Paco Rabanne Pure XS Review

Paco Rabanne Pure XS is alive and kicking again, having once adorned our dressers back in ’94 when it was known simply as XS. It’s been a 23 year hiatus but Paco Rabanne have crafted what will potentially be another successful and much loved fragrance just like its older brother.

In keeping with the original, this bottle features a hinged lid design, but as the name suggests, its the scent inside that has been refined and emboldened. Pure XS is unmistakably marketed as an all out seductive, sensuous and passionate fragrance designed for men who have one thing on their mind. I’m not too sure a fragrance can be so powerful but this one certainly tries.

It has a sweet and spicy aroma with the most potent notes being vanilla and ginger. It’s clearly a fragrance for men and in my opinion designed for the evening as opposed to a work or day-time cologne. Furthermore, its smokey spiciness makes it more suitable for the cooler autumn months when the days are shorter and the dark nights draw in.

Its price point of around £47 for the 50ml and £64 for 100ml bottle puts this in the middle ground and I think it’s a fair price to pay. I’d personally choose the smaller bottle as Pure XS is not a fragrance I’ll use every day, and there are some great alternatives we’ve recently reviewed, but there’s certainly a well deserved space for this interesting creation in our bathrooms right now.

You can get this online or in store in plenty of high-street outlets right now from around £47. Visit pacorabanne.com for more info.

Pics by Joe Burns