Our take
What does Polo Black smell like?
Ralph Lauren launched Polo Black in September 2005. Ellen Molner and Pierre Negrin, then at Givaudan, composed it. The brand pitched it as a woody aromatic for nighttime. The opening plays on iced mango with sage, mandarin and lemon. It is fruity and fresh, very much of its time. The heart rests on silver armoise and hedione. A watery accord close to calone gives it a mineral water feel. The base is darker than the top suggests. Patchouli noir joins sandalwood and tonka for a soft, slightly woody trail. The green Polo from 1978 was a dense chypre of tobacco and pine. Polo Black only keeps the name. It targets a younger crowd that goes out at night. Twenty years on it smells a bit dated, though it still works.
When to wear it
For summer evenings and weekend nights out. Three sprays are enough since it projects well.
It belongs to the Woody, Aromatic family. Polo Black is one of 10 creations by Ralph Lauren in our encyclopedia.
