Lacoste
Lacoste
150 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The bergamot and lemon strike immediately with an almost astringent brightness, joined quickly by tangerine that adds a marginally warmer citrus character. Within moments you're wrapped in something that feels more like concentrated cleaning product than considered fragrance composition.
The ginger emerges with a subtle spiciness, and the violet leaf offers a whisper of green, herbaceous sweetness that at least provides some textural interest against the persistent lavender's cool herbal notes. For a brief window—perhaps the only moment where Challenge shows genuine promise—these middle notes create something approaching balance, before the synthetic base begins its creeping intrusion.
The woody accords thin considerably, reducing to a fuzzy, indistinct warmth that sits somewhere between teakwood and plastic. By the fourth hour, Challenge has essentially evaporated into a skin scent so faint it becomes academic whether it's still present at all, leaving behind only the faintest ghost of woody synthetic haze.
Challenge Lacoste arrives as a study in restless energy—a fragrance that can't quite decide whether it wants to be a crisp morning shower or a gentleman's grooming ritual. The citrus trio of bergamot, lemon, and tangerine creates an almost aggressive freshness in the opening, the kind of brightness that feels slightly synthetic and squeaky-clean, like a new tennis racket fresh from its plastic wrapping. What's genuinely interesting here is how the ginger and violet leaf in the heart attempt to add dimension to what could've been a flat aromatic composition. The ginger introduces a subtle peppery warmth that plays against the cool herbal undertones of lavender, whilst violet leaf—rarely the star of the show—whispers something slightly powdery and green rather than floral. Where Challenge falters is in the base: teakwood and ebony promise gravitas, but instead deliver a synthetic woody hum that feels more like an air freshener than genuine timber. The fragrance never quite coalesces into something cohesive; it reads more as individual notes arranged in proximity rather than in genuine conversation. This is sportwear in scent form—functional, bracing, utterly forgettable. You'd wear this if you needed something inoffensive for the office, something that wouldn't intrude but also wouldn't impress. It's the olfactory equivalent of a white polo shirt.
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4.0/5 (81)