Olympéa Intense by Rabanne

The scent is gorgeous but it overwhelms me. When they say ‘intense,’ they mean literally intense. I sprayed it on my clothes and it lasted for weeks, no joke.

Here we have a full-on floral amber scent. The stars are orange blossom and grapefruit, which I detect throughout almost the entire evolution, accompanied by tiare. There are also spices, woods, and lots of vanilla with the salty touch of the classic Olympea. Is it something new? No, it has a lot of the classic DNA, but here it delivers on its promise: it’s more intense. I liked it, but not enough to buy the bottle.

I love Paco Rabanne perfumes; I was lucky enough to find this discontinued gem. It shares the DNA of its sibling, Olympea Classic, but with more intensity, creaminess, power, and personality. It has amazing longevity and impactful projection. It’s undeniably a sensual, addictive, nocturnal, and noticeable fragrance. You need a lot of personality to wear it, perfume lover! It’s also elegant—all those notes created a scent that defines my unique and striking personality. Very intense, unisex to my nose. 10, 10, and 10.

It’s the middle ground between Olympea and Olympea Legend. Olympea Intense brings that amber quality, super vanilla, and almost honey-sweetness of Olympea Legend, while adding the floral notes that Olympea Traditional offers. If Olympea is white and Olympea Legend is black, Olympea Intense would be a slightly darker gray—it’s sweet like the solo but not as cloying as Legend. To describe it further: it’s super amber, super vanilla, with a hint of saltiness that, combined with the orange blossom, amplifies that sweetness and creaminess. The pepper adds a tiny, subtle fresh touch. In the end, you can smell the wood it claims, but amber and vanilla definitely dominate this fragrance.

I tried it and fell in love at first sniff. I smelled dark fruits—I’m not sure if they were plums or red berries—mixed with amber, salt, and vanilla. It’s stronger than Olympea and I like it. Still, I feel it might get tiring eventually.

It’s the autumn-winter version of the classic Olympea: darker, more intense, and ambered, though it keeps that sweet and salty touch from its older sister. Ideal for cold days and nights; when I wear it, I get lots of compliments.

I reviewed it in July, with winter in Buenos Aires. I used it sparingly because it’s very intense. Now, with summer, it evolves quickly: it abandons the beautiful opening for an intensified burst of cedar and ambergris, losing warmth and the pepper note kicks up. Something similar happened with Twilly Poudré; heat just doesn’t suit them. In the cold, they maintain body and evolve slowly. It’s a strong, resinous extract, non-floral, unisex, and long-lasting. In summer, maybe a few drops combined with sweet florals like Luna (D&G) for tenderness, or with Revé (Van Cleef) for a touch of peach or pear. It’s super concentrated, has a good price, and is often on promotion. Will it be discontinued?

I doubt it has only three notes, but I absolutely love it. By god, I haven’t remembered that precious Olympea scent that conquers in years. It starts sweet, almost cloying or nauseating, but then shifts to a sweet creamed or milky type, like Boum Candyland, probably due to the tart grape from Intense, with Tonka vanilla sweeter than the classic. At the end, that hyper-sexual trail characteristic: ambergris and salt that reminds me of beach warmth. I also detect coriander, a bouquet that reminds me of Floral Shock, a sweet apricot, plums, and a powdery chocolate touch. It’s oriental with sweet woods. I want it in the collection <3.

Basically, it’s an intense red fruit in a creamy atmosphere with salty points associated with a savory vanilla at the start. Then, in a few minutes, it opens up to sweet flowers, nectar, and pollen of freesias and jasmines, entering a heart phase of about 30 minutes with peonies and apricots accented by mango and frangipani. After two hours, it evolves into something decadent yet classic and elegant, declining into a mix of red fruits, flowers, and light woods supported by jasmine. It’s a complex fragrance with excellent evolution, nothing linear, personal, different, and intense, more of a winter scent. I loved it, it’s what I was looking for, very long-lasting and present wherever you are.

I’ve been testing it for a month and I love it. It’s sweet and intense, but with the salt note very marked. Still, it feels like an incredibly rich ambered vanilla. Very sweet but nothing childish. I recommend trying it first, because the salty note can be too sharp. I absolutely love it, especially for cold weather; it’s one of those sweets that wraps you up. Recommended only if you like sweet and intense perfumes.

It’s an exquisite fragrance, but only the name is. I have the classic and the legendary… I insist: only the name. I expected more punch, but it wasn’t that way 😔. In Argentina there’s a brand that makes dupes and the ‘Lovely’ has more longevity than this version.

I love the original Olympea so much, so I wanted to try the Intense. I liked it, but it hasn’t dethroned the original. It’s super sweet, woody, ambered, dark, and heavy. The opening smells heavily of orange blossom, but as it dries down, it’s less floral than the original. It’s like an open jar of Olympea jam that lost some notes, leaving it saltier and sweeter. It’s linear, except for the first half-hour with lots of orange blossom. It has presence, great sillage, and lasts 8-9 hours. It’s intense, not for diabetics, perfect for night, winter, and occasional wear because it can get monotonous. I liked it, but the original has more personality. Scent 7/10, Longevity 9/10, Sillage 10/10, Value 7/10, Versatility 5/10, Packaging 8/10. Would I buy it again? Probably not.

I own it and think it’s excellent. It has powerful projection and longevity. It’s not for the shy; both men and women have complimented me wearing it. No surprise, it’s strong and noticeable from afar. It’s definitely one of my favorites. Very sweet and salty, with a strong amber vibe. It’s the flanker I like the most. It reminds me of sea sand; although I see it as an autumn-winter scent, I’ll try it at the beach reading by the ocean because it smells like hot sand. It’s a marvel! Alongside Ultraviolet (already discontinued), they are my top Paco Rabanne picks. The price hurts the wallet, but it’s worth it for the performance.

Mixed feelings. I read so many glowing reviews that I decided to try it. The opening was very invasive, aggressive, strong, and ‘old lady-like’ (it reminded me of women over 50). Probably the salt note. It has huge projection and lasts hours; as it evolves, the aggression fades and dries down to amber and vanilla, which I love. It’s a creamy, delicious vanilla right up against the skin. I prefer the dry-down and will wear it occasionally, but I suggest spraying it carefully: it’s extremely potent and the top notes can be harsh.

I hate it. I tried it and even got dizzy. I feel it’s extremely wintery; I don’t associate it with young girls. It seems very heavy, with lots of vanilla, dark and sweet. Sometimes I don’t get people: do they like it for the scent or because it lasts all day? It’s not tasty to me, but it has great projection and excellent longevity.