Ralph Lauren
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The juniper and bergamot hit immediately with gin-like brightness, followed by the green snap of basil and tarragon—almost aggressively fresh, with caraway adding an unexpected spiced complexity that prevents this from smelling conventionally citric.
The green sharpness gradually yields to a peppery floral heart where carnation and geranium dominate, whilst the leather and chamomile create a slightly dusty, herbaceous undertone that's far more sophisticated than the opening promised; the pine adds a woody dimension that makes this feel architectural.
The base gradually asserts itself as the brighter notes fade, leaving a warm tobacco-and-oakmoss foundation studded with cedar and vetiver; the musk provides subtle skin-warmth rather than projection, creating an intimate, dry finish that smells like aged paper and wood smoke.
Polo Ralph Lauren arrives as a bracing slap of herbaceous clarity—the kind of fragrance that smells like it belongs in a mahogany-panelled study rather than a department store. Carlos Benaïm's 1978 creation is fundamentally a green aromatic, but one with unexpected muscularity. That juniper-and-caraway opening isn't the pretty florality you might expect; instead, it evokes the botanical complexity of a gin distillery, sharp and almost medicinal in its precision.
What makes this scent remarkable is how the heart transforms that green opening into something altogether more textured. The carnation and geranium don't soften the composition—they sharpen it further, lending a peppery spice that feels almost aggressive. There's a leather accord threading through here that's distinctly herbal rather than animalic; it smells like saddle soap and dried plant matter rather than skin. The pine note deepens the woody character without ever becoming coniferous in that cheap, cleaning-product way.
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4.0/5 (98)