Paco Rabanne
Paco Rabanne Phantom is the robot friend you’ve been waiting for. Image: Courtesy Paco Rabanne.

Sex, rebellion, freedom, exploration – Paco Rabanne has never been a brand to shy away from risque topics and with their new scent for men, Phantom, it’s obvious they have no intention of starting now.

Created by four of the industry’s best noses – Dominique Ropion, Anne Flipo, Loc Dong and Juliette Karagueuzoglou. A dream team of tradition and technology that would imagine a perfume that’s more than today – it’s for tomorrow. Or, at least the world we imagine tomorrow to be. “Phantom is the perfect remedy to these strange times,” Karagueuzoglou tells ICON. “It is a fragrance that makes you feel free, sexy and confident. What better way to forget about what is happening and to think about a bright future?”

The future, it seems, is cybernetic. From the robot bottle that brings the fragrance alive when you activate it with your phone (the first of its kind, too) to the methods of production, Phantom is the next generation of perfumery – a combination of human creativity amplified by AI technology. 

Paco Rabanne
Lavender, buoyed by citrus and angular vetiver, make up Paco Rabanne’s signature. Image: Courtesy Paco Rabanne.

Built on a scaffolding of rich lavender that’s made even creamier with vanilla given an angular edge with lemon zest and vetiver, it’s an intriguing blend of barbershop-style notes and aromatic freshness that, according to Karagueuzoglou, is guaranteed to make you feel good. Real good. Using what the team at Paco Rabanne describe as Augmented Creativity, which assisted in defining the exact dosage required to stimulate emotional responses. This is aided in part by the use of a “vintage” molecule within the fragrance, known as Styrallyl acetate. A radiant, green fruity note that lifts the entire fragrance, boosting each of hte other notes along the way. There’s few other industries where science and art meet the way they do in perfumery. 

“Technology comes in many forms: from the power and limitless possibilities of synthetic molecules to the crafting and production of exceptional naturals,” explains Dong. “And of course for Phantom, it’s the combination of artificial intelligence and neurosciences that helped bring this project to another dimension.”

Paco Rabanne Phantom EDT 100mL, $149 SHOP NOW