Fame Parfum
Rabanne (2023)

This starts with a crowd-pleasing waxy mango smell that's more "tropical punch" candle than haute perfume. It's soon joined by mint, which I find to be an awkward combination, as the mint ends up smelling boozy, so the mix comes across like a really bad cocktail (crème de menthe with artificial mango? yuck...).

Honestly, that's pretty much all I smell, with the minty mango just sort of fading over a few hours. Any woods, patchouli, or anything else (assuming it's there) are just a quiet smear under the topnotes. As such, I'm a bit bothered that this is being sold as a parfum. There are specific definitions of what constitutes a parfum concentration, as well as traditions about the performance and base-heavy concentrations that are expected from the designation, and this does absolutely none of those. In all, a disappointment.

This is the first and only fragrance that I’ve smelled from the Fame line so far, but I like it, and so does my wife. This parfum version does not project a great distance, but it’s strong and substantial up close, and has good longevity. I would find this very attractive on a woman, particularly up close. The parfum format appears to address some of the complaints about the performance of the original EDP (mostly about projection and longevity).

While not listed as a component, Firmenich has stated that its bioengineered sandalwood captive Dreamwood™ is the secret behind the rich sandalwood note in Fame EDP. That component is also listed in Fame Intense, so I’m fairly certain it’s being used here. The sandalwood note is quite nice, and works together with a strong benzoin, some non-skanky musks, and a well-behaved frankincense, to create a wonderful, clean, persistent warmth which is apparent even in the opening.

There is also a nice and very clean patchouli, strong in the opening, which is very enjoyable. As things dry down, I smell something like Akigalawood - probably Firmenich’s CLEARWOOD®, which I like. The mango and jasmine are significant and long-lasting, and my wife found Fame Parfum to be adequately floral and feminine, even as it was drying down. On the other hand, the pink pepper in the opening makes it enjoyably spicy for me, but is not prominent enough to ruin the fragrance for those who prefer less spicy florals.

There seems to be no obvious olfactory relationship to Phantom, which I own and love, other than the excellent, robot-style bottle. The fragrance is not, in my opinion, a feminized version of Phantom. It is its own fragrance, with a consistent style being apparent throughout the line, from what I'm reading and smelling.

Overall, I can easily recommend this parfum version of the fragrance.

***

Dream on, Robo-chan
For your beauty is inside
Where many trees live.