Most men’s cologne wearers born before 1995 have found themselves with at least one Ralph Lauren bottle on their dresser. Maybe Polo Sport, Polo Green or Polo Blue. The beloved American sportswear brand’s following extended beyond the clothes, and for many, the ubiquitous blue bottle with signature silver Ralph Lauren logo was one of, if not the scent of their very formative years.
“Polo Blue happened to come out the year I needed to smell good. I was going into high school, so that was really important to me,” Tash P, a New York-based producer and art director, said. “As a kid, I was obsessed. I’d steal my dad's cologne, my brothers’, my cousins’ colognes." His aunt worked at a perfume kiosk in the mall, and although he became a Curve guy, he fondly remembers when his aunt introduced him to Polo Blue and it became a foundational part of his collection.
Where did Polo Blue come from?
Launched in 2002, Polo Blue is the product of two renowned perfumers' collaboration – Carlos Benaim and Christophe Laudamiel. Benaim is responsible for iconic fragrances like Elizabeth Arden’s White Diamonds and Calvin Klein’s Euphoria. Lauderamiel, meanwhile, most notably contributed Abercrombie & Fitch’s Fierce and Tom Ford Amber Absolute.
In addition to his role in the birth of Polo Blue, Lauderamiel went on to receive the Fragrance FIFI Award “Fragrance Star of the Year” in 2003 after the scent’s release. A year later, Benaim received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Perfumers, and Perfumer of the Year Lifetime Achievement award by the Fragrance Foundation a decade after that.
Lauderamiel studied under the creator of Davidoff Cool Water, Pierre Bourdon, and the aquatic adjacent profile of Polo Blue is often attributed to that connection.
But Benaim shared it was a trip that largely inspired him. “What was very memorable for Polo Blue was the imagery that led me to the fragrance, which involved a visit to Caneel Bay in the Caribbean. I was inspired by the clear water and the foliage that later became accords within the fragrance,” he said. “The signature of Polo Blue was created when we combined two accords we had been working on: a lush foliage accord (created with Christophe Laudamiel), combined with an aquatic accord.”
What does Polo Blue smell like?
Generally regarded great daily fragrance, Polo Blue isn’t too strong, and it hasn’t had the best reputation for being long-lasting. The casual and youthful scent afforded many young men an entry point into developing a preference for their eventual signature scents.
“I wore it into my mid-20s until my girlfriend at the time told me to grow up and get a different one,” Los Angeles-based Marco Negrete said, laughing.
The fresh scent’s initial notes are of melon, clementine zest and cucumber, followed by geranium and sage. Musk, suede and patchouli give it a more masculine finish. According to Benaim, “[Ralph Lauren] were looking for a very relaxed fragrance, a fragrance that will connote an easy-going mood.”
Why was Polo Blue such a big deal?
When Polo Blue hit it big, we were first hearing Ashanti over a Notorious B.I.G. sample on her debut single “Foolish,” Nelly’s “Hot In Here” was what made dance floors turn up, and by 2003 everyone wanted to be dressed like Jay Z in the “Change Clothes” video with fresh Air Force Ones on their feet.
“We were wearing big ass tall T-shirts, fitted hats and Jordans – stuff like that. Big, baggy jeans. We had to smell good,” Tash P said. “Axe came out around the same time, and nobody wanted to smell like that.”
Magazines sold ad space for fragrances that would include a little fold-out sample while Macy’s fragrance counters and perfume kiosks in malls stocked Polo Blue for those shoppers who didn’t receive the gift set from a loving aunt or girlfriend. (The watch-and-cologne combo were staple Christmas and birthday gift options for 20-something men in the early aughts.) “I’d get the gift set all the time because it came with a travel size and a gift,” Negrete said.
If you weren’t a Polo Blue guy, you knew one. “It would break your heart," Tash P recalls. "You'd be at the bus stop as a freshman and you'd see that senior girl get picked up for school and you're thinking, no fucking way. I have no chance at all. ... I would buy a Polo Blue, because I was thinking about that guy. He always had to shape up. Always. And, the girls drooled over him."
The nostalgia of that era and the scent are undeniably intertwined, but with Ralph Lauren’s timelessness, it’s no surprise that Polo Blue has been a favorite for decades. Benaim said, “It has been in the Top 30 US men’s fragrances since its debut in 2002.”
