Polo Crest (1991)
by Ralph Lauren

I like this scent very much. It is classy and very satisfying to wear, and attractive in all its phases. The opening has an appealing herbal-lemon chord. Quickly some nice spices appear (not too heavy). The scent is not sweet nor is it heavy. The dry-down becomes mossy and this works well with the dry spice notes. I don't get any coniferous notes here, just herbal ones. Very well done.

1st April, 2011.

I've only done one dab-to-the-wrist sampling. For the first couple of hours, it seemed quite similar to Polo Modern Reserve, then it took a sharp turn towards the smooth and sweet, like amber had come to the for, with some patchouli too. I guess that would be the reason to pay the current prices for it, because if you just want that first two hours, then either Polo or Modern Reserve would be better, because they last longer with that kind of scent. I like this, but I don't know if it's a "must have." Longevity and projection/"sillage" are at least very good, it seems.

1st March, 2011.

Bought a bottle of this back in 92 and still long for it today. More wood smell than the original, very addictive. Talk that the modern reserve is actually Polo Crest, not sure if that's true, have to pick up a bottle of modern reserve and give it a go.

31st August, 2010.

Similar to Polo Green, but different enough to claim its own character and feeling. It mostly retains Polo Green’s rawness and masculinity, but it is toned down and smoothed out some. It opens with an herbal / spicy green note with a sharp, light aromatic tinge that I like very much. I especially enjoy the caraway element in opening – it adds an additional spicy / aromatic element to a basic Polo Green opening broadening the opening to a cooler aromatic accord. The opening doesn’t seem as aggressive as Polo Green’s – it’s more herbal and less resinous. I prefer Polo Crest’s way of introduction – less explosive, broader, and more refined. The difference between the middle notes of the two Polo’s is subtle but important. I think that the florals take over a bit more in Crest than in Green. I wouldn’t call Crest’s middle strongly floral but it is smoother and less herbal. The base is where the real difference lies. In Crest, the leather is greatly reduced, and the incense and woods come through more strongly. Like the original Polo Green, Polo Crest’s accords are masculine, distinctive, and long lasting. The “sweet” in both fragrances lies in a continuum somewhere between minimal and nonexistent. Because of having similar coniferous notes – juniper, pine, and cedar – in each level of the pyramid, I find both fragrances somewhat linear, but still, I see Polo Crest as having less intense coniferous notes than Polo Green. I do prefer the drydown of Crest. Of course, the sillage and longevity of both are excellent, and both are thumb’s up fragrances.

7th August, 2009.

A sweet but no-nonsense bright green scent. I think there's a little mint and cilantro which tend to remind me of the original, but I can handle this version, whereas the original is just a spitefully bitter green to me, and has assured me that it does not want to be my friend. (unfortunately, the Crest bottle is just as tacky and dated as the original). Other than losing its slight lemon edge after the top dies, I don't find much change over time with this one. The herbs noted earlier keep the brightness a little more under control than in Bowling Green, whose brightness persists too far into the base and wears on me a little bit later in the day. One problem with Crest is that, even though I don't recall the exact smell of Pine-Sol, some of the sharpness on certain isolated sniffs makes me suspect what people refer to as Pine-Sol in other scents. Maybe it would smell a little more empathetic and less authoritarian if it had just a smidgen of Paco Rabanne-style soapiness? Still, it sure beats the fanatical in-your-face drill sargeant of the original Polo.

2nd August, 2009.

I can't believe they discontinued this fragrance. I lighter, more sophisticated version of Polo. I love the original Polo, but everyone and anyone owned it in the 80s. This is more distinctive.

10th April, 2009.