By 2015 the gourmand was in danger of becoming predictable. Vanilla, caramel, praline, sugar: the sweet end of perfumery had been mined so thoroughly that something new was hard to come by. Then Paco Rabanne released Olympea, and a single unexpected ingredient changed the conversation. That ingredient was salt.
The idea came from a childhood memory.
The perfumer and the salt flats
Olympea was led by Loc Dong, a perfumer born in Saigon, working with the formidable pairing of Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion. Dong grew up in a part of Vietnam where salt is harvested by letting sea water evaporate in the sun, and that image, salt as the very essence of freshness, became the starting point for the whole fragrance. Around it the team built a sensual, enveloping vanilla and a bright hydroponic jasmine, grown without soil so the flower reads clean rather than earthy.
The result was the salted-vanilla accord that went on to launch a thousand imitations: sweet and savoury at once, comforting but with a strange, moreish edge that stops it cloying.
A goddess for the gold-bottle generation
If One Million and Invictus were Paco Rabanne's men, Olympea was their goddess. The bottle is a golden laurel crown, the campaigns all marble and Olympian glamour, the name a feminine echo of Mount Olympus. It was pitched as the scent of a modern deity, powerful and sensual and untouchable, and it found an enormous audience among younger women who wanted something sweet but not childish.
What it actually smells like
Creamy, salty-sweet and warm. The opening is fresh and floral, green mandarin and water jasmine with a touch of ginger flower, but it is the heart that defines it: vanilla wrapped around that famous salt note, like salted caramel with the caramel taken away. The base is soft and woody, cashmere wood, sandalwood and ambergris, lending a skin-like warmth. It is very wearable, lasts well, and has a comforting, slightly addictive quality that explains its staying power.
The £145 question
A larger bottle of Olympea sits around £145 in the UK. For the money you get a genuinely innovative gourmand and that striking gold crown. You also get a fragrance whose salted-vanilla signature has been so widely copied, including by Olympea's own flankers, that it is now extremely familiar. The novelty that made it special has become the norm.
Which is the reason an alternative market exists. Many people love the salted-vanilla comfort of Olympea without wanting to pay £145 for something so widely worn.
Olympia: the 35% interpretation
This is where we come in, and we will be straight about what we are. Our Olympia is Aromara's interpretation of that salted-vanilla character, not a counterfeit and not a Paco Rabanne product. It carries no branding and makes no claim to be the original. It chases the part that matters: the fresh mandarin-and-jasmine opening, the salted-vanilla heart, and the soft cashmere wood, sandalwood and ambergris base.
The difference is in two numbers. Ours is built at 35% extrait concentration, roughly double a standard eau de parfum, so the vanilla holds for seven hours or more rather than fading by lunch. And it costs £4.99 for a 5ml to test it properly, against £145 for the original. We guarantee the wear time in writing, with 60 days to send it back for a full refund if it does not last.
Our guide to extrait de parfum explains why concentration matters, and the strongest perfume dupes in the UK shows where our range sits. If you prefer a sweeter, almond-led gourmand, our Baddie is the one to try, and the story behind La Vie Est Belle is worth a read.
Frequently asked questions
Who created Paco Rabanne Olympea?
It was led by the perfumer Loc Dong, with Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion, and launched in 2015. Its signature salt note was inspired by Dong's memories of salt harvesting in Vietnam.
What does Olympea smell like?
A salted-vanilla gourmand: fresh mandarin, water jasmine and ginger flower up top, a heart of vanilla and salt, and a soft woody base of cashmere wood, sandalwood and ambergris.
Is Aromara's Olympia the same as Paco Rabanne?
No. It is an independent composition inspired by the same salted-vanilla character, built at 35% extrait for longevity and sold at a fraction of the price. It is not affiliated with Paco Rabanne.
Aromara is an independent UK fragrance house. Our fragrances are original compositions inspired by the character of well-known designer scents. We are not affiliated with Paco Rabanne, and all trademarks belong to their respective owners. Every Aromara fragrance is made in the UK at 35% extrait concentration, with a 7+ hour longevity guarantee and a 60-day money-back promise.