Citrus and coriander snap open into a sage-rosemary core, drying into warm sandalwood.
A bright aromatic-fresh men's cologne with herbal punch and a soft woody dry-down.
The first thirty minutes are a citrus-and-herb snap, with bergamot, lemon, and mandarin running cold over a green mint and coriander lift. Through the first one to four hours, the heart settles into a sage and rosewood core braced by juniper and a peppery bourbon geranium, which is where XS holds its strongest projection. After four hours it dries close to skin, a warm sandalwood base softened by vanilla, musk, and a quiet oakmoss-patchouli shadow.
4.1
Overall rating
Xs is a no-nonsense aromatic fresh that does what it promises. The top notes hit hard: bergamot, lemon, and mint charging through with rosemary's green spine. It smells like a high-end men's fragrance from the 1990s, before everything went sweet or ambery. The herbal heart (sage, coriander, juniper) keeps the freshness grounded and slightly medicinal, which reads as sophisticated rather than clinical.
The tradeoff is obvious. It's aggressive for the first ninety minutes. If your workplace prizes subtlety, you're making a statement. But that intensity fades deliberately. By hour three, the warm dry-down (sandalwood, cedar, ambergris) takes over and the projection drops to skin-scent. For many, that transition is perfect. For others who want their fragrance to stay loud all day, Xs feels like it gives up too early.
If you're drawn to fresh, herbal men's fragrances, try this in the morning or for an office day. Spray on pulse points and expect the first two hours to command attention, so don't layer it with a deodorant spray. The base is warm enough that it doesn't feel summery-only, so it works from April through September. At five hours longevity, budget for a refresh if you're out past dinner.
Xs sits between department-store fresh classics and niche aromatic fragrances, landing on the professional side without being austere. Pair it with Creed's Aventus if you want a warmer woody alternative, or Acqua di Gio Profumo if you prefer something deeper. If your rotation is all sweet or spicy fragrances, Xs brings balance. It's not a signature fragrance that lasts until bedtime. It's a tool for looking sharp in the morning.
Where it shines
Customers love the aromatic punch and how it opens with zesty citrus-mint freshness. The bergamot and lemon hit hard in the first hour, backed by a green herbal core of sage and rosemary that gives it weight. Many say it smells expensive and clean without leaning floral or soapy. The transition through the coriander-juniper heart feels polished and slightly medicinal, which appeals to anyone tired of fruity fresh fragrances.Considerations
It's front-loaded by design, so that aromatic burst is the whole experience. If you're looking for a fragrance that stays room-filling all day or slowly unfolds over time, this isn't it. By hour four, it becomes a skin-scent. Some wearers love this arc. Others find it comes on too strong and fades too fast for the price.Key highlights
Aromatic mint punchOffice-friendly freshMedicinal herbalFront-loaded bergamotFades to skin-scentPolished and green4.4
17 reviews
Review highlights
This is my go-to for the office , clean bergamot opening, crisp mint that doesn't fade, and the base settles nicely on your shirt collar. Gets me through a solid 5 hours. Can't beat it for a business casual Friday.
Everyone talks about how fresh this is, and they're right. The rosemary and lemon combo is herbaceous without being medicinal , reminds me a bit of Creed Green Irish Tweed but cleaner, sharper. Been wearing the original batch and it's holding strong.
Wear this to a Monday morning meeting and you'll understand why it's stuck around since '94. The projection is real , people notice , but it never feels aggressive. Longevity is solid five to six hours depending on the weather.
The opening is magnificent , bergamot, mint, and this herbal backbone that feels expensive. Projection fades after three hours, but the scent stays close for another two. If you're working indoors all day, this is perfect. Expect to reapply for evening.
Blind-bought this after reading it's a business fragrance, and I haven't looked back. Crisp, professional, doesn't overpower a conference room. The sandalwood base gives it substance without being heavy.
Unlike a lot of modern fragrances that announce themselves across the office, XS projects just enough , coworkers catch it if they sit near you, but it's not aggressive. The mint and rosemary stay fresh throughout the day.
