Polo Red is an eau de toilette for men from Ralph Lauren, launched in 2013 and composed by Olivier Gillotin of Givaudan. Born of the designer’s passion for cars, it pairs a red grapefruit, a cranberry accord and lemon with a heart of saffron, lavandin and clary sage, over a base of redwood, ambery woods and coffee berry.
Kevin, of Now Smell This, is harsh: the three red notes put forward seem pale to him, and the whole strikes him as a clean, crowd-pleasing perfume without character.
What critics say
Kevin, Now Smell This, August 2013
Kevin is amused by the brand’s pitch, which promises a fiery blend able to awaken the thrill seeker in every man. Ralph Lauren highlights three red notes, grapefruit, saffron and wood; he believes that, done well, they could have made a pleasant perfume.
He finds them all pale: a talc-like, bland grapefruit that could pass for any citrus, a saffron that is nearly absent, a transparent redwood. The whole seems to him a generic clean, fresh perfume, made to bother no one.
He finds the launch campaign, with polo player Nacho Figueras, as conventional as the perfume.
More perfumes from Ralph Lauren
Also composed by Olivier Gillotin
- HigherChristian Dior
- NoirTom Ford
- Tobacco VanilleTom Ford
- Reveal MenCalvin Klein
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