Reviews

1 Million

Published October 7, 2026

1 Million is the men's Eau de Toilette launched by Paco Rabanne in 2008, composed by Christophe Raynaud, Olivier Pescheux and Michel Girard. The house describes it as woody spicy: blood mandarin, grapefruit and mint in the top notes, cinnamon and rose in the heart, leather, amber, patchouli and wood in the base. Its gold ingot-shaped bottle, designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, opened a long line of flankers.

Two signed readings: in 2009, Kevin of Now Smell This found 1 Million well blended, sugary and spicy like a retro barbershop, but too close to familiar masculines; in 2017, Elena Vosnaki saw an enveloping woody spicy scent, everywhere at once, for those who prefer certainty to originality.

What critics say

Kevin, Now Smell This

On May 6, 2009, Kevin found 1 Million hard to describe, so thoroughly blended is it. He compared it to squares of color painted side by side and blurred by a wet brush: an indistinct center and, at the edges, traces of individual notes.

He smelled sugar and spice, a touch of lavender and orange blossom, a vanillic amber, and the air of an upscale, slightly retro barbershop. He thought of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male, Joop! Homme and Givenchy’s Pi.

He found it nicely done, but considered it a copy of many masculines sold for decades, and would rather see more interesting fragrances take up American retail shelves.

Elena Vosnaki, Perfume Shrine

In June 2017, Elena Vosnaki saw 1 Million as a woody spicy scent pairing cinnamon with a leathery amber in proportions both flattering and engulfing, a sweetish, cozy fragrance she encounters in bars, clubs and on the subway.

She recommends it to those who bet on certainty rather than individuality. Given its popularity, she grants it rock-solid reliability for catching attention.