Polo Red Extreme by Ralph Lauren is an Amber Woody fragrance for men. Polo Red Extreme was launched in 2017 as an Eau de Parfum. The nose behind this fragrance is perfumer Olivier Gillotin.
Polo Red Extreme is part of the Polo Red Collection, and it’s a flanker to the original Polo Red. It’s always enjoyed some popularity, but it has since been discontinued.
The keynotes of this Amber Woody fragrance are Coffee, Blood Orange, and Ebony Wood.
| Perfume Name | Polo Red Extreme |
| Brand | Ralph Lauren |
| Year Released | 2017 |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum |
| Scent Family | Amber Woody |
| Gender | men |
I recently purchased a small travel spray of Polo Red Extreme. This is my experience of wearing it so far.
What does Polo Red Extreme by Ralph Lauren smell like?
Polo Red Extreme smells like blood orange at first but then quickly turns into an aroma of sweet mocha coffee. It’s masculine and a bit sweet, veering into gourmand territory.
This fragrance is energetic and sporty. It’s masculine with a sweet side to it. It makes me think of the guy next door that has a dark side to him. It also brings to mind Jesus de Pozo Halloween Man X,
Of course, you can’t discuss Polo Red Extreme without touching on the original and the other flankers. I actually find that Polo Red Extreme bears more resemblance to Red Intense than the original, as the coffee note is less prominent in the original.
In my opinion, Polo Red Extreme aims to be a much deeper style of fragrance that you could describe as being more gourmand than the woody versions of the first two fragrances in the Red collection.
| Top Notes | Blood Orange |
| Middle Notes | Coffee |
| Base Notes | Ebony Wood |
My Experience
I have to admit, for some reason, I initially hated the opening, but it quickly grew on me. The opening is a burst of blood orange, and it smells quite similar to a blood orange San Pellegrino. The blast of citrus is most intense for the first 10 seconds, whereafter it mellows out a bit.
Very soon after this, I get something that’s more akin to sweet coffee. Almost like a mocha or a very milky latte. To me, this sweet coffee note steers it into the gourmand-like territory, but I know this might come from the woody note.
As the scent continues to dry down, the sweetness continues to be toned down even more, although it doesn’t lose the sweetness completely throughout the duration of the scent. As the sweetness is dialed down, the warm coffee and woodsy base shine through even more and deepen further.
Overall, I find the notes to be very well blended and complement each other in a great way.
Sillage & Projection
In terms of projection, I was quite surprised by how strong Polo Red Extreme is. I feel I’ve had exactly the opposite experience with a bunch of Ralph Lauren fragrances, so this was certainly a welcome surprise. I actually oversprayed the first time I wore it, expecting it to be rather weak.
The sillage also positively surprised me. It’s actually quite potent in the beginning, but as the scent continues into the dry-down, it becomes more moderate.
Longevity & Versatility
The longevity of Polo Red Extreme is really quite decent, and I can bet on around 8 hours of wear. That’s just enough to get me through a day at the office. That being said, it’s a safe bet for the office if you are very careful not to overspray – one spritz is enough in this case. It’s a very versatile scent that you can wear almost anywhere.
In terms of its seasonality, I’d say steer clear of the warmer weather. This is not built for high temperatures. It’s more of a scent for the fall and winter and colder periods of spring.
Closing thoughts
I wouldn’t recommend blind-buying this scent unless you are a fan of the previous Polo Red fragrances. This isn’t a show-stopping fragrance, but it is a workhorse and won’t be out of place anywhere, with the exception of wearing it on really warm summer days.
However, if you don’t like coffee scents or completely detest any sweet-smelling scents, then this is not going to be for you. This is a fragrance I’d recommend to the younger guys, especially if they are in the market for something gourmand-like for the colder months.
Lastly, I’d rate this scent as great value for money in terms of what you are getting. It’s a simple formula that’s well executed and does what you want it to do.