Wear this to site visits and client meetings. The sage and juniper notes create this architectural quality , feels structured, deliberate. Stays on me through a full workday plus happy hour.
I've tried the newer flankers and some contemporary herbals like Hermès Eau de Gentiane Blanche. This original XS still outclasses them for freshness and longevity. The oakmoss and cedar base actually last, unlike some modern scents that evaporate after two hours.
The fragrance itself is fantastic , fresh, herbal, perfect for work. My only gripe is the atomizer feels cheap and the longevity drops noticeably if I miss a couple days of rotation. Still worth it for the scent.
This is business-meeting material, but longevity isn't advertised for a reason. I get solid four to five hours with two good sprays, which is fine for my office schedule. The coriander and bourbon geranium in the middle keep it interesting longer than most fresh frags.
Not blown away, but it's competent. The bergamot is clean, the mint's refreshing, and the sandalwood base prevents it from becoming soapy. More of a workhorse than a show-stopper.
Vintage XS from the '90s is supposedly better, but the version I bought last year feels thinned out. Still has the herbs and bergamot, but projection fades fast. Okay for layering, not a standalone statement.
People act like this is a classic for a reason, and while the opening is bright, it doesn't have the depth to match the hype. After an hour the lemon and mint become thin. If you want real fresh-herbaceous, look at the designer alternatives.
Maybe it's the reformulation, but this feels like a ghost of what it once was. Two hours of noticeable projection, then it's a skin scent. For daytime office wear it barely holds up.
This is what a designer fresh fragrance used to smell like before everything got stripped down and made linear. The Brazilian rosewood and sage create actual character. Longevity proves it too , five solid hours on my spray schedule.
The mint is upfront and doesn't apologize. If you're okay with that, XS is a generous sprayer with real sillage and a grounded sandalwood finish. Two sprays on the neck gets me through a conference day.
Not a showstopper, but it does exactly what it promises , fresh, herbal, appropriate for every professional setting. The oakmoss and cedar are subtle enough to layer over if you need evening projection, but standalone it's office-perfect.
Where you'll get them: Daytime offices and social hangouts where the aromatic opening reads loud.
Where you won't: Late evening or intimate settings where the bright herbal notes feel out of place.
Fresh citrus and mint perform the same on all skin types. Oily skin amplifies the aromatic herbs (sage, coriander, juniper) and extends longevity past five hours, while dry skin may feel the fragrance tighten after hour two. The sandalwood and cedar base holds either way.
Pairs well with: Fresh citrus fragrances, clean aromatic woodys, light herbal scents.
Avoid layering with: Heavy orientals, dark woods (oud, agarwood), warm vanilla fragrances that clash with the herbal brightness.
XS is a classic safe bet with real community backing (4.05/5, 2,273 votes), but it's herbal and bright. Sample first if aromatic fragrances are new to you. If you like daytime freshness, blind-buy the 50ml EDT since five-hour longevity works well for reapplication-friendly daytime wear.
Paco Rabanne XS shares territory with Guerlain Homme and Chanel Allure Homme Sport in the bright herbal-woody space, though XS leans drier and more oakmoss-forward. It is closer in spirit to vintage 90s fougeres than to any 2020s designer release on the market today.
Yes, Paco Rabanne XS is office-safe at 2 to 3 sprays, with moderate sillage that stays close after the first hour. The herbal-woody profile reads professional and clean rather than seductive, making it a better daytime workhorse than a date-night scent.
Paco Rabanne XS can read sharp at first if you are new to mint and oakmoss, but the harshness mellows within 20 minutes as the coriander and sage heart takes over. Start with two sprays rather than four to ease into the herbal-woody character.
Women tend to read Paco Rabanne XS as clean, masculine and grown-up rather than overtly seductive, similar to how they react to classic aromatic fougeres. It earns compliments in close-range settings more than across a room, which suits its moderate projection profile.
Drakkar Noir leans darker and more lavender-driven with a tarry leather feel, while Paco Rabanne XS is brighter and more citrus-mint at the top. Both share the aromatic-fougere DNA, but XS feels lighter and more daytime-friendly where Drakkar reads as evening 80s power scent.
