L'Homme Lacoste
Lacoste (2017)

Lacoste post-Patou has been a very spotty affair, especially for most who have followed the development of the popular sport brand's perfume arm from high-end sporty fragrances when Patou controlled them (and Jean Kerleo composed) to more mall-friendly fare comparable to Kenneth Cole and Nautica, but attempts to restore clout to at least Dior and YSL levels since 2009 have been admirable. L'Homme Lacoste (2017) is one such attempt, and taps Michel Gerard to compose, a man who is no stranger to boutique apparel brands having composed all of Kangol's line in the past. Here with L'Homme Lacoste, he takes a fairly conservative yet still trend-conscious direction with versatile top notes and an expectedly-synthetic base. The magic of L'Homme Lacoste is in the quince note in the top and the way it plays with the rest of the fragrance, including almond in the heart and the "akigalawood" (custom nolimbanol captive from Givaudan) in the base. What sets this apart from so many things competing in the same space is the fact that it doesn't try to make a statement about itself or the wearer, and just smells good. Unfortunately, this is the very same thing that will keep L'Homme Lacoste from resonating with anyone outside the lazy-grab customer into the apparel line and wanting an easy-wearing matching fragrance, which is still better in some ways than the "oh my God SPORTS" vibe of 90's and 00's Lacoste masculines, but not attention-grabbing enough for fans of 2010's ambrox bombs.

Quince is married to a grapefruit in the top, keeping the usual fleshy pear-like fruit from being too "fruity" as it were, with a touch of rhubarb adding a teeny bit of vegetal quality so the opening of L'Homme Lacoste is rather dapper in spite of what otherwise might be a zesty youthful start. The transition into the heart is rather creamy if that makes sense, with ginger and almond making for a really rounded smooth nose feel over jasmine hedione and a touch of pepper. This accord is what gets L'Homme Lacoste compared a lot to L'Homme Idéal Eau de Toilette by Guerlain (2014), but the almond note here is far more subdued and vanilla is a not a star player like in the Guerlain rival. All told, the almond and spice really just add body to what would otherwise be a boring modern citrus scent on a "modern woods" base, and once that akigalawood base comes on, L'Homme Lacoste is really nothing like the classier Guerlain anymore, being more pedestrian in tone. The sythetic woods is pushed by a nondescript ambrox as well, which is of no surprise at this market level and price point anymore, but there is just enough vanilla and musk here to keep L'Homme Lacoste from smelling too much like your typical mall juice, especially since it lacks violet or any sort of white florals beyond jasmine like something such a Bleu de Chanel (2010) and isn't harsh like Dior Sauvage (2015) can be. Supposedly cedar is listed as a note but I really don't get any when I gave this a wear. L'Homme Lacost is an almost generalist fragrance with a lot of versatility, moderate performance, but poor projection, having more sophistication than the usual Paco Rabanne Invictus (2013) clone, but not on the level of the aforementioned Guerlain or any other niche offering.

The person reaching for L'Homme Lacoste besides the brand loyal is the guy who wants a pleasant but barely-there fragrance because the significant other nags about how he never wears anything out. He can spray this on, get an "oh you smell good" from his partner before going out the door, then forget he's even wearing a fragrance at all in about 30 minutes, that's what L'Homme Lacoste has to offer. For someone a little more committed to smell this way in any noticeable fashion, there's L'Homme Lacoste Intense (2018), which does a few different twists on the core scent to ratchet up the power in the base, and is for all intents the eau de parfum version of this scent. The bottom line here is L'Homme Lacoste is one for the quince fans not looking for a juicy fragrance, and lovers of the original L'Homme Idéal Eau de Toilette by Guerlain but who don't want to spend the larger amounts of coin that an entry-level niche perfumer like Guerlain charges, which to be fair isn't a ton more than designers unless you go into their exclusive ranges. Seeing how limited that demographic is, I feel L'Homme Lacoste will be a fragrance stumbled upon by accident and won over by the opening, or something picked up blind from a positive YouTuber review for most, but as it really says little else besides being fine-tuned to come across almost nicely forgettable, isn't worth a deep dive by anyone looks for satisfaction beyond utility. Your mileage may vary, and something this low-key may be exactly what you're looking for, so test before reaching any conclusions. Solid neutral.

A fruity orangey opening blast sweetened by a quince like collaborator. The quiche is on the fresh side and is not express a quince jelly character.

The drydown is nites for a ginger impression that is quite smooth in all its brightness. An almond sidekick adds depth, whilst a traditional jasmine adds a bit of character.

The base adds a touch of vanilla, with the usual addition of white musks, a standard recipe nowadays.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection and six hours of longevity on my skin.

This scent for spring or autumn is versatile, quite inoffensive, and, whilst quite pleasant, does not reach above a certain level of mediocrity. 2.75/5

Had no high expectations like most, but decided to give it a sniff due to a few fairly positive reviews on YT. I can't say much about this one, it's a typical Lacoste fragrance and just lacks character. This could well be the scent of a cheap handsoap. Even how quickly it fades away reminds me of handsoap. It also reminds me of Davidoff Silvershadow because of the mandarin and the woodiness. I can only give this a 2/10 for the effort. My favorite Lacoste fragrance remains L.12.12 Red.

Typical already seen to-go scent. Lacoste takes an idea of Davidoff Adventure and Boss In Motion, mixes those two and voila - Lacoste L'Homme. For daily use, preferably office and/or casual. It's character is too mild for winter, evenings and clubbing but that's not the idea of this fragrance anyway. You won't stand out with it but that's ok. Pragmatic, simple and purposeful fragrance without much depth or philosophy taken into account. Not bad or tragic, but far from instigating any emotion.

Originality 4/10
Scent 6/10
Longevity 7/10
Projection 6/10

A mildly spicy-sweet scent with some ginger zing. Reminds me of other modern frags like Stronger With You and even Guerlain Ideal. Also gets compared to Armani Eau d'Aromes, so I need to resniff that one again. Definitely becomes a nice musky woods scent in the deep drydown.

I actually really like this and it's is my new favorite of the Lacoste fragrances.

This is appropriate for everything except high heat and has a casual feel, but versatile on age. Lasts all workday with average projection.

The third of the modern Lacoste 'serious' offerings for men. No pretense of sportiness like the L.12.12 line. THe bottle is spot on.

L'Homme offers the same level of sophitication you'd expect from YSL and others. A fact embodied in the use of Akigala wood...a recent and somewhat rare note, power booster of patchouli origins.

Easily a signature scent, I would say it is not spectacular but rather effortless in its delivery of modern masculinity.

Sniff, buy, enjoy.