When it comes to Paco Rabanne, One Million is undoubtedly their most popular and loved fragrance to date.
Even more than 20 years after its release, men choose to go for this classic scent over many others. Hence, I decided to dig out the best dupes and alternatives of One Million and list them out for you.
So, if you are looking for alternatives to the famous One Million by Paco Rabanne, then just keep reading!
What Does Paco Rabanne One Million Smell Like?
One Million by Paco Rabanne was launched in 2008 and created by a group of famous perfumers – Christophe Raynaud, Olivier Pescheux, Michel Girard, and Christian Dussoulier.
This fragrance has an overall woody, spicy, sweet, and leathery fragrance – it’s a wonderful mix that has many layers and dimensions to it.
Before I detail the different layers of One Million, I have included a breakdown of the notes present in it so that you can better understand and compare the scent.
Top Notes: Blood Mandarin, Grapefruit, and Mint
Middle Notes: Cinnamon, Spicy Notes, and Rose
Base Notes: Amber, Leather, Woody Notes, and Indian Patchouli
The opening of One Million is very sweet and has an almost candy-like feel to it. Some people even say that the mixture of citrus, grapefruit, and mint makes it smells like bubblegum upfront.
The core of the scent reveals a spicy side of the scent accompanied by cinnamon and subtle rose before transitioning to the woody and leathery base.
The base is warm, ambery, and woody. It makes the scent smell more mature and likable.
Moreover, One Million is a perfect winter scent that’s quite versatile, it has a very strong projection and lasts for a whopping 10 hours!
So, it’s an excellent cologne even in terms of performance.
What Colognes Smell Like One Million By Paco Rabanne?
One Million checks many boxes for being a great cologne – both for aroma and performance.
Owing to this fragrance’s enormous appeal, other versions and flankers, including limited editions, have been developed in the years since its launch.
Naturally, not all its clones and inspired fragrances have a comparable scent to performance to this Paco Rabanne sensation.
Hence, after testing a bunch of colognes myself, I have listed the best alternative to One Million in this article.
So, here are my shortlisted picks for the best dupes or alternatives for One Million By Paco Rabanne:
The Golden Secret by Antonio Banderas
Top Notes: Apple, Mint, and Green Notes
Middle Notes: Nutmeg, Pepper, and Cumin
Base Notes: Leather, Cedar, and Musk
The first cologne that’s very similar to One Million is The Golden Secret by Antonio Banderas.
Launched in 2011, this scent was created by one of the perfumers behind the Paco Rabanne cologne – Christophe Raynaud. This sort of makes sense why it is so similar to what we are looking for.
If you look at the notes profile of The Golden Secret, you will notice that it has many accords in common with One Million.
The opening of this scent has a similar sweetness owing to the apple and a similar mint scent. The heart notes are spicy and really spruce up the scent.
The closing is woody and musky, but leather is one of the key players in this cologne and makes it feel really sensual and masculine.
Overall, the scent of The Golden Secret is very close, yet much more subdued than One Million. It has a moderate projection, lasts for around 5 hours or so, and costs much less than its Paco Rabanne inspiration.
When to Wear
The Golden Secret is a winter scent just like One Million, but it’s not as strong as the latter, so it can be used for casual occasions as well. Besides formal events and date nights, you can also use this as regular wear during the cooler seasons.
Why Should You Buy
- Close dupe of One Million.
- Versatile scent.
- Less expensive alternative.
- Sexy and mature scent.
AB Spirit Millionaire by Lomani
Top Notes: Green Apple, Cardamom, Bergamot, and Mandarin Orange
Middle Notes: Cumin, Coriander, Nutmeg, and Jasmine
Base Notes: Vanilla, White Musk, Amber, and Cedar
The next cologne is AB Spirit Millionaire by Lomani, a very close clone of One Million with some individual touches of its own.
AB Spirit Millionaire has a very similar opening to One Million, with sweet apple and citruses. However, it’s much spicier than One Million right from the top.
The core of the scent has a bunch of spices, including cumin, nutmeg, and more, combined with a subtle floral goodness of jasmine making it smell quite aromatic.
The base of the scent is way muskier than One Million with a similar woody, ambery aroma along with creamy vanilla.
AB Spirit Millionaire is very inexpensive, lasts for a very long time (8 to 9 hours), and projects fairly well.