Paco Rabanne XS for Men opens as a sharp aromatic-fougere with bergamot, lemon, mint and rosemary, then settles into a herbal heart of coriander, sage and juniper. The drydown is a woody-mossy base of sandalwood, cedar, oakmoss and ambergris that reads clean and slightly bitter rather than sweet.
Paco Rabanne XS reads as a 90s aromatic classic rather than a dated relic, in the same way Cool Water and Drakkar Noir still wear cleanly today. Its herbal-mossy profile cycles back into relevance as wearers tire of sweet ambroxan-heavy releases dominating mainstream men's fragrance.
Paco Rabanne Pour Homme is the smoother, soapier barbershop fougere, while XS is sharper, greener and more herbal thanks to its mint, sage and juniper. Pick Pour Homme for clean classic elegance and XS for an edgier aromatic profile with stronger oakmoss bite.
Yes, Paco Rabanne XS launched in 1993 and has gone through reformulations driven by IFRA restrictions on oakmoss and certain musks. Earlier vintage batches feel richer and mossier, while current production is brighter and slightly thinner but still recognizably the same scent.
Paco Rabanne XS works well on men in their 20s who want to step away from sweet sugary scents toward something more classic and herbal. The bright citrus-mint opening keeps it youthful, while the oakmoss base adds maturity that helps a younger wearer signal taste rather than trend-following.
Paco Rabanne XS is a reasonable blind buy if you already enjoy aromatic-fougere classics like Azzaro Pour Homme or Drakkar Noir. If you only wear sweet modern scents like 1 Million or Sauvage, sample first because the dry herbal-mossy character can read as harsh on unfamiliar noses.
Paco Rabanne XS performs well in warm climates because the mint, bergamot and rosemary opening reads crisp in heat without turning cloying. The oakmoss and cedar base keeps it from going flat, though longevity drops to 4 to 5 hours when humidity is high.
Three to four sprays of Paco Rabanne XS is the sweet spot for most wearers, applied to chest, neck and one wrist. The EDT concentration projects strongly for the first 90 minutes, so going past five sprays risks overwhelming a closed indoor space.
For first-time Paco Rabanne buyers, 1 Million and Invictus are the modern crowd-pleasers, but Paco Rabanne XS is the pick if you want vintage 90s aromatic character. It is a niche corner of the catalog, more interesting for fougere collectors than for someone seeking sweet contemporary projection bombs.
Paco Rabanne XS performs best in spring and summer daytime wear, where its citrus-herbal top notes shine. It can be worn in cooler months too, but the EDT strength means it fades faster in cold, dry air where heavier amber-based scents would last longer.
Paco Rabanne XS is produced by Paco Rabanne, the Spanish-French designer house founded in 1966 and now owned by Puig. XS sits in the aromatic-fougere men's family, alongside classics like Drakkar Noir and Azzaro Pour Homme rather than the sweet ambers Paco Rabanne is better known for today.
Paco Rabanne XS launched in 1993 as a sharper, more aromatic counterpart to the brand's softer Pour Homme from 1973. It was created during the early-90s wave of aquatic and aromatic men's launches that included Cool Water and Acqua di Gio, sharing their bright clean direction with a greener twist.
Authentic Paco Rabanne XS bottles have a crisp embossed batch code on the bottom, clean printing, and a weighted cap that clicks firmly onto the atomizer. PerfumeM sources every Paco Rabanne XS unit through authorized distribution channels with batch codes traceable to Puig.
Paco Rabanne XS is an Eau de Toilette, which typically carries 8 to 12 percent fragrance oils. That concentration drives its bright top-heavy opening and 5 to 7 hour longevity, with the oakmoss and cedar base giving it more staying power than most EDTs in this herbal category.
Paco Rabanne XS holds steady respect on Reddit r/fragrance and Basenotes as an underrated 90s aromatic, often recommended as an affordable alternative to discontinued mossy classics. It is not a trending viral scent, which is part of why long-time fougere wearers value it as a quiet signature.
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