Polo Black (2005)
by Ralph Lauren

Polo Black is an inoffensive and well composed "fresh" scent that is is a little on the generic side but more likable than many of its competitors. The refreshing fruity top notes soon fade away, leaving a lightly herbaceous and "watery" heart underpinned by a base of patchouli and sandalwood that is rounded out and softened a little by the tonka bean.

Polo Black has nowhere near the power, sillage or longevity of other fragrances in the Polo line, it lasts maybe 4 hours before it needs refreshing. This is a nice enough fragrance but there is nothing that makes it (or the wearer )stand out from the crowd. If you are looking for something unique or sexy then this is not what you are looking for ; if you are looking for something fresh, understated and suitable for the office or class room then this may be worth a try.

Ralph Lauren changed this fragrance

year 2005, smells like synthetic sweet mangoes, bright and strong, then a green dried down, not black, but I like it,

rating, Thumbs up

year 2008, smells less sweet, less mangoes, less bright, but still strong but more alcoholish, its darker than the previous,

RL made it darker, and all notes overpower each other,

rating, Neutral at best,

I like the 2005 version,

Definetly, not black, agreed that conjures "orange-aluminum" in my mind - on me citrus is huge....middle notes are almost peppery....I liked it alot more when I first got it, now it's only ranging cold winter wear.

I’ve tried Polo Black four times, and I like it less each time. Enough! It has some elements (sage, armoise, aka. artemesia) that have the potential to be appealing. But all these “green effervescent accords” and “lush liquid accords” and hedione translate into an overly-synthetic and irritating scent. It is a shallow scent: airy-fresh with no redeeming depth or character, something like smelling cool air blasting out of a freezer full of frozen green things.

I've enjoyed this from day one since I've worn this and will wear it again and again although I haven't smelled Roberto Cavelli Black which I've told smells better to many.

Wear this on cold days. It's transparent lemon and green note come out as well as its longevity is increased. New and fresh smelling, this is a big diversion from the regular Polos. While it smells really good, it does come off as a floor cleaner or some other weird cleaning solution or synthetic polymer. Definitely a try before you buy scent.