1 Million Lucky by Paco Rabanne is a Woody fragrance for men. 1 Million Lucky was launched in 2018 as an Eau de Toilette. The nose behind this fragrance is Natalie Gracia-Cetto.
The scent is part of the Paco Rabanne Million Collection. It’s a flanker to the original and iconic 1 Million by Paco Rabanne however, it has since been discontinued.
The keynotes of this Woody fragrance are Plum, Honey, Citrus, Cedar, Amber, and Patchouli.
A word by the brand:
“Seize your dreams and build your own life. Intensely. Grab hold of happiness when it arises. Pure feeling. Tremble, share, and dare. Without limits. Live every moment, without delay.”
| Perfume Name | 1 Million Lucky |
| Brand | Paco Rabanne |
| Year Released | 2018 |
| Concentration | Eau de Toilette |
| Scent Family | Woody |
| Gender | men |
I recently received a sample from a friend as they didn’t like the scent. Here is my experience of wearing it.
What does 1 Million Lucky by Paco Rabanne smell like?
1 Million Lucky is a sweet composition, and it smells like tart plum, honey, amber, and hazelnut on top of a cedar base.
You can’t speak about this fragrance without alluding to the original. It definitely bears some resemblance, but it’s different enough that owning both of these won’t be redundant. It has the core of the original, as it shares that lovely amber, patchouli, and grapefruit notes.
1 Million Lucky gives off a similar vibe as Ultra Male by Jean Paul Gaultier. Except you remove the vanilla and replace it with woodsy, hearty notes. So the similarity to Ultra Male isn’t necessarily as much about having the exact notes, but in the sense that it’s sweet with still being masculine.
I also can’t help but think of Polo Red Extreme, but it’s certainly less spicy and without the coffee note.
| Top Notes | Plum, Ozonic notes, Grapefruit and Bergamot |
| Middle Notes | Hazelnut, Honey, Cedar, Cashmere Wood, Jasmine and Orange Blossom |
| Base Notes | Amberwood, Patchouli, Oakmoss and Vetiver |
My Experience
The opening of this scent is a warm and woody aroma with a good dose of sweetness. My nose first picks up the plum, which is a little bit tart. This tartness is complemented by the honey and a dash of citrus that rounds out the opening beautifully. The tartness might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I find it quite pleasing.
Next, I can detect more of the cedar wood base that’s enveloped in amber. The hazelnut adds this beautiful creamy and nutty quality to the scent. After about half an hour, the amber and cedar become even more prominent, and they are joined by the patchouli note.
The first time I tried this scent, I thought the hazelnut note would completely disappear as I couldn’t really distinguish it anymore. But to my surprise, it started to become more prominent again in the dry down. However, it’s still the plum and honey that are the dominant note in this composition.
Sillage & Projection
The sillage of 1 Million Lucky is moderate overall, and it projects about 3-4 feet around the wearer. I find it hangs quite close to my skin.
Longevity & Versatility
The longevity of this scent is pretty good, and I get about 7 hours of wear on average. I’d classify 1 Million Lucky as a pretty versatile scent overall. You can wear it to the office, to brunch with friends, and to the club.
I can see myself wearing this year-round so that it could be a strong candidate for someone’s signature scent. It will hold up in the heat of summer but also in the dead of winter.
Closing thoughts
This is overall a lovely fragrance, but it’s not one that I feel I absolutely have to have in my collection despite it being quite unique on the market, in my opinion. The plum note truly stands out for me as it brings about a different type of sweetness than I usually get from sweet-leaning scents. It’s the sweet tartness that really amps up the uniqueness of the scent.
This fragrance is very youthful and geared toward the younger crowd. So guys under the age of 35 or maybe even 30 will gravitate toward it. Also, for those that like sweeter fragrances like Ultra Male, it’s definitely worth trying out, at least.