I’d say that if you want a cheaper dupe of One Million that’s somewhat spicier but excellent, you can definitely go for this.
When to Wear
AB Spirit Millionaire by Lomani is perfect for fall and winter. I think it’s much more appropriate for nighttime occasions, just like One Million. You can wear it to date nights, parties, as well as formal affairs.
Why Should You Buy
- Good clone of One Million.
- Affordable cologne.
- Very long-lasting.
- Strong projection.
- Spicy and masculine aroma.
- Excellent value for the price.
Cuba Royal by Cuba Paris
Cuba Royal by Cuba Paris is the next cologne on the list and it is a very close and inexpensive dupe of One Million.
Cuba Royal is pretty straightforward and doesn’t really have a lot of dimensions to its scent. However, it does have a very similar aroma to what we are looking for.
The opening of Cuba Royal is very sweet and creamy. As it develops the scent gets really woody and spicy, really fast. It is very reminiscent of One Million, even though it doesn’t smell exactly identical to it.
The leathery aroma is missing in this bit, but you get a smokey tobacco that makes the cologne quite smokey and mature.
It comes at a fraction of the price of the Paco Rabanne cologne and has quite a good performance considering its price.
If you want an inexpensive alternative that you can use more often and still smell as good, this one is a great option for you.
When to Wear
Cuba Royal, like One Million, is great for winter and fall. It’s especially suitable for night outs, dates, and cozy affairs in the evening time.
Why Should You Buy
- Good dupe of One Million.
- Very inexpensive.
- Good sillage.
- Lasts for a decent time.
- Great value for the price.
Club de Nuit Man by Armaf
Top Notes: Mandarin Orange, Mint, and Grapefruit
Middle Notes: Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, and Pepper
Base Notes: Amber, Spicy Notes, Leather, Patchouli, and Woody Notes
Club de Nuit Man by Armaf is another excellent recreation of One Million and it gets a lot of love from the customers as well.
To start off, Club de Nuit isn’t as sweet as the original. However, besides that, it starts off on a very similar note, with the exact same accords opening this cologne.
The core of the scent is very delightful – it’s very spicy, with the heart notes (pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves) dominating most of the scent.
The base of the scent is again very close to One Million. You get a lot of leather, wood, and amber notes. However, the amber is the strongest base note in the base notes of this cologne.
Overall, it’s an excellent cologne to get whether you want something like One Million or not. It’s less expensive than the Paco Rabanne scent and has remarkable duration and sillage.
When to Wear
Club de Nuit is ideal for winter and fall, but you can also use it during spring. It’s an excellent cologne for any time of the day, especially for nighttime events. You can wear it to casual, semi-formal, and formal events alike.
Why Should You Buy
- Similar scent to One Million.
- Less expensive.
- Good sillage.
- Long-lasting aroma.
- Creamier, smoother scent.
- Great value for the price.
Halloween Man by Halloween
Top Notes: Martini, Violet Leaf, Mandarin Orange, and Basil
Middle Notes: Cinnamon, Lavender, Ginger flower, and Orange Blossom
Base Notes: Vanilla, Leather, Amber, and Musk
The last scent on this list is Halloween Man by Halloween, which launched in 2012. This clone of One Million is very upbeat and likable.
Halloween Man starts off much sweeter than what we are looking for, with the added scent of martini that’s quite detectable.
The core of the scent is filled with spices that make it reminiscent of One Million, but the citrus touch is still present here.
However, the base is the closest to the Paco Rabanne scent with warm amber, musk, and sensual leather.
Halloween Man is a fun and boozy alternative to One Million. It’s very long-lasting with strong projection and is less expensive than the Paco Rabanne cologne.
When to Wear
Halloween Man is perfect for winter and fall. It’s a great option for nighttime events. I would recommend wearing it to parties and fancy events – it is great if you want to get some attention.
Why Should You Buy
- Similar aroma to One Million.
- Less expensive.
- Good longevity.
- Decent projection.
- More upbeat and boozy.
Wrapping Up
There’s no doubt that Paco Rabanne One Million is an excellent cologne to own and wear. However, there are many dupes and alternatives to this scent that are equally good!
So, if you want something close to One Million either at a cheaper price or with a little different characteristic – I highly recommend that you try out the scents in this article.
They all replicate the aroma of the Paco Rabanne bestseller very well and have unique touches of their own.
So, let me know which one you decide to go for!
