Though he suffered from chronic respiratory problems his entire life, Jean René Lacoste became a tennis star and lived to the ripe old age of 92. After his tennis career ended, he went on to create a clothing line that featured one of the world’s best-loved and most-worn garments — the cotton pique polo shirt, embroidered with the famous crocodile logo. Apart from designing the first line of performance clothing and introducing the first designer logo, René Lacoste also invented the metal tennis racket. Oh, and he painted landscapes in his spare time.

Lacoste Parfums makes three fragrances for men and the company stresses a “sporting attitude” — and uses words like “free spirit” “playful” “vitality” “energizing” “freedom” and “joie de vivre” in its advertising.

The Lacoste Essential print ad features model Axel Hermann (“handsome, but not unapproachably so”) ‘jumping’ at least four feet off the ground. The scene: “As the waves approach, other promenaders move out of the way, but this guy spontaneously decides to…‘challenge’ the waves not to soak him.” (Be he ever so approachable, Axel seems to possess the god-like ability to walk on air.)

Lacoste Essential for men contains aquatic citrus (tangerine, bergamot), tomato leaves, cassis, black pepper, rose, patchouli, sandalwood and “wood accord.” Essential opens with a strong “marine” note and harsh tangerine and bergamot (the fruits smell “green”/unripe). Almost immediately, the scent reveals notes of sour rose and sweet cassis — I do not smell tomato leaf, pepper or any woods. As Essential opens, so it remains.

Since Essential stabilized and was ‘fixed’ almost from the first spray, I needed other things to occupy my mind, so I read this from Lacoste’s ad department: “The patented Time Release Technology in this unique fragrance results in the slow release of fresh, energetic top notes…. This energetic burst will be experienced throughout the length of the day….” Top notes are nice, and in many scents I prefer those fleeting notes above all others, but if one preserves, or time releases, the top notes, what happens to the rest of the scent — the middle, the base? I’m not a chemist so perhaps I’m asking a dumb question. I will say that Essential’s “top notes” remain active thru the life of the scent on skin.

Lacoste Essential is clean, crisp and sure to offend no one; it comes in a variety of bath and body products. It’s too bad that the indefatigable (and inventive) René Lacoste never designed a fragrance for his company.

Possibly of interest