Paco Rabanne Pour Homme
Paco Rabanne (1973)

Found this for £19 / 100ml in a bargain bin at a Norwegian Airport, saw the rating and blind bought. (modern formulation)

This Fragrance is nothing special, but ironically that is why it is well reviewed. Its extremely versatile and quite mature, it is both 'board meeting at the office' and 'sunday afternoon at the clubhouse'.

Those examples probably describe the target demographic for this fragrance pretty well, definitely older guys. As a guy in his 20s - I probably wouldn't wear this any other time than a chill day at the office or a coffee with a colleague/family member.

The scent is green but not particularly fresh - the moss and sage are prominent and well complemented by more muskier tones to create light opening quickly followed by a thick dry down. This isn't a fragrance where projection was a focus, you wont be turning heads with this one. Longevity is pretty standard, 4 - 6 hours.

At not one point does this fragrance feel synthetic which is something I really enjoyed, it feels like I've been bathed in forest water trickling through an abandoned and moss laden herb garden. It also gives big barbershop aromas.

But in my opinion - which is really just a warning for the younger guys - I wouldn't be looking to pick this one up unless you need an office staple and work around older guys. Hence the neutral.

Elegant, masculine, shaving foam, soapy, musky green and lavender (short) scent. It has a musky base and in the same genre, due to the shaving foam hints it has, it can be compared to Rogue's Mousse Ilumine and, in part, to Polo Green (the latter much more robust and leathery). In general it maintains an aromatic, clean and fresh sensation, almost as if it has just been bleached. It has a good persistence, let's say it covers 6 hours rather easily and it's not a trail or crazy projection perfume, it always remains rather discreet but very present. The vintage version, needless to say, is a completely different thing from the modern one. For lovers of classic and timeless men's, in my opinion, it is an absolute must.

There’s days when I think I could wear Paco Rabanne Pour Homme every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. There’s only a handful of fragrances I would say that about and this is one of them.
Much of that has to do with balance. It’s perfectly balanced and manages to be everything, all at once.

It’s dark and deep, while at the same time bright & revealing.
Strong, but it doesn’t shout.
It smells clean with soapy notes, yet contrasts that with “dirtier” notes like Oakmoss, tobacco and a slightly animalic honey.
It’s polite and gentlemanly, but it’s not above a bar fight.
Simple, but also quite complex.

When you think you know it, it reveals something new that you never noticed before.
I wouldn’t bother reading note lists on this one, it won’t get you far. Maybe far off course. Spend time with it and trust your nose.

Like many of the great fragrances, it’s a bit of a shapeshifter and can smell quite different from day to day or person to person.
One day it’s clean & soapy, fresh and invigorating. On another day, it’s all about the herbs. A warm spring day, it might register as a dark, heady oakmoss fragrance, or perhaps on a day when the wind blows cold you’ll think it surely has woods and incense.
Maybe one day you’ll swear there’s rose in there.
And there probably is.

It’s quite a mature scent as well. Confident, wise, sure footed and a bit stern.
Plenty versatile. Works just as brilliantly with a white t-shirt on a Sunday as it does with a 3 piece suit on a Monday.

Cons: It’s probably not that appealing to younger demographics, a better fit for older guys I’d say. A bit too strong in the higher heat of summer. Reformulated over the years. That’s about it.

It’s truly a great fragrance. Is it a masterpiece? Who’s to say. But I’m perfectly fine with calling it that.


*My review is based on older versions of Paco Rabanne Pour Homme.

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme is a well-mannered, masculine classic.

It opens with An aromatic arpeggio of rosemary, sage, and rosewood on top of intertwined geranium and lavender.

A base of honey, amber, moss, and musk emerges after about 45 minutes that is masculine without being animalic.

If Kouros is a bit too much for you, then get a bottle of PRPH.

If the odd sharp note in Caron’s #3 has become annoying, then get a bottle of PRPH.

If Eau Sauvage is a bit too citrussy and soft for you, then get a bottle of PRPH.

If you like to wear masculine fragrances without smelling unnaturally macho, then PRPH is for you.

MODERN VERSION (2010+)

This is the reformulated version of the 48 year old rugged spicy green classic. It's substantially different from the vintage, much soapier, and much less mossy... different enough to be considered a flanker in my opinion. With that in mind I can appreciate the reformulated Paco as an Irish Spring soap bomb powerhouse that I prefer to Sung Homme.

Warning: If you're looking to replace an empty bottle of vintage Paco, you'll probably be better off with Fragrances of Ireland Patrick.

Masculinity Level: Charles Bronson chopping wood with an axe in The Magnificent Seven.

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VINTAGE VERSION (1991-1995)

In honor of the 50th anniversary since its release, I'm reviewing the vintage version of Paco PH. I never post the same fragrance twice, but the vintage is different enough from the current formulation to warrant a separate review. And what better time than its golden jubilee birthday year?

The notes I immediately detect are rosemary, sage, and lavender. Unlike the modern version, the opening is not sharp, not harsh, not screechy as hell. Here the dry-down is an excellent mix of greenness and natural-smelling soap. This is what an aromatic fougere should be. With the contemporary version you don't get any oakmoss and you get smothered by an avalanche of soap.

Projection on this 1990s vintage is decent and longevity is good. By contrast, the current formulation performs like an absolute beast - they smell you before they see you. Make no mistake, it's the modern version that's a powerhouse, not this. Having said that, I don't own the contemporary version anymore. Performance does not trump quality.

Masculinity Level: Still Charles Bronson in The Magnificent Seven, but now he's acting as a human shield to protect the kids.

Try layering this with Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt...it makes sense. A classic, southern France beach vibe with a modern English beach vibe. Try it!