I find myself thinking about this perfume a lot. I've gathered it was very popular in the 80's and was still quite popular when I was a kid in the 90's. My mom didn't actually liked it much (she got it as a gift) although later on, she became a huge Ralph Lauren Romance and Glamorous fan.
I do think both of those perfumes smell nice but in my opinion, they don't hold a candle to Lauren. To me, Lauren actually embodies romance and glamour. As a kid, I would always gaze at my mom's vanity, thinking about how elegant the dark burgundy bottle looks and how it smells so "grown up". Mexican telenovelas were really popular at that time and I remember in María la del Barrio, María (played by Thalía) detected a different perfume on Luis Fernando (Fernando Colunga). She found the same scent on the new nanny's room (Penélope Linares played by Ana Patricia Rojo Stein). I'm pretty sure it was Lauren judging by the shape and colour of the bottle and cap. Anyways, María threw the bottle into the ground, shattering it. Penélope was so real for dabbing on some of the spilt perfume on her (waste not!) and having bought a whole new one just in time for her date with Luis Fernando. While Lauren was marketed for the classic all-American Ralph Lauren woman, coming to think of it, I feel like it has a bit of a seductive femme fatale quality (not unlike Penélope with her long legs and iconic red hair and bangs).
I heard that the reformulation (also discontinued) doesn't smell close to the original. Quite understandable due to current ingredient restrictions but it's just weird to me that in the 21st century we can't recreate it. I feel like with the amount of technology we have available it should be pretty plausible to recreate scents. Do you think it's cost production that's holding it back or is it really impossible to recreate certain scents? And do you guys think they will release a limited edition bottle with a better reformulation on its 50th anniversary in 2028?
By the way, if you want some information on how to date a bottle of Lauren (especially if you're buying one online) or you just want to know more about Lauren in general, please read this fantastic post from this blog Cleopatra's Boudoir
https://cleopatrasboudoir.blogspot.com/2017/10/lauren-by-ralph-lauren-c1978.html?m=1
Here is another informative blog that led me to date our Lauren bottle down to the year (my mom had one that was manufactured from 1995!)
https://raidersofthelostscent.blogspot.com/2024/04/some-brief-notes-about-dating-ralph.html
I find that Issey Miyake's 'A Scent' and Hugo 'Femme' doesn't smell exactly like Lauren but it scratches some of the itch. 'A Scent' can easily overpower 'Femme' so when mixing them I like to keep the ratio 1:2 or even 1:3 in a smaller 5ml bottle, you can check the quality after 24 hours but it may still be muddled so I suggest letting it meld together for a week or longer.
Other perfumes I've seen that are recommended by other people online:
Victoria's Secret Very Sexy - NOT REMOTELY CLOSE!! It was very peppery. I wonder if the person who said this meant VS Very Sexy Now or some other Very Sexy flanker. The 2008 one seems close (Top Notes: Melon, Red Apple, Pineapple, Bergamot - Middle Notes: Magnolia, Peony, Jasmine - Base Notes: Peach, Vanilla, Musk)
Rosa Novella by Santa Maria Novella - I saw two people claiming that this smells like Lauren; I've never considered Lauren a dominant rose perfume so I had doubts but this was such a niche recommendation so I tried finding a sample (which ended up pricier than what I usually pay for samples because this perfume isn't available in my country!! I had to go by a reseller so this one hurted a bit) and I should have trusted my gut loool. I think they've mistaken Lauren for Romance! I still have a bottle of early 2000s Romance, although I personally can't detect patchouli on it but these two are closer together than Lauren-Rosa Novella, although I would like to point out Rosa Novella opens up with a bitter note and VERY patchouli with some rose and dries down into a sweet-spicy, kind of creamy scent (lovely!!) while Romance opens up in a rosey floral with a pinch of spice but dries down very clean and almost ozonic.
Liz Claiborne for women (the one in the triangle bottles) - haven't tried; I've brought this up personally to someone and she exclaimed how she also loved this perfume back in the day but she didn't say if it smelled like Lauren now it's awkward if I bring it up again
Kate Spade TRULYGracious - haven't tried
I'm desperately trying to find something that smells similar because the vintage bottles are expensive on eBay. If any of you guys know of anything similar (or any ideas on layering different perfumes to get something close), please share them in the comments.
For reference these are the prominent notes in Lauren:
The New Perfume Handbook describes Lauren as such:
'Lauren' A 'fruity-fresh' floral perfume devised by Parfums Ralph Lauren in 1978 with the creative perfumers of IFF. Fruity green fragrances in the top notes, including tangerine and lemon, give way to a cool floral heart of ylang-ylang, mimosa, orange blossom and marigold, with base notes of cedar, sandalwood and oak moss. The flacon, in the form of a crystal cube, was design by Bernard Kotyuk.
Groom, N. (1997, pg. 184). New perfume handbook. Springer Science & Business Media.
Notes according to the Fragrantica website:
Top Notes: Green Notes, Clary Sage, Brazilian Rosewood, Pineapple
Middle Notes: Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Bulgarian Rose, Cyclamen, Jasmine, Violet
Base Notes: Carnation, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vetiver
Notes according to the Basenotes website:
Head: Orange, Pineapple, Tarragon, Petitgrain, Spearmint, Marigold, Galbanum, Rosewood
Heart: Bulgarian Rose, Violet, Lilac, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Cyclamen, Daffodil / Jonquil, Clove
Base: Cedarwood, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Musk, Carnation
Other notes people online mention:
Melon / Cantaloupe (highly likely, commonly mentioned)
Freesia (highly likely, commonly mentioned)
Mimosa (highly likely)
Apple
Black Cherry
Watermelon
Hyacinth
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SOME NEWS (2025)
I google Lauren periodically and tell me why I've only seen they have it on their website? The reviews suggest this page has been up for years and there was a screenshot from 2019 on the Wayback Machine but it is genuinely the first time I've came across this. It's not available for purchase but perhaps they're trying to gauge interest?
Here is the link
https://www.ralphlauren.com/women-accessories-fragrance/lauren-eau-de-toilette-spray/0001477926.html
Ralph Lauren is the Fragrance Foundation's (FIFI's) pick for 2025's Hall of Fame honoree. This is probably a sign for them to bring back some of their iconic fragrances.
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