I have spent the last five years watching almost every major fragrance brand make their play for the millennial consumer of perfume. We are now at the point in the process where the trends are probably clear, especially to the mass-market brands. For those late to the game it is time to make their play. Which is what Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club feels like.
Dominique Ropion
Ralph Lauren has never been an intentional trendsetter in fragrance. That Polo has become one of the undeniable classics of masculine perfume seems more happenstance than intent. As the other brands have pushed aggressively towards the more transparent style Ralph Lauren stayed the course. Over the last five years they have made flankers of Polo which acted as if they wanted to be opaquer. Except they almost always never went as far as their contemporaries. With Ralph’s Club it seems like they are ready to strike out in a new direction following behind what everyone else has been doing for the last few years. They turned to perfumer Dominique Ropion to create a semi-transparent woody.
All you have to do is to experience the first few seconds of Ralph’s Club and compare it to Polo. The same keynote of clary sage is in both. The concentration and effect are completely different. In Ralph’s Club the herb is in support of lavender. It gives some depth to the herbal aspects of that well-known floral. It is kept on the clean side of things with cedar. Vetiver adds in its grassy-woody profile to complete the composition.
Ralph’s Club has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
I enjoyed wearing this on these summer days. If there is an issue it feels like there are pieces of their competitors throughout. While it is an original perfume it also feels like they picked and chose from all the current best sellers for men. It is a versatile choice for the man who only wants one bottle on their dresser. Coming as late to things as they have, I am curious if Ralph’s Club can generate a clientele to join up.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Sephora.
–Mark Behnke
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