1 million paco rabanne

Dior Homme Intense vs 1 Million Comparison

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So, in today’s cologne comparison, I’m going to do one between two highly popular scents for men: Dior Homme Intense versus 1 Million by Paco Rabanne. In this post, I’m going to break down how each compares head to head, and ultimately which one smells the best. For more detail on each fragrance, I have included my original full wear reviews on them, linked below.

Tale of the Tape

Dior Homme Intense

Notes include: pear, iris, vetiver, ambrette, lavender, cedar

Click here to try: Christian Dior Dior Men Intense Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

Read My Full Review: Dior Homme Intense Review

1 Million

Notes include: grapefruit, blood orange, rose, mint, cinnamon, amber, leather, patchouli, and more

Click here to try: Paco Rabanne 1 Million Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fluid Ounce

Read my original review: 1 Million Cologne Review

Opening

Dior Homme Intense has one of my favorite 15-20 minute fragrance openings ever. I absolutely love spraying this cologne onto my skin and getting hit with the wonderful aroma. Cedar, vetiver, and amber notes blend to create a warm and woody scent that is amazing.

With that in mind, 1 Million would have to start out with something at least as fantastic in order to take this category.

It doesn’t. That’s not to say that it smells bad, but this is the stage where 1 Million has its infamous grape bubblegum aroma. I actually like it quite a bit, but it doesn’t touch the Dior.

That initial burst has lots of orange and grapefruit. But, you’re also already getting the rose heart and leather involved as well. Beyond that, there is the spiciness that is most prominent in the first half of the wear.

A nice dose of cinnamon, with a bit of mint, but it takes more to pick that one out of the bunch.

Nevertheless, the Dior takes this category.

Edge: Dior Intense

Projection

Dior Intense lives up to its name and delivers an excellent sillage. 1 Million can be a complete bomb of cologne when applied.

So, while Dior Intense is strong, 1 Million is still that much stronger.

Update: Newer bottles of 1 Million have that strong initial burst and project quite far. However, it doesn’t maintain that same level throughout. It might actually be somewhat equal between them now.

The old formulas of 1 Million were absolutely beast mode and could outdo DHI easily. Now, not so much.

Edge: 1 Million

Longevity

You won’t have a problem with either of these fragrances not lasting long enough. I get double digit hours of wear from each of them. Which one goes longer? Not sure, if one lasts 12 and the other 13 hours, but it’s not really important at that point. It’s pretty even here.

Update: Nowadays, I give the edge to DHI. The latest bottle of 1 Million that I purchased, lasts in the 8 hour neighborhood now. So, it’s for sure lost a couple of steps.

Edge: Dior Intense

Versatility

Dior Intense and 1 Million are both great in the colder months of the year. Neither one is a summer scent, but I think Intense holds up better in slightly warmer weather. Though, not in the high summer.

Dior Intense is great in that it can be worn at the office, on a date, or at a night club. It’s classy and sexy, which gives it a flexibility that many colognes don’t possess.

1 Million smells much more youthful and is best served as a nightlife wear. This limits its usefulness for a lot of guys.

Dior is just the classier and more well-rounded fragrance. 1 Million is the fun attention grabber, which may not appeal to you on an individual level.

Edge: Dior Intense

Overall Scent

To me, Dior Homme Intense is just the better scent all around. I think that the scent itself is great and it has much more universal appeal.

When I wear, Dior Intense, I always get lots of complements. 1 Million is great, I still wear it at times, but it’s not in the same league.

The grape bubblegum opening scares some people off of wearing it, but I think it gets better as it dries down. I still personally like breaking out 1 Million, now and again. It’s still got a charm about it and isn’t nearly as ubiquitous as it used to be.

That being said, I’d rather wear 1 Million Prive, over the original. However, that’s another story, and for the matchup between the two stars of this post, I’m going with Dior Homme Intense. (Update: that’s discontinued now, anyway).

It’s an amazing fragrance, that has achieved classic status in such a short time. The dry down while not as good as how Dior Intense opens, is still a powdery and appealing chocolate-like scent that really grabs attention.

