Our take
What does Romance smell like?
Ralph Lauren launched Romance in 1998 and it quickly became one of the house's key women's scents. Harry Frémont composed it. It pushed back against the heavy florals of the decade before. Rose leads with chamomile and ginger at its side. Freesia brings a soapy edge. In the heart, lily and violet take charge, and a watery lotus keeps everything sheer. Carnation adds the faintest bite. The base mixes white musk with oakmoss plus a little patchouli and wood. Don't expect a dark chypre though. The moss is there mainly to anchor the flowers. The formula has been reworked over the years, and the current version talks about mandarin and pink pepper up top instead. Compared with Estée Lauder's Pleasures, another fresh floral of the 1990s, Romance smells rosier and slightly woodier.
When to wear it
A daytime scent that suits the office as well as a first date. Two or three sprays on wrists and neck and it stays close to the skin.
It belongs to the Floral, Woody family. Romance is one of 10 creations by Ralph Lauren in our encyclopedia.
