In 1978 Carlos Benaim created the original Polo for Ralph Lauren, as one of that fashion house’s first two perfumes (along with Lauren, for women). Thirty-five years later, this scent still has die hard devotees and continues to sell well; sometimes even better than most newly released scents. A perfumed snapshot in time, Polo set a new standard for men’s fragrance. Piney greens and spiced flowers, surrounded by woody meet leathery chypre, set the bar for what men should smell like and would go on to become one of the defining mainstream manscents of that decade.
Flanker. That word is usually uttered with an eye roll, by many perfumistas Most scents, including many classic iconic fragrances, have been “flanked to death” becoming pale echoes of the originals. Polo has eleven flankers now, including a sport version for women (!); many of which were quite good, while others were somewhat lackluster. Colors, in perfume names, are very often red flags as well (blue/bleu, black/noir, etc.). Red, or rouge, flankers of other scents eventually became rosy, fruity, musky or just too sweet. I was worried Polo Red would be the latest in a long line of “ho hum” perfume-by-numbers releases by a house trying to recapture its glory days. Surprisingly, despite all these ill omens and portends of doom surrounding it, this is rather impressive.
Grapefruit & Berries by Elean Katsyura
An eye-opening beginning of red grapefruit’s sweet and tart juiciness is augmented by a calmer cooler Italian lemon and layered with bittersweet cranberries. Shiny citric notes, more tart than sweet, are smoothed by the berries’ dry fruitiness. The addition of cranberries, usually used more in women’s scents, takes the classic citric opening and gives it a modern metrosexual feel. Fruity, here, has a new meaning. Without sacrificing one iota of masculinity, Polo Red has a softer side and is not afraid to show it. Hints of spice and woods appear mirroring qualities of the man Ralph Lauren meant this to capture: dashing, adventurous and passionate.
Red Painting by Philip Guston
Red has many shades, tints and hues. Many associate it with love and romance, others with passion and courage. A bright and sheer vermillion segues into a deeper spiced herbal crimson as saffron’s subtly spicy aroma is entwined with aromatic red sage and woody green lavender. Woody and spicy seem to be the du jour accords for a great deal of colognes released in the past couple of years. I find Polo Red to be head and shoulders above the masses. The warm, but still herbal and aromatic, red sage complements the more verdant aspects of lavender, as saffron adds an exotic edge to the elegant floral notes. The red gets deeper, but not much darker. This stage of its development reminds me of spicy soap, wooden furniture and dried flowers, without going all “vintage” on you. Aspects of the original’s rugged charm and sexiness peek through, here and there, without ever reaching the intensity or sharpness it possessed.
Crimson descends into a shadowy maroon as redwood becomes more regal and rich, having been rubbed vigorously with amber resins and rounded out by the earthy depth of dark roasted coffee beans. Robust with flavor, yet nowhere near gourmand or oriental, this dulcet blending of base notes is firm and strong, caressing with a touch that is caring and gentle. “Ferocious and energizing” was the company’s description and it is structured to add an olfactory aura reminiscent of a man with character, strength and masculinity. Unlike its green ancestor, Polo Red draws you in with its softer, more evolved modern masculinity; as opposed to bowling you over with a thick fog cloud of pine, moss and musk.
Green Earth and Red Oil by Usha Shantharam
Don’t get me wrong, I own, wear and enjoy Polo Green. What is unique and intriguing is that just as green and red are balanced opposites on a color wheel, the newer one is almost an inversion of what the first scent was. Where this scent’s parent may have been dressed in bellbottom jeans and polyester with butterfly collars (both quite fashionable in their time) rocking to Led Zeppelin, Polo Red is impeccably dressed in cleaner simpler modern lines and prefers a more eclectic mix. It lives up to its family name and legacy, yet marches to the beat of its own drum as opposed to following the band.
Olivier Gillotin
Perfumer Olivier Gillotin has designed something more form-fitting and “tailored” to 21st century aesthetics and sensibilities. This makes a very interesting choice when you want something fresh but not too clean, floral and spicy, without committing to either piquant/hot or sugary sweet, bolstered by a rich but non-cloying dry down. It is not too often I actually get excited about a mainstream flanker release, but I was for this. I was impressed enough, from a single tester spray on my wrist, to reserve a bottle days before it went on sale and pay full retail for it…that, in itself, speaks volumes. So too does the fact that just two weeks later they had already been sold out of the large bottles (125 ml).for days. Sillage: average. Longevity: slightly above average.
Disclosure: Review based on a bottle I purchased at my local BonTon department store.
–John Reasinger, Senior Editor