All right, it’s finally time for my comparison between Polo Red and its flanker fragrance, Polo Red Intense. I’ve been wanting to do this post for a long while and now have gotten around to giving both a fair shake. In this post, I am going to present how each fragrance smells, how it performs, and which one is the better option between them. Has Polo Ralph Lauren outdone the original Red?
Polo Red Intense vs. Red: Which is better?
Polo Red Tale of the Tape
Notes of Polo Red: grapefruit, italian lemon, cranberry,amber,coffee, saffron, sage, redwood
Try Polo Red: Ralph Lauren Polo Red Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce
Read my original review: Polo Red Ralph Lauren Review
Polo Red Intense Tale of the Tape
Notes include: cranberry, grapefruit, coffee, leather, amber, lavender, saffron, ginger, sage, and lemon
Try Polo Red Intense: Ralph Lauren Polo Red Intense for Men 4.2 Oz Edp Spray By Ralph Lauren, 4.2 Fluid Ounce
Read my original review: Polo Red Intense
Opening
Obviously, these scents are very similar to one another since we are comparing the original with the intense version. However, there are some noticeable differences from the start.
First, Red Intense does its job at first, by being more loud and having better projection than the original. Both scents share the sweet candy-like warmth of cranberry, citrus, and amber notes which I really enjoy.
Red Intense gives you a big dose of saffron, coffee, and some spices up top. This separates is a lot from the tart opening of Polo Red and its cranberry/lemon duo. Red Intense still does have that big sweetness, however, just different.
Red Intense also has a noticeable leather note and ginger which becomes more prominent as it wears on. I like the Intense version here, as it has taken something great, and made it darker and perhaps more interesting.
(Edit: Polo has released Polo Red Extreme, which I reviewed and gives you a third option..and possibly the best of the bunch)
Edge: Intense
Projection
Again, the Intense version wins (as it should), it does a much better job from the start projecting itself and not being on the weaker side of things like Polo Red.
I should note that while Polo Red Intense is heavier than the original, it isn’t really a beast itself. In fact, it loses some of it’s initial luster after 30-45 minutes.
Polo Red Intense does come out of the gate as powerful, but is more moderate, during the rest of the wear.
Edge: Intense
Longevity
This has always been my biggest qualm with Polo Red, its longevity. I love the smell but it can be such a short lived scent, which is really disappointing.
Polo Red Intense is better in this department but it hasn’t been an insane type of wear either. I’d say it’s in the upper moderate range but provides pretty solid wear.
With Red Intense I get about 7-9 hours of solid wear from it. Polo Red can be in the 4-7-ish hour range, depending on the day and climate.
Edge: Intense
Versatility
Pretty much the same in terms of when you can wear it, where, etc. I might say, that Polo Red is more appropriate in low key scenarios, but its not a wide enough margin to make a real difference.
Edge: Push
Overall Scent
I’m a fan of the original Polo Red, I just hated it longevity issues. Polo Red Intense improves upon that while keeping mostly true to the original.
Intense is a darker and spicier cologne, with the ginger note providing a nice touch an hour or so in. Polo Red is a very sweet, warm cologne, with woody undertones while Intense amps the cranberry note up and then brings in ginger and a masculine leather.
All in all it’s very well done and sexy. I’ve got to give the ultimate nod to Polo Red Intense. Still, I’m not a huge fan of Intense, and the original Red has lost some of its luster for me over the years. My real pick is Red Extreme, but the other two are still both pretty good.
Winner: Polo Red Intense
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides.
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