Winner: Dior Homme Intense

5 Colognes Similar to 1 Million Elixir

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1 Million Elixir is one of the more recent flankers of the long running and best-selling 1 Million line from Paco Rabanne. Now, maybe you like this scent a lot, but want something a little different. Maybe you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative that smells a lot like it. Well, I’m going to present options on this list that have a similar style or give an inspired by take on the Elixir formula.

What fragrances smell like or are similar to 1 Million Elixir?

million elixir review

Inspired Option

Error 419 by Dua– This is one of the ‘Error’ scents that Dua releases, where they don’t use the designer’s name in their ‘inspired by’ formula. 419 is a mimic of 1 Million Elixir.

Basically, if you want a cheaper alternative that tries to smell as close to Elixir as possible, this is currently the best bet.

You still get the apple, davana, vanilla, etc. It’s all there and in an extrait de parfum formula. I haven’t tried this one from Dua, but I have bought probably 12+ fragrances of this sort from them in the past. The usually hit the mark extremely close.

Absolutely a Similar Style

Stronger with You Absolutely– Sweet, warmth, and vanilla are going to be the main overlaps between Absolutely and Elixir. These two are not identical, but share a lot in terms of style.

With Elixir, I get plenty of the amber note. With this Armani, it’s a mix of the resinous elemi and the ‘glaze’ of that signature chestnut note. They both have a hint of smoke at times.

This one is spicier and has a boozy rum note in there too. Sweet, the dry down is where they feel closest to one another. Again, though, they never quite match perfectly. This is one to check out if you’re a fan of Elixir, but want to switch things up. Stronger Absolutely Review

Royal Relation

1 Million Royal– 1 Million, Elixir, and Le Male Airlines are fragrances that I would use to describe what 1 Million Royal smells like.

I bought a full bottle of this when it came out. The main similarities with Elixir are the amber and the sweetness. However, this one really comes out with a spiciness provided by the cardamom note, ala, Le Male Airlines.

Lighter on the vanilla. But, that benzoin, cedar, amber and general 1 Million foundation is all there. Another one that stands separate from Elixir, but some of you might prefer this edition to our target scent. Royal Review

Victory 

Invictus Victory– Victory or Victory Elixir are two alternatives by Paco Rabanne, that you might like more than 1 Million Elixir. These do have the sweetness, but the openings of each aren’t too similar to what we’re after.

The dry down is where its at. Vanilla, tonka bean, amber, wood. Both of these Invictus flankers have a closely related middle and finishing act to 1 Million Elixir.

I’m not even much of a fan of Invictus as a line, but these two are actually really good and are colognes you’d probably be into if you like Elixir.

Another Elixir

Le Male Elixir– Probably the least like our target, out of the bunch. But, it has style elements that make me put it on the list.

Vanilla, tonka bean, benzoin are the notes most reminiscent of 1 Million Elixir. This one has a strong mint, up top, with a powerful sweetness. Warm, somewhat cloying, and intense. Honey and tobacco also have a role to play here.

Not the number 1 pick, as an alternative that smells like our target cologne, but one worth considering in the same ballpark stylistically. Possibly, Ultra Male too. Le Male Elixir Review

1 Million Intense by Paco Rabanne

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1 Million Intense is a fragrance that has been discontinued for a long time now, having a production run after its 2013 release. It’s one that I knew I hadn’t reviewed on the site, didn’t think I’d ever tried out (I really cannot remember), and I had the opportunity to by an old sample as part of a lot.

Better late than never, I’ve been testing out Intense to see what this one is all about. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is this Paco Rabanne, worth tracking down an older bottle?

What does 1 Million Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: saffron, orange, cardamom, rose, black pepper, cinnamon, patchouli, orris, leather, neroli, sandalwood

My Full Review

Here’s how Paco Rabanne describes it: 1 Million takes on a sensual and warm intensity through its new interpretation: a flamboyant burst of ruby mandarin orange laced with spices on a vibrantly masculine base of iris and sandalwood.

Immediately, you can tell that this is a follow up to the original 1 Million. That mandarin orange comes through plenty juicy and sweet, like in that one. The main difference is going to be the initial spicy punch.

Black pepper, cardamom, and saffron all come through. Cinnamon is there too, and it will become the dominant spice out of the bunch.

