The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Ultrared arrived in 2008, a year when Rabanne was deep into building its fragrance identity. Calice Becker, who had been shaping the house's scent direction since the 1990s, understood something essential: the brand's audience wanted appeal without apology. The name itself suggested heat, urgency, something closer to the skin than the cold metallic glamour of the earlier bottles. Ultrared was designed to deliver that warmth immediately, starting with the fruit notes that would catch attention and ending with something that would hold it.
The combination of strawberry and red currant with star anise and licorice is not an obvious one. Fruit sweetness usually wants to go somewhere safe. Anise and licorice pull in the opposite direction. Calice Becker let that tension breathe, building the heart around the contrast rather than smoothing it away. The result is a fragrance that reads as approachable at first spray but reveals complexity as it settles, particularly in the way the savory notes persist into the drydown alongside cedar and vanilla.
The evolution
The opening hits with an immediate burst of strawberry and red currant, bright and tart, almost fizzy. The sweetness is candied but grounded by a tartness that keeps it from dissolving into pure sugar. About twenty minutes in, the heart begins to assert itself. The licorice and star anise emerge with a savory, slightly salty quality that shifts the sweetness into something with more character. The jasmine and marshmallow soften the transition, but the anise notes don't disappear. They deepen instead, becoming the fragrance's signature rather than a brief phase. The drydown brings cedarwood and vanilla, warmer and gentler, but the anise presence lingers close to the skin, threading through the base notes for hours. Sillage is moderate throughout. It announces itself on first spray, then settles into a quiet close presence that stays detectable for most of the wear, though the projection softens considerably after the first couple hours.
Cultural impact
Ultrared occupies a specific space in the Rabanne fragrance lineup: fruity and sweet, but with an edge that keeps it from disappearing into the background. Calice Becker has shaped the house's scent identity since the 1990s, and her approach here balances immediate appeal with unexpected complexity. The star anise and licorice in the heart give the fragrance a character that rewards attention, even as the sillage remains moderate throughout the wear. The 4-6 hour longevity on most skin types means it performs consistently, though individual chemistry can shift the experience noticeably.
