Lacoste Challenge (2009)
by Lacoste

Top notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Orange
Middle notes: Ginger, Juniper, Lavender, Violet
Base: Teak wood, Ebene wood

Nowadays if you walk into a department store and grab a random mens fragrance from the counter, it would conform to whats presented in Lacoste's "Challenge" (oh the irony in naming..)... an aromatic citrus-ginger spice-generic woods concoction which is now as ubiquitous as the swine flu. A top half constructed with adequate materials...a nice lemon burst rounded by a juicy orange-mandarin note, a heart phase featuring a spice note (which in 101% of the cases is ginger), some diluted lavender and juniper, and a generic low-cost woody base to finish the inbred-DNA of this 'dynamic and optimistic' frag. Just a few ago I tried another paragon of this citrus-spice style..Dior Homme Sport. In the battle of the bottom dwellers, Sport is a teeny bit more attractive because of its better melding of notes. Eitherways, if you like your fragrances safe, uncontroversial/conservative and are risk averse, just pick any of these aromatic citruses ....they are probably coming off the same lab with minute differences here and there. You can't lose (or win) with any of 'em.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

I made a trip to the mall to test this new fragrance out. I was severely disappointed. I read these reviews and yes, the plastic note is not all that bad. It smells like some of the other lacoste fragrances I have smelled over the past few years. This one is pretty bad though, it took two separate washings to remove this stench. It was so distrubing i felt a nose bleed coming on. I regretted the two sprays on wrist instead of using a blotter card. I had high hopes for this one, but it let me down.
I can see someone pulling this fragrance off. if you have a thick b.o. problem, this one may Cut right through it. otherwise, this one is too Sharp and bright for my tastes

Hmmm, well what can I say......the more P&G Lacoste fragrances I smell the more I think they have a fragrance "plan". They take 3/4 of the last bottle and chuck in a few more sythetic oils, do masses of research on bottle, name and colour, then throw it out as the latest aspirational fragrance. This is Essential with more "plastic" woody bits chucked in. At first spray its actually sore on the nose as I doubt any of the ingredients have seen the outside world. When it drys down it is rather pleasent. Smells like a Lacoste. Has that "fizzy sporty" element going on, like Boss (also P&G) has that "sweet (plastic) woods" in every scent. This is the brand "trade mark" me thinks.

All in all, just about all P&G stuff is pimped up body spray. Not made for the wearer, made for others to smell. I'll admit I wore it today and got a "ohhhhhhhh you smell lovely" and a "would you mind not reapplying so often as its giving me a headache!" lol.

Pleasent, wearable crap, as most of the P&G stuff seems to be these days!

Fruity opening. The drydown is rather nice but rather ordinary for fragrances these days. The drydown is a typical spicy, ambery woods but a little "fresher". I like fragrances that have this ambery woods but like others, I think enough is enough. To perfume houses/industry giants: stop trying to copy yourselves. Especially when the woodsy drydown is just that and nothing else to make it interesting. I can't say I totally hate or think it's the worst thing ever, though.

Standard citrus opening, but not long lasting. Strangly, it started to smell nutty after a while on my skin. Not one of their best. I was looking forward to the teakwood, but it never came through.

Apart from the very wearable "Land", I have found little under the Lacoste unbrella worthy of bottle purchase. Challenge slips in under the mall radar with its fruit flavoured opening and its oh so modern bottle and colourings. It reminds very much of 1 Million by Paco Rabanne, but tethered and tame. Like so many modern mall offerings, it is top note heavy. Beyond the pleasantly fresh opening is a bleak landscape of trite and uninspiring accords, each as forgettable as the next. Personally, I think the product would have been more accurately named as "Challenged".