Polo Red

Ralph Lauren breaks Polo Red down into three stages: a sparkling red grapefruit, essences of cedrat and lemon and a cranberry accord at the top; a red saffron accord, lavandin and clary sage oil at the heart; accords of redwood, ambery woods and coffee berry at the base.

The house ranks it among the woody spicy fragrances and highlights three materials, red grapefruit, coffee and redwood. Red thus gives the composition its thread, from the grapefruit to the saffron and the wood.

What the label declares

Behind the alcohol, water and fragrance, the house’s list names limonene, linalool, coumarin, alpha-isomethyl ionone, citronellol, citral, geraniol and hydroxycitronellal, among the allergens that must be declared.

It also names t-butyl alcohol and denatonium benzoate, which denature the alcohol, and an antioxidant, BHT. The list carries the formula code D199307/1.

What the list adds

Limonene and citral accompany the top citrus, linalool the lavandin and sage. Coumarin and alpha-isomethyl ionone, absent from the announced notes, round out the base with a powdery softness.