It’s rougher than the original, much less sweet, and with a bigger rose note. That, however, will reveal itself more later on.

The black pepper and saffron are pretty huge in that opening. The pepper is short lived, but that fresh saffron note sticks around, just in a declining role.

I actually compared aspects of The One Mysterious Night, to another Paco Rabanne flanker, 1 Million Cologne. However, it also applies to Intense with its spice and rose combo. Not to mention, saffron and citrus.

Once we get past that initial intensity, this one settles down into a smoother floral sort of aroma. Neroli and rose begin to take center stage, alongside them are cinnamon and saffron.

As we dry down, it gets closer to the original 1 Million. Leather which becomes apparent in the first hour, will be one of the last notes standing.

With that, will be the rose, a bit of patchouli, and cinnamon sitting on a woody base. It still has that 1 Million ‘bubble gum’ sweetness to it. Just with more depth.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Yes, 1 Million Intense lives up to it’s name. This one has a very strong sillage, can cloud up a room, leave a trail, and projects very well…in the early stages.

After that, it is still going to be strong, just not oppressively so. 4-6 feet from the skin, is about what I get out of this one.

On my skin, it seems to be in that 9.5-11+ hour range. About what I got with the old original bottles of 1 Million. It’s probably not going past 12 hours, but it’s capable of getting up there.

Seasonally, this one is also and autumn and winter wear. This might get ridiculous in the heat and I’d avoid that. But, on a moderate evening, it’s actually still nice. But, I’d stick to a chilly night.

I’ve never considered the original 1 Million to be a versatile scent. It’s always been a casual or nightlife wear for me. Something fun to wear, every so often.

Intense is along those same line, but I think it’s more mature. It’s depth, spiciness, and toned down sweetness will have a greater appeal across age ranges. Still not a formal fragrance, however.

Overall Impressions of 1 Million Intense

Overall, do I like this version of 1 Million? I do. It takes that 1 Million DNA that I like, amps up aspects, and adds others.

The opening is a spicy and intense punch, but I think that they pulled it off well. Maybe not my favorite part, but I like the transition to the next phase once things have calmed down.

The performance is fantastic. Just like how older bottles of the original were, but a touch above that. Loud (at first) and long-lasting. No complaints in that department.

I think that it’s very good, if you’re a 1 Million fan already. Those who aren’t, probably wouldn’t have their minds changed by Intense.

Then, we come to the fact that bottles are very pricey, since it’s been discontinued. I’m not so sure that it’s worth tracking down for probably 99% of people. If you’re a collector or just someone who loves these Paco Rabanne releases, then, you might be an exception.

For everyone else, I wouldn’t bother, unless you see one out in the wild for a reasonable price. It’s a good fragrance, but not an absolute must have.

1 Million Elixir by Paco Rabanne

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1 Million is still a powerhouse name from Paco Rabanne. The brand has been releasing newer flankers these past handful of years, with 2022’s Elixir being the latest. I recently got a sample of 1 Million Elixir to review and have been testing it out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does 1 Million Elixir Smell Like?

Notes include: osmanthus, Damascena rose, tonka bean, cedar, apple, davana, patchouli, vanilla absolute

Click here to buy: 1 Million Elixir

million elixir review

My Full Review

Here’s how Paco Rabanne describes it: 1 Million Elixir, richer than ever before, for thrilling sensations.  The hand-picked ingredients, Turkish Damascena rose, osmanthus and wild grown tonka beans, undoubtedly make this masterpiece composition stand out by the extreme quality of its raw materials. Deeply sensual, liquorous davana vibrates with the power of smooth woods and black vanilla seeds. Supreme sensuality meets absolute long-lasting power.

Elixir opens up with a crisp apple note up top. It’s not massively strong or candy-like, but that note will help lend this one some fruitiness. Beyond the apple, you get contributions of ‘fruitiness’ from the davana, osmanthus, and the Damascena rose.

Each of those notes adds something akin to a fruit smell, without actually being fruits themselves. They also seem to give Elixir almost an amber-like aroma underneath. Not sure which note or combination is doing that here.

Davana up top gives this one a drier woodsy/herbal/fruity smell, that will fade away rather quickly.

