Love

The Verdict

Ralph Lauren Love arrived in autumn 2008 as a statement of luxury excess. The 15ml Eau de Parfum featured 24-carat gold details and a hand-painted stopper crowned with precious amethyst, commanding a $2,200 price tag. A more accessible heart-shaped crystal edition was also available. The question, inevitably, is whether the juice inside matches the extravagance of its packaging.

The answer, according to the fragrance community, is a qualified no. Now Smell This described Love as fine if perhaps rather dull and not a particularly memorable fragrance. While the composition is competent and wearable, it lacks the distinctiveness that would justify its position as Ralph Lauren's most luxurious offering. The fragrance smells expensive in a generic way rather than in a unique one.

What It Smells Like

Love opens with a burst of magnolia and mimosa alongside fruity berry accords that one Fragrantica reviewer described as full, strong, sweet, tart, and juicy. The mimosa blasts out with an almost anise-like quality before being dominated by a clear, watery magnolia. The opening is immediately likable and attention-getting.

The heart brings Bulgarian rose and ylang-ylang into focus, creating a classic romantic floral accord. The base is where Love shows its ambition: amber, iris root, patchouli, vetiver, musk, sandalwood, and vanilla combine to create a rich, powdery foundation. However, the Now Smell This reviewer found this drydown increasingly tedious, settling into an ambery-patchouli-woods character that lacks excitement.

When to Wear It

Love is described as very likable, non-offensive, and wearable all year around, making it one of the more versatile oriental florals in its class. The Now Smell This review suggested it is particularly suited to office settings, where its pleasant-but-unobtrusive character is an asset.

Its rich base makes it slightly better suited to cooler months, though the bright magnolia opening works well in spring. This is a safe choice for professional environments and daytime events where you want to smell polished without making waves.

Longevity & Projection

Longevity is one of Love's stronger attributes. The Now Smell This reviewer noted it lasts pretty much through the day, which aligns with Ralph Lauren's stated objective. This is one area where the fragrance delivers on its premium promise.

However, sillage and projection are more modest. One Fragrantica reviewer noted that while sillage and longevity do not compare to Safari, Love does better than most of the watered-down EDPs on the market. Others report the scent becoming quite powdery within one to two hours and then gradually fading. The experience varies by skin chemistry, with some getting all-day wear and others finding it gone within six hours.

The Community Says

Community opinion clusters around a specific critique: Love is pleasant but fails to distinguish itself from less expensive alternatives. The Now Smell This review explicitly preferred Ralph Lauren's competing fragrance Notorious, while questioning whether Love justified its cost through scent quality alone. Fragrantica reviewers are somewhat warmer, with one poeticizing that it smells like being newly in love, when everything around you seems brighter and more beautiful. Others describe it as refreshingly different from generic offerings but acknowledge it might be a little too much or too sweet for some tastes.

Who Should Buy This

Love is best suited for Ralph Lauren devotees and luxury collectors who appreciate the full package of presentation, brand heritage, and scent. The 24-carat gold and amethyst edition is a genuine collector's piece regardless of the fragrance inside. If you adore magnolia-centered florals and want something rich and wearable, the more accessible crystal edition offers the same juice at a lower price.

Those who evaluate fragrances primarily on scent quality relative to cost should look elsewhere. As the Now Smell This reviewer bluntly noted, spending over $2,000 on what amounts to a competent but unmemorable floral oriental is difficult to justify on olfactory merits alone.

The Bottom Line

Ralph Lauren Love is a polished oriental floral that succeeds as a luxury object and a pleasant daily wear fragrance but falls short of the transcendent scent experience its price tag implies. The lush magnolia opening and rich powdery base make it genuinely enjoyable to wear, but its lack of distinctive character means the bottle, not the juice, is doing most of the heavy lifting in justifying the investment.