Phantom
Eleven materials go into the fragrance in the Rabanne Phantom Parfum Gift Set, which makes it by some distance the most detailed thing in its line.
The opening is sharp and green at the same time, and it takes a moment to resolve into anything. Cardamom gives an aromatic lift, bergamot and lemon bring citrus from two different angles, and rhubarb supplies a tart, almost sour pink edge that is the signature of the top. The heart turns herbal and cool: lavender first, cedarwood dry alongside it, patchouli underneath for earth, and geranium adding a green, faintly metallic floral note. Then it settles properly. Vanilla sweetens the base, tolu balsam brings a sticky resinous warmth, and haitian vetiver dries the whole thing out again with roots and smoke.
Parfum is the heaviest concentration in this range and it behaves accordingly. Expect several hours of real presence and a long close on the skin, and expect one or two sprays to be enough rather than a starting point. That weight makes it an evening and cold weather proposition first, though the rhubarb and citrus keep it from ever feeling stifling in milder months.
Presented as a set, it is a present for somebody who takes fragrance seriously, because there is enough happening in it to reward the attention. It is also the version to buy when a gift needs to look considered without you having to assemble anything. Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion and Juliette Karagueuzoglou are the perfumers.
The house is French, founded on the work of a designer whose first collection appeared in 1966. Its perfumes have been produced since 1968 by the Spanish group Puig, which took ownership of the brand in 1987.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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