Our take
What does Pure XS smell like?
Launched in 2017, Pure XS lives up to its name: a sweet, spiced masculine playing the provocation card. The opening is bright and prickly, carried by ginger, grapefruit and aromatic thyme for an almost bracing sparkle. The heart switches register completely as vanilla, cinnamon and leather build a sensual, faintly caramelised warmth, like gingerbread spice on a leather jacket. The base of myrrh, sugar and cedar reinforces the ambery, gourmand side, with a resinous facet that adds unexpected depth. The trail is dense and seductive, designed for night rather than the office.
When to wear it
Autumn and winter evenings; it suits men who like sweet, spicy and very present masculines.
The story of Pure XS
The XS name was not new at Paco Rabanne in 2017. The line dates back to 1993 and a fairly well-behaved aromatic masculine. In the meantime the Puig-owned house had changed scale. 1 Million in 2008 and Invictus in 2013 set its style for a decade: bottles shaped like objects, scents you can read from across a room, advertising with no interest in nuance. Pure XS takes an archive name and flips its meaning. XS no longer stands for restraint but for excess, and the scent joins the wave of sweet amber masculines that filled so much shelf space at the time. The brief fits in one line: ginger and thyme up top for freshness, then cinnamon and vanilla for seduction. A feminine counterpart, Pure XS for Her, followed in 2018 with a more floral angle. The house shortened its name to Rabanne in 2023 and left this pillar of its men’s range untouched. The bottle keeps a chunky, object-like presence in line with the house style.
Our detailed review
The first ten minutes are the best part. Ginger bites almost like pepper and grapefruit hits the nose with the bitterness of fresh zest. Thyme adds a dry herbal edge that sadly fades fast. Half an hour in, cinnamon and vanilla take over: warm sugar with a slightly burnt edge, somewhere between gingerbread and cookie dough. The leather stays in the background, closer to a faux-leather jacket than real hide. Around hour three, myrrh and cedar calm things down and leave a pleasant amber base on a sweater. What works for us: that opening, and a warmth that suits cold dry air. What bothers us: the sugar never lets go and ends up flattening the spices. In a closed room it fills the air within minutes. It will suit people who want to be noticed at night and like spiced desserts. Fans of dry or green masculines will find it cloying within the hour, and they have a point.
Pure XS vs its rivals
Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb is the closest neighbour, sharing cinnamon, grapefruit and a leather base. The gap is sugar. Spicebomb stays drier and smokier thanks to tobacco and vetiver, and its paprika gives it texture. If Pure XS feels like a candy shop to you, that is the obvious swap. Dolce & Gabbana’s The One for Men shares the ginger and grapefruit but plays it quiet, with cardamom, orange blossom and amber in a polished blend that works at the office. Boss The Scent sits between the two. Ginger opens it too, its leather is softer, and maninka fruit adds a fruity roundness rather than sweetness. Our pick: Pure XS for a winter night when you want to make an impression, Spicebomb for spice without caramel, The One for every day.
Longevity, projection and use
It says eau de toilette, but Pure XS behaves almost like an eau de parfum. Expect 6 to 8 hours on skin, a little less in heat, where the sugar turns quickly. Projection is wide for two hours, then it settles to arm’s length. Two sprays are enough: one at the base of the neck, one on the chest under your shirt. At three it gets heavy, especially in a car or a restaurant. On a wool jumper it lasts until the next morning. Keep it for autumn and winter evenings. We would skip it in summer or in an open-plan office.
It belongs to the Oriental / Amber, Spicy family. Pure XS is one of 9 creations by Paco Rabanne in our encyclopedia.
