to wear.