- Million Gold, Eau de Parfum Intense is the fifth fragrance in Rabanne’s ‘1 Million’ collection.
- This new Gold Intense recipe spotlights sandalwood — along with cedar and the iconic ‘1 Million’ head note of mandarin.
- Available now through David Jones (prices starting at $148).
If you were a high schooler or fledgling uni kid circa the early 2010s, chances are, you’ll be familiar with ‘1 Million’ — the famed Eau de Toilette from Spanish fashion and fragrance giant Paco Rabanne.
Well-known for its warm spicy accords of mandarin, cinnamon, and patchouli, the original 1 Million expression is one of those rare ‘modern’ fragrances (i.e. first released in 2008) that has gone on to certifiable icon status in the 21st century. The perfumer’s answer — if you’ll permit a few analogies — to Audi’s R8 performance car or the Old Fashioned cocktail.
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Now, over a decade later, the Maison is journeying back to the future with a fresh exploration of one of its resounding hits (not for nothing: probably also its best-known men’s fragrance of all time).
Entitled ‘Million Gold Intense’, this Eau-de-Parfum-grade newcomer in the 1 Million family is accompanied by lavish new packaging and the touchdown of Rabanne’s latest ambassador — Ghanaian-American musician Moses Sumney. (We can already see the track Vintage, from his new record Sophcore, becoming a monumental summer banger.)
At a glance, the Million Gold packaging will be familiar to even the most noncommittal scent lover: continuing in the ingot-shaped mould of such expressions as ‘Elixir’ and ‘Golden Oud’. The most significant flourish is the single link that now adorns the bottle’s front edge: inspired, according to Creative Director Julien Dossena, by Rabanne’s lavish XL link necklace.
As for what scent hounds can expect, Million Gold builds on crowd-pleasing themes of citrus and spice (both present in the original 1 Million formula) with the addition of sandalwood — a niche ingredient in the world of high-end fragrance that reportedly adds vibrancy and a certain “ultra-addictive” effect. Right on.
