Polo Ralph Lauren (L’Oréal), Polo, 1978, by Carlos Benaïm
Notes: pine, lavender, juniper, artemesia, bergamot, cumin, basil, coriander, marjoram, jasmine, carnation, geranium, thyme, rose, oakmoss, patchouli, leather, cedar, amber, frankincense, musk
For us Gen-Xers, no scent defines high school so utterly. How many of us who grew up in the 80s knew that one girl who loved this fragrance so much that she washed her sheets with it?
Polo is still excellent after a few decades, despite reformulation due to restrictions on use of oakmoss. It starts with an unmistakeable pine and juniper note and grows friendlier and mossier as it dries down, never achieving the creosote-and-castoreum barbarity of Caron’s great Yatagan (1976, by Vincent Marcello). But Polo is politely dirty in its own way, given a tiny bit of “sweatiness” by touches of cumin and coriander. And hours after application, the pine hangs on but is joined by labdanum and a quiet frankincense. Pretty amazing.
This is a persisent, complex, high-sillage juice. Apply sparingly. If you can’t handle the flashbacks, decant Polo into a different bottle to recontextualize it. Don’t bother with the boring flankers like Polo Blue (2002, by Christophe Laudamiel and Carlos Benaïm).
