Lauren

The Verdict

Ralph Lauren Lauren, created by Bernard Chant and Nicholas Calderone in 1978, was one of the greatest American perfumes to emerge from the golden era of fragrance design. As Ralph Lauren's inaugural offering for women, it established a template of effortless American elegance that would define the brand for decades. The vintage formulation remains a stunning achievement in green floral perfumery, earning five-star ratings from critics who experienced it in its prime.

The tragedy of Lauren is its reformulation, which the fragrance community considers one of the worst in history. While the perfume remains in production under L'Oreal's license, the current version bears little resemblance to the original. Reviewers describe it as horrible, barely-there, and watered-down, with no sillage and zero longevity. The story of Lauren is therefore a tale of two fragrances, and any discussion must distinguish between the sublime original and its diminished descendant.

What It Smells Like

The vintage Lauren opens with a sparkling burst of green notes that are tangy and crisp, like the skin of a Granny Smith apple. Pineapple adds unexpected tropical juiciness, while Brazilian rosewood contributes a smooth, slightly sweet woody quality. The effect is refreshing and vivacious, setting the stage for the lush floral heart.

The middle blooms into a pastel garden of rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, violet, lilac, and cyclamen, creating what one reviewer described as a gracious feminine bouquet rendered in watercolors rather than oils. The classic trio of rose, carnation, and violet provides structure and tradition. The base settles into cool oakmoss, cedar, and sandalwood with vetiver adding green earthiness, producing a finish that is wholesome, clean, but also alluring. The overall impression is of a sparkling, fruity floral with genuine depth and a mossy-woody foundation.

When to Wear It

Lauren is inherently a warm-weather fragrance, best suited for spring and summer days when its green freshness and airy florals feel most alive. It works beautifully for daytime occasions, from casual outings to garden parties and outdoor events. The vintage formulation carries enough depth for evening wear as well, though its character is fundamentally sunny and optimistic.

Some wearers also appreciate it on crisp fall days, where the green notes and woody base harmonize with the changing season.

Longevity & Projection

Performance is entirely dependent on which version you wear. Vintage bottles from the Warner-Lauren era through the mid-2000s deliver excellent longevity with distinctive, classy sillage. The most lovely and lasting violet and lilac notes persist through a mossy drydown that can extend for six to eight hours or more. Modern reformulations, however, tell a completely different story: multiple reviewers report the scent failing within twenty minutes, with longevity worse than drugstore perfume and effectively no sillage at all. The community is nearly unanimous in advising against purchasing any Lauren produced after approximately 2006.

The Community Says

The fragrance community speaks of Lauren with a mixture of reverence and mourning. Vintage bottles are described with genuine affection as just as beautiful today as when first smelled in the early 1980s. The reformulation, however, has generated some of the most damning reviews in fragrance history, with users describing it as one of the worst reformulations they have ever experienced. The consensus advice is emphatic: do not waste money on anything post-2006, and seek out vintage bottles labeled Cologne rather than Eau de Toilette, as these are considered the closest to the original formula.

Who Should Buy This

Lauren is for the vintage perfume enthusiast willing to invest time and money in tracking down original-era bottles. If you love green florals in the tradition of Chanel No. 19 or Vent Vert and appreciate the craftsmanship of late-1970s perfumery, the vintage Lauren will reward your search. Those who remember wearing it decades ago will find that well-preserved bottles retain their magic. However, anyone considering the currently available reformulation should save their money.

The Bottom Line

Ralph Lauren Lauren in its original formulation is a genuine masterpiece of American perfumery, a sparkling green floral that captures effortless feminine elegance with remarkable skill. Its reformulation represents one of the great losses in modern fragrance, reducing a five-star composition to a ghost of its former self. For those fortunate enough to find vintage bottles, Lauren remains as beautiful as the day it was created.