Polo Blue
Ralph Lauren (2002)

I'm really digging this blue Polo, just trying it now for the first time. I see that it's from 2002 but I think it's probably still one of the best blue fragrances on the market right now. Like top 3 material.

In fact it already has me kind of second guessing having bought Acqua di Gio Profondo here recently. Profondo is definitely stronger but that's also because of the hedione and that original AdG backbone. However, the marine accords in Profondo and Polo Blue are both similarly nice!

Polo Blue is well put together. It steers clear of that Axe/Lynx vibe you'll get from for example a Versace Eros. It's also not screechy ambroxan loud like Sauvage (edt) and Dylan Blue are.

It's just a fresh, in-your-face herbal aquatic with a good dose of geranium, aided by lavender, calone and some coumarin. Which is how I like my blue scents. Of course more work was done here to the top, heart and base but I hope you catch my drift. Other highlights are the velvety smooth base and the fruitiness in the top.

To me Polo Blue is one of the 3 best blues out there, the other ones being AdG Profondo and Dunhill Century Blue.

One of only a few fragrances I cannot tolerate. A basil and cucumber mix that resembles more of a stale salad dressing than a cologne. I can live with most of the other Polo line, Green, Black, Double Black, Sport etc. but Polo Blue has a veggie medicinal smell that is anything but "blue". I'll never understand this mess.

The opneong is a fresh and bright melon aroma, mainly a ripe watermelon, with a sell-executed cucumber note added in. A slightly ozonic citrus undertone of tangerines enhances the sunny feeling, although this is not a Cologne-style very refreshing experience.

The drydown turn herbal,with a lovely clary sage on centre stage. with basil as an adjunct. At times floral hunts break through, mainly geranium and whiffs of apple blossoms, which result in a sweeter mix.

The based is dominated by a soft patchouli and a lots of white musks. A background of a mossy nature (as artificial as it gets) with a very restrained note of new suede.

I get moderate sillage, good projection, and eight hours of longevity on my skin.

The agreeable opening of this discreetly summery scent, and the top notes that are standard issue but quite attractive, do not distract from this creation's flaws: the egregiously synthetic and generic base notes. Overall middle-of-the-road. 2.75/5

Not bad, not bad at all. Generic but pleasant. Longevity and sillage are both leaning to the bad side though. A nice, everyday, mild, never overwhelming scent. You cant go wrong with this one. But nothing special. Overall 7/10

This is the first cologne I ever owned growing up, I remember running across a sample in a magazine and being blown away. Therefor, nostalgia will factor into my review. For me, this is one of my top fragrances of all time, even if I have much more complex and sophisticated scents, this one was a milestone that introduced me to the fragrance world and will always remind me of those early teenage “coming of age” years, so for that reason alone it will always be special :)

The feelings I get when I smell Polo Blue are fresh, crisp, adventure, freedom. It's a fresh/spicy, musky aquatic and the initial blast can be a bit much with the alcohol and intensity (in fact I remember being disappointed as a kid bc my bottle didn't smell quite like the magazine sample), and as I'm older I can smell the small similarities between this and the classic Polo Green (a scent I truly hate on me but it establishes the Polo DNA which still runs strong with every Polo cologne), with just a bit of that classic spice, and really appreciate it. The fresh spicy quality helps push this frag into a higher level of the overpopulated fresh/aquatic scents, it's far from one dimensional and it's just exceptionally put together, though definitely a bit dated today in 2019.

It feels modern and classic at the same time, with fresh melon and cucumber mixed with musk and suede. I feel, along with the subtle spice, the suede is what makes this nearly perfect as an introductory scent. I will admit it's too musky for me, but in general I really dislike musk on my skin, I much prefer a deep, woody base over a musky one, which is precisely why I prefer the EDP version.

Blue is an overall crowd pleaser, which will not offend anyone and will always keep you smelling good , as it's not overly sweet and fruity or just one dimensionally “fresh”, but balanced quite well. For me personally it is the best of the Polo colognes (besides the Blue EDP) and a true modern classic, the definition of casual freshness and elegance, though it will be a bit too preppy for some. I can honestly wear this any day, any weather, night time, work, gym, everything. I'll probably always have some on hand, just for nostalgia and because it's always reliable on a hot day.

This, along with Nautica Voyage are probably my favorite scents on a hot day, like after mowing the lawn or working out, they are just so fresh and clean, absolutely rejuvenating! I've yet to find a better basic “fresh” casual scent (though many that are more complex and classy, don't get me wrong) to be honest, and that's saying something as it was released in 2002 and I've tested hundreds of frags :)

-8/10, would rate higher, as this is a true classic, but the reformulation has reduced performance and projection it seems, sadly, and it honestly does not smell the same (obviously similar, but there is much more musk which gives it a sort of clean linen scent that was never there in my original bottle.). It is still very good but doesn't quite smell or perform like it used to :(

Old formulation (my original bottle from 2004): 9.5/10

Current:
Opening - 9.25/10
Dry down - 6.5/10
Longevity - 5/10

To me, Polo Blue is an upscale version of a mass-market men's fragrance. It's like a double quarter-pounder with cheese from McDonalds, except made with Wagyu beef.

It starts out with the oft-used melon and cucumber note found in hand soaps and other skincare products layered on, essentially, a Cool Water by Davidoff (1985) foundation. This is not something that comes across smelling unique because of the variety of the ingredients. Rather, it comes across as an extremely well-crafted version of scents that you've smelled countless times, just not as expertly blended as they are in Polo Blue. This has zero resemblance to the original Polo from 1978, but it is exactly the type of scent that I would imagine Carlos Benaim putting out as the 2002 spiritual successor to the original. It definitely has the synthetic qualities that were prevalent at that time, but it's not one of those overpowering and overly synthetic fragrances that resembled some sort of delousing fluid that flooded the market at the turn of the millennium. Again, it's the highest rung of mass-market fragrance.

There's nothing here that knock my socks off as far as originality, but the composition is just superbly done. This is a classed-up aquatic that doesn't smell like a Cool Water flanker or something best used instead of a shower after playing a pickup game of basketball. It works great as a warm weather scent, and performance is good, with decent projection. It's a good everyday generalist that I would qualify as a "dumb grab," but a good one at that.

Thumbs up.