Ralph Lauren's New Polo Cologne Smells Like Baseball—but Not Like You'd Expect

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What does baseball smell like? That’s exactly the question the newest addition to the Polo Ralph Lauren fragrance family, Polo ’67 Eau de Toilette ($108 for 125 ml), seeks to answer. But if you’re expecting peanuts and Cracker Jack, think again. The bright, citrusy, in-your-face-fresh cologne is more about the feeling of playing baseball than the odors of the sport itself. And that’s a good thing.

Polo ’67 (the name is a nod to the year the Ralph Lauren company was founded) is just the newest in a decades-long line of sports references made by the brand. Athletics have always been a source of inspiration for the designer, who the press release rightfully calls “a pioneer in the convergence of sport and style.” Baseball, it seems, has always been a particular focus for Mr. Lauren, who grew up in The Bronx during the sport’s golden age.

But designing a baseball-themed fragrance is no easy feat. And for that, Ralph Lauren tapped master perfumer Marie Salamagne from Firmenich. To Salamagne, capturing the scent and feeling of baseball was more conceptual than literal. “We were looking to infuse Polo ’67 with the self-confidence you build up through sport,” she says. “We were inspired by the outdoors for an open-air workout; the breath of fresh air contrasting with the warmth of the sunrays; a feeling of wellbeing that soothes the spirit and energizes the body.”

To achieve that feeling, Salamagne infused the fragrance with bright citrus, particularly Calabrian bergamot (Calabria being “the best region in the world for bergamot,” she says) and a pineapple accord to achieve a solar brightness at the top while still keeping some of the classic Polo signatures—like patchouli and vetiver—at the base. The result is a “solar woody” scent that’s new to the Polo portfolio yet still classic, familiar, and masculine. It’s a versatile and wearable cologne that feels ideal for casual, daytime wear. There’s also, of course, a sporty zing that makes it feel like the kind of thing you’d want to spritz on after a workout—or on your way to cheer on your favorite MLB team from the sun-drenched stands. The zesty, sharp freshness of the juice begs you to go outside.

To further drive the point home, Ralph Lauren tapped New York Yankees right fielder and team captain Aaron Judge for a new campaign celebrating the fragrance. You don’t, however, have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Polo ’67. Its appeal reaches far beyond the diamond. The bright, masculine fragrance is intended “for modern day dreamers who do not fear pushing the limits,” says Salamagne. After all, we may not all be professional baseball players (or even amateurs), but we all know when a cologne is a home run.

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