Paco Rabanne Pour Homme (1973)
by Paco Rabanne

Modern masculines from Paco Rabanne are not something I enjoy. One Million and it’s flankers all choke me out, the Invictus line fills me with the burning fury of a thousand suns and my one bottle of Black XS from my twenties elicited a solid “Meh.”

The original Pour Homme is another story altogether. This is the first aromatic fougere I’ve purchased and it was love at first smell. My bottle is the modern formulation, but it’s still incredible.

The opening is reminiscent of faberge brut... in the most complimentary way possible. The bracing hit of sage and rosemary (And I think bergamot, even though it’s not listed) is gorgeous and the laurel adds a roundness that I really enjoy, it seems to pair up perfectly with the lavender and geranium. The development from the bracing opening through the soapy, powdery phase is gradual, rather subtle and just feels logical and beautifully done.

My favourite element, though, is undoubtedly the tobacco. It initially has a dry, papery quality that reminds me strongly of the note in Guerlain Vetiver and melds really smoothly with the honey, amber and musk in the base to give a sensation that is mostly rich, smooth and clean, with only a hint of sweetness and bitter dryness.

The only complaint one might raise is that this does smell old school. I think there’s enough retro chic in the fougere genre to give this some legs and hipster cred, but even without that, I don’t care. I can live with smelling old when it smells this damn good.

Old school. Mine's an '08 bottle.

Spicy Geranium. Mossy-honeyed-musk to it, remindful of King Kouros at times. Soapy. Versatile.

An undeniable stalwart in masculine fragrance history.

I completely refute the descriptive statement that the scent remains the same .
The current formula is nowhere near the original they are so detached from each other that they are different scents . The original is so classy and refined with beautiful accord of tobacco and honey built on a strong base of oakmoss and musk . So beautifully green .
The modern big logo bottle is weak and synthetic

Top marks! Probably the very first fragrance I ever encountered back in the 1980s. Dad always had a bottle. The best way I can describe PRPH is it smells like the finest soap and talcum powder set that money can buy...refined, clean, fresh and comforting. It really is unique and evocative.

This is how I like it. Very crisp, with lots of rosemary, sage and laurel, and the lavender is very smoothly blended in - unlike sweet modern lavenders. It is suave, it is fresh. The dry down is driven by moss and accentuated by a vague, hazy sweetness of honey and tonka, which makes it a little cosy; moderate separation of notes, and excellent balance. Sometimes rugged, sometimes refined, soothing, uplifting, robust, decidedly old school and definitely out of fashion (isn't that a good thing?). It isn't as sophisticated as Rive Gauche pour Homme, and is a tad less dressed up than Azzaro, but it is more effortless. I find there are some similarities in 'personality' with Bogart ("classic/signature"), even though scent profiles are somewhat different. A must try if you're into wet shaving or barbershop scents; discreet sillage and moderate duration.

4/5

Note: My bottle is a 'semi-vintage' splash. No idea as to how the current stuff is.