One Million

Paco Rabanne's 1 Million became one of the best-selling men's fragrances of the 2000s on the strength of a bold, instantly recognisable blood mandarin and cinnamon-leather accord. SMEL.' One Million follows the same well-trodden formula almost note for note: grapefruit, mandarin and mint up top, cinnamon, rose and assorted spices at the heart, leather, amber and patchouli underneath. Because this combination has been widely reverse-engineered by budget houses for years, the dupe lands closer to the original than most of Copycat's more nuanced fragrances - the spicy-citrus opening and warm leather heart are both convincingly rendered. The main gap is longevity and depth in the base: the original's leather-patchouli dry-down has real sillage and lasts most of the day, while this version settles into a much fainter trace within a few hours. Still, for the price, it's a recognisable, confident, crowd-pleasing citrus-spice scent well suited to casual wear and dates.