I own more than 120 fragrances from more than 40 houses: Louis Vuitton, Parfums de Marly, Dior. At the end of the day, a green bottle from 1978 holds its own against all of them.
Original Polo. Polo Green, if you need to be specific, since Ralph Lauren has put out a long line of Polos since then: Blue, Red, Black and plenty more.
What it smells like
Carlos Benaïm made it in 1978. It was one of Ralph Lauren's first two fragrances, and it won a FiFi Award the next year.
It's a woody chypre, and it doesn't ease you in. Juniper, basil and artemisia open it, sharp and green. Pine needles and leather take over the middle. Tobacco, oakmoss, patchouli and vetiver hold the base. No vanilla. No candy.
It smells like a stand of pines next to a tack room.
Why it holds up
Price doesn't decide what smells good, and Polo proves it. Put it next to a bottle that costs five times as much and it doesn't flinch. It has more character than most of what's launched in the last decade, and you'd know it with your eyes closed.
Yes, it's been reformulated
Oakmoss sits in Polo's base, and the industry has been restricting it for over two decades. Europe eventually banned the allergens in it outright. Every classic built on oakmoss has had to change, and Polo is no exception.
Collectors will tell you the old Cosmair bottles were deeper. Maybe they were. I like the current version a lot, and it's the one you can walk into a store and buy.
So why don't I sell it?
Math. A 4 oz bottle of the real thing (about 118 mL) runs roughly $50 to $65 online right now. Our 30 mL is $49. Ours is extrait strength, sure, but that's still about four times the juice for the same money.
I've said it before: if you can afford the original, buy the original. With Polo, almost anyone can.
If you want Ralph Lauren from us, we make Maggie Valley, our take on Polo 67, and Black Balsam, our take on Ralph's Club New York. For the green bottle, go get the green bottle.
Maison Appalachia is not affiliated with, endorsed by, licensed by, or connected to Ralph Lauren. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Any reference to another fragrance is made solely to describe our scent profile.