What I do notice from the start and throughout is the vanilla note. Well, really vanilla and tonka bean, but the latter will get stronger later on in the development of this scent. Up top, you’re getting much more vanilla.

The Damask rose is more floral than sweet, but even that adds something to the top. After the apple settles and the davana passes, the rose will come out along with some smoky fresh cedar.

Now, this isn’t a traditional red rose aroma. It’s lighter and sweeter than that, more pinkish or white than what you might otherwise expect. This is going to be one of the main notes throughout.

Though it’s not listed and doesn’t feel to intense here, I do get something that smells like cinnamon here. Cinnamal is listed in the actual chemical ingredients and it was a note in the original 1 Million, so, I’m not crazy in picking it up.

As it dries down, this becomes less fruity sweet and more of a vanilla and tonka bean dominant scent. For the rest of the way, the other notes will just jockey for position underneath those two notes.

Rose, patchouli/cedar, some remaining apple. Warm and fresh.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

1 Million Elixir is a strong fragrance, especially at the start. I don’t think that it is a complete monster, with how it projects and the scent trail that it leaves.

However, it is well above average, and is more importantly consistent. This isn’t a fragrance that starts out big and quickly fades. No, the projection will taper off slowly and you’ll be good to go for a long time. Just, the peak isn’t a total bomb.

With the longevity, it lasts on my skin for up to 10 hours. It seems to fall in the 8.5-10 hour range, but doesn’t go beyond that for me. The performance here is well worth the price of admission.

Seasonally, more of an autumn and winter scent. I wouldn’t go much too much above room temperature with this. So, that eliminates summer and much of springtime.

1 Million Elixir really gives you another option, as a nightlife scent. It’s nice to see that this line has headed back to being about that aspect of wear, like the original was. Lucky and Parfum didn’t have that same feel.

This one is going to skew younger, but isn’t completely childish. Just don’t expect a cologne that is built for formal occasions or office wear. This is one to draw complements and go out with.

It can probably fit better into more daily wear situations that the original and many others in the series, especially because of the easier and fresher dry down period.

Overall Impressions of 1 Million Elixir

Overall, do I like 1 Million Elixir? Yes, this is one of the better 1 Million releases. I think it’s about on par with the original, but not as good as 1 Million Prive. Though, it’s better than the others in this line.

The opening and first quarter of the wear is really the best part. After that, the vanilla and tonka bean take things over fully, and it’s not as dynamic.

Not that it’s bad, but I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about the later parts of this cologne. The davana was a bit too short-lived, while the osmanthus and apple pairing is great while it’s got the center stage.

But, that first bit is definitely strong enough to warrant a try or buy of 1 Million Elixir. This scent is for sure in the same vein as the Stronger With You line or Ultra Male. Though, the latter is much sweeter and has a spicier cinnamon note.

Either way, it’s not exactly the same as either of them and stands separate enough to be a distinct fragrance.

The smell is quite attractive and the performance absolutely delivers what you’d want from a 1 Million scent. They went a bit of a different direction with 2023’s 1 Million Royal, which I also like a lot.

1 Million Royal by Paco Rabanne

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1 Million Royal is the latest flanker fragrance of the highly popular line by Paco Rabanne. It was released in 2023 and slowly seems to be getting more attention. It took me a while just to get a hold of the bottle, since it was only recently released in the US a week or so before writing this. How does Royal smell? Does it last long? Is it actually worth a try?

What does 1 Million Royal Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin orange, bergamot, cardamom, lavender, violet leaf, cedar, sage, benzoin, patchouli

Buy from Sephora: Royal

million royal review

My Full Review

Here’s how Paco Rabanne describes it: Powered by your inner confidence, enter the 1 Million Royal kingdom with the ultimate fragrance of defiant self-expression, made for you by Paco Rabanne. Unconstrained by convention, find the freedom to live by your own rules with 1 Million Royal: a flamboyant fresh woody blend that collides with a distinctive sensuality to unleash what makes you uniquely you. Claim the stage; you’re the king. It’s time to rise.

1 Million Royal opens up with a blend of notes vying for your attention. The mandarin orange and bergamot citrus are sitting on top of the mix, giving this an initial lightness and brightness.

