Ralph Lauren

 Polo Red Parfum

Most Helpful Positive Review

Redundant But Worth Trying

Polo Red Parfum is a new iteration of the family of fragrances Ralph Lauren offers. Adding an aromatic and citrusy take to the Polo Red Line, known for having one of the best fragrances from Ralph Lauren, Polo Red Extreme. While this new release does not offer something similar to the fragrance I ha...d just mentioned, it does bring a new twist to the line. For starters, the opening to this fragrance left me scratching my head. Not in a horrible way, but more because I was trying to piece the puzzle together. This fragrance opens up bright, with a citric smell from the bergamot and sweetness from the blood orange, sprinkled with a hint of pink pepper, adding a spicy aroma to the already citrusy sweet opening. As the fragrance evolves, notes of Orris, Absinthe, and Lavender come to fruition and take this fragrance down a different path. Orris adds a powdery and earthy take, while lavender adds a clean, aromatic touch to the scent. As for absinthe, this note contributed to the fragrance with a sharp opening which threw me off. Absinthe in Polo Red Parfum reminded me of nutmeg with a sweet, semi-pungent undertone. Polo Red Parfum's base notes include; musk, opoponax, and cedar. While I don't get much of the cedar and musk, I can sense that the opoponax adds warmth and sweetness to the composition. Overall this fragrance opens up rough around the edges, but as it dries down, it becomes sophisticated and clean with an edge of sweetness. All the notes blend to offer a citrus, aromatic, and powdery experience. A clean and classy scent! As a fragrance collector, who is just starting, I wanted to take some time to test out this new release. I believe in always trying out fragrances before purchasing a bottle, so you can see if it is right for you and meets your criteria. Throughout the weeks, I enjoyed this fragrance and what it offered. While yes, it is nothing new, sometimes you have to appreciate the changes a brand makes. Ralph Lauren, to me, always made fragrances that never moved me or piqued my interest. The only exception is Polo Red Extreme. Polo Red Parfum does leave a lot to desire. Performance in this fragrance is one of its weak points, at least for me. The price you are paying for designer fragrances should also reflect their quality. I know it's not a niche scent or that performance is an absolute turn-off. But knowing there are fragrances with a similar profile and better performance, I prefer to keep exploring. That said, I did get around 6-7 hours of longevity with about 2 hours of projection. Again, not horrible, but for a Parfum, I expected prolonged longevity. To answer the golden question. "Do I recommend it?" "Is it worth it?" To me, it is not worth it. But I recommend it! This fragrance, juxtaposition to the rest of the Polo Red Line, is a new direction that Ralph Lauren wants to take. The Red Line consisted of heavy, warm, and sweet profile fragrances with hints of citrus. That was all stripped away with this release and made more mass appealing, which is what brands are doing now. If you want to smell unique, this won't be it. Now, if you want a clean, aromatic, and semi-sweet fragrance that will garner compliments, this will be the one. In conclusion, this is a solid mass appealing release worth trying. Remember to be patient, never pay retail prices and wait for fragrances to be on discounter. Thank you, Ralph Lauren and Influester, for sending me this fragrance to test. Remember that this is just my opinion and that what I like you might not like and vice versa.