Paco Rabanne introduces Phantom, the new masculine fragrance from the house which is also a first to incorporate the use of AI in its creation.
Paco Rabanne stands for disruption. Just as M. Rabanne and Julien Dossena’s designs challenge the classical codes of fashion, the house turned out to be a trailblazer as well in the world of perfumery, with a collection of disruptive fragrances for men – it’s previous two notable scents being the One Million and Invictus range.
In 2021, with Phantom, Paco Rabanne keeps breaking boundaries and offering a singular vision, reflecting the aspirations of the younger generation aspirations: a world where everyone can be true to themselves. A bold invitation to step outside the ordinary and celebrate life. The Phantom bottle is an exhilarating, retro-futurist piece of visionary design. Never seen before in the world of perfumery, Paco Rabanne’s fabulously collectible creation is sure to become an instant icon.
The first fragrance created by boosting human creativity with artificial intelligence, it is the most disruptive piece of design ever in the industry and the first connected fragrance – simply tap your phone of top of your bottle and meet your new wingman.
A look at some of the notes present within the Paco Rabanne Phantom:
The most feel-good fragrance ever. A futuristic aromatic scent matching an energising green flash of lemon with an addictive creamy lavender. The secret ingredient boosting the energy of the lemon accord is a fantastic “vintage” molecule; styrallyl acetate. The man-made material is mixed with lush natural materials – zesty lemon peel oil from Italy, patchouli heart, a slightly smoky earthy note with an apple twist, and a streamlined woody note: vetiver heart. All of which are sustainably sourced ingredients, supporting the communities that grow them and protecting the planet.
The Minds Behind The Scent
Paco Rabanne assembled a dream-team of four top-notch perfumers from IFF: Loc Dong for his crazy creativity, Juliette Karagueuzoglou for her exquisite knowledge of natural material, along with the master perfumers Dominique Ropion and Anne Flipo for their ability to fine-tune most powerful, long-lasting fragrances ever created by Paco Rabanne. We managed to speak to Juliette Karagueuzoglou and Loc Dong to find out more about the Paco Rabanne Phantom.
What was the original idea that kickstarted the fragrance?
Loc: Since we were free to do whatever we wanted the sky was the limit! And we decided to go even beyond. The original idea was to blend futurism and history, innovation and craftsmanship, freshness and addiction. I wanted to reinvent the molecules that expressed freshness. Thanks to A.I., I was able to do it, and to connect this futuristic freshness with creamy lavender, bringing more disruption and addiction to this historical note. Here, it is completely reinvented.
How did the AI idea come about? Was it part of the initial vision for the fragrance or developed after the fragrance was ready for launch ?
Juliette: For Phantom, perfumer’s creativity and AI have been intertwined. The initial olfactive concept came from our minds (Loc and myself), then our AI recommended ideas, ingredients or dosages to explore. But from the start, the Paco team was bold enough to open the door of “augmented creativity” and was asking to develop the “perfume of the future,” involving every capability that science and progress can offer.
Loc: A.I. is a fantastic tool, increasing the speed of innovation by enhancing our creativity. In fact, I prefer to see AI as a GPS, but I remain the driver. It can tell me how fast I can go, or alternative routes I can take, but I remain the creator and can decide whether to go in a certain direction or not.
What makes Phantom such a Paco fragrance?
Loc: It was crafted from scratch, for Paco only, so it could only be a Paco Rabanne scent!
Juliette: It is a feel-good, futuristic scent, pushing back boundaries in every aspect.
(Images by Paco Rabanne; hero and feature image by Florian Joye)