Underneath, the warm spiciness of the cardamom and benzoin notes are already coming through. Royal will have more of a cardamom spice versus other notes here, but early I get a decent amount of sage and a touch of patchouli. The latter, is only noticeably if I really focus and basically press my nose up against where I sprayed.

In comparison to 1 Million Elixir, this also has a sweetness and amber-like heart thanks to that benzoin. However, Elixir is much sweeter, floral, and vanilla based. Royal seems to have something giving it a light vanilla effect, but the note isn’t actually listed (probably benzoin, creating that vanilla effect).

Royal also shares plenty of similarities with Le Male Airlines by JPG. I have a full bottle of that fragrance and they definitely overlap.

Notably, they share notes of: cardamom, lavender, citrus, and cedar. But, they aren’t exactly the same in terms of smell. Airlines is sweeter and much more cardamom dominant. The cardamom itself seems to be a different type in Royal, spicier with less of the citrusy facets.

I like Royal more than Airlines thus far.

As we move along, the spiciness will tone down. I start to get a greater ratio of the lavender versus the cardamom and the benzoin will also begin to claim the top spot.

That’s mostly what the dry down is all about. A sort of fuzzy vanilla amber aroma of the benzoin, lavender, the remaining cardamom, and a generic fresh woody cedar note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Royal isn’t a heavy fragrance. Though, it has a lot more power than you think that it does. It’s kind of diffuse and the cloud that it creates around you is much more like a mist for most of the wear.

3-4 hours into the wear I can still smell it on me and I’ve had one other person comment positively on it during my first initial test. This was hours after I had sprayed it on my arm, not even on the usual pulse points.

I’d say at its peak, Royal is probably a 5-8 foot radius cologne, in terms of its projection. After that, it’s going to spend a ton of time in that 3-4 foot range. Not bearing down on you, but I’ve noticed it hanging around without having to press my nose to my skin.

On me, this lasts somewhere in the 8-8.5 hour range. Good enough for most uses, but not incredible either.  Royal is actually a parfum concentration and the performance basically reflects that higher level of perfume.

It does fall slightly short of what I got with Elixir. Almost the same sillage, but Elixir lasts up to 10 hours on me.

Seasonally, probably going to be more of an autumn and winter wear. It’s actually nice in moderate temperatures, so, spring will be fine in most places. That’s especially true in the evenings.

It’s about to officially be summer here in a few days, which has limited a lot of my testing to indoors, as it’s not a fragrance that is built for the heat. It’s actually not terrible, since Royal isn’t overly thick and heavy, just not ideal.

1 Million Royal does skew more towards being a nightlife fragrance, but it isn’t completely out of place in a variety of other situations. It’s just not really a formal type of cologne.

It can really be worn by a man of any age, since it doesn’t have the same level of candy-like sweetness that some other fragrances in the 1 Million series can. It’s very much like 1 Million Prive, in that regard.

As I wrote earlier, I’ve already gotten a complement on Royal and this one indeed feels like it’s going to have mass appeal. I think that I’ll use my bottle mostly for casual and nightlife wear.

Overall Impressions of 1 Million Royal

Overall, do I like 1 Million Royal? Yes, to me it’s on par with Elixir. I do notice the similarities, but these are ultimately different fragrances. Royal is warmer, spicier, and doesn’t have that Elixir sweetness.

I wasn’t sure that I was going to like this and was worried that I’d have a full bottle of the stuff just languishing on my shelf. Royal turned out to be better than I expected and I will get plenty of use out of it.

It’s actually much closer to Le Male Airlines than the other 1 Million scents. It’s like they fused that Gaultier cologne’s DNA with some of the 1 Million fragrances’ and then added more benzoin. All resulting in 1 Million Royal.

I think that the opening is really great. The citrus gives it a nice energy and the balance of the spiciness, benzoin, and lavender is near perfection at that point. Enough sweetness to not be overwhelmed in either the spicy or sweet direction.

Performance is solid. Not a monster projector, but Royal does have a nice ability to project and leave a scent trail. Longevity is about what you’d need in most scenarios.

I recommend giving this one a try, if you’re a fan of the 1 Million series. It’s different of course, but that same sort of vibe and style is present here. I’m glad that I bought it.