Do You Want To Smell Gold?

Paco Rabanne’s latest iteration of its bestselling 1 Million line of scents reiterates the brand's fixation for the yellow metal

- Ashwin Rajagopalan

1 MILLION PARFUM

JOEY Bada$$ (the stylised version of Badass), one of the young superstars of the international hip hop scene is the face of Paco Rabanne’s latest iteration of its bestselling 1 Million line of scents. Launched in the aughts, this scent borrows from Paco Rabanne’s legendary gold fixation — years ago he crafted a dress with 9kg of fine gold and then inlaid it with 300 carats of diamonds. The gold ingot style bottle is now one of the most instantly recognizable flacons and is a collector’s delight.

The brand sticks to the same iconic shape with an interesting tweak — it features a radiant new emblem that the brand describes as ‘solar’. That description also refers to the actual juice. Christophe Raynaud, (the nose behind the original 1 Million in 2008) partners with perfumer Quentin Bisch for 1 Million Parfum. “Leather meets flowers in a heatwave”. That’s how this duo of perfumers describe the scent. It’s an unusual medley of notes that includes a salty tuberose, a strong leather accord, pine and solar notes.

Just like the packaging that screams for attention, this is not a subtle olfactory experience. It’s a bold new interpretation of the original 1 Million for a whole new generation. This scent is perfect for a night on the town or one of those Diwali poker parties. It boasts of great sillage and also scores on the longevity front.