Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
222 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Cranberry and red grapefruit detonate immediately with bright, almost sharp acidity, the Italian citron's bitter-herbaceous character cutting through the fruit like a knife. This first quarter-hour is genuinely fresh and deliberately acidic—it feels almost prickly on the skin, demanding attention through sheer citric intensity.
As the fruity volatiles settle, saffron emerges with a warmth that softens the harshness, whilst lavender brings a slightly talcy, powdered quality that domesticates the composition. The synthetic undertones become more apparent here, lending the middle notes an almost cologne-like cleanliness that undermines any genuine depth. There's a momentary sweetness that briefly promises something more sophisticated before it begins its fade.
Coffee berry and amber create a muted, wooded base that never quite achieves proper projection—it settles into your personal space rather than radiating outward. The red woods provide structure but lack vibrancy, and by hour four, the fragrance becomes a barely-there whisper, more memory than presence on the skin.
Polo Red attempts an audacious collision between fruit-forward freshness and woody warmth—a fragrance that wants simultaneously to be a crisp morning shower and a leather-bound study. The cranberry and red grapefruit pairing creates something genuinely tart in the opening, Italian citron adding a slightly bitter herbaceous edge that prevents the composition from veering into candy territory. Yet there's an undeniable synthetic quality lurking beneath this fruity veneer, a slightly plasticky sheen that feels more laboratory than orchard.
What makes Polo Red intriguing is how Olivier Gillotin positions the saffron and lavender heart notes—not as traditional masculine aromatics, but as counterweight to the fruit's exuberance. The saffron brings warmth and a subtle spice-tinged earthiness, whilst lavender tempers the overall sweetness with a dusted, almost powdered quality. This is where the fragrance flirts with genuine character: those middle notes create a moment of genuine complexity before the inevitable descent into amber and red woods.
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3.3/5 (142)