Ralph Rocks is the latest fragrance in the Ralph by Ralph Lauren line, which debuted in 2000 with Ralph, followed by Ralph Cool in 2004, and Ralph Hot in 2006. Ralph Rocks was created by perfumer Annie Buzantian, and the notes include passion fruit, kiwi, citrus, freesia, orange blossom, hyacinth, palm leaves, sun-bleached woods, coconut milk, sandalwood and amber.
Like the others in the series, Ralph Rocks is geared towards a young consumer (the tag line is "Rebellious, independent, free spirited. Add it to your playlist today!"). A brand spokesperson explains how the Ralph scents corrolate with your basic teenage-girl personality traits:
The Ralph Rocks fragrance appeals to a more rebellious girl with an attitude, who's free-spirited, hip and creative. The original Ralph was created for a preppy and confident girl, Cool for a trendy and adventurous girl, and Hot for her flirty and sexy side. (via Women's Wear Daily, 8/25/06)
From my vantage point (i.e., way, way older than the target audience for Ralph Rocks), it seems mildly ironic to try to capture the rebelliousness and independence of youth with yet another fruity floral — you might, I would think, more obviously assert your independence by not smelling like everyone else. But then, it is hard to be truly rebellious until you're old enough to not care what anyone else thinks about your clothes and your perfume. At that point, you can blithely spray on Comme des Garçons 2 and walk around smelling like ink if you want to, but meanwhile, Ralph Rocks is a nice enough scent if fruity floral is what you're after.
The top notes are very, very sweet tropical fruits. The citrus notes arrive within seconds, along with a bit of a fresh air accord, and happily the combination tempers the candied opening; it only flirts with smelling like a tropical beach cocktail. It calms to a sheer floral with creamy-coconut undertones; the longer it is on skin, the creamier it gets, but the coconut is under control: it never goes so far as to smell like suntan oil. After about 45 minutes, the fruits have largely disappeared, and Ralph Rocks is mostly a soft musky woods, more pale than dark and more cool than warm.
Ralph Rocks is very wearable, even likeable. And while it is sweet, sweet is relative. It isn't nearly so sweet as your average fruity floral geared towards the under-25 age cohort, and it doesn't even come close to the sugar-laden Ralph Hot.
When they released Ralph Hot earlier this year, I was puzzled by the timing — it seemed odd to launch a sweet, heavy gourmand in early spring. The timing for Ralph Rocks, which strikes me as very much a spring-early summer fragrance, is equally hard to understand, but then, Escada has been releasing tropical fruity florals every January with great success, so what do I know. Nothing.
Ralph Rocks is sold in 50 and 100 ml bottles of Eau de Toilette, and the lasting power is very good. A body lotion and shower gel are due to launch soon. You can find Ralph Rocks at boscovs, sephora, nordstrom and ulta, among others, and it will no doubt be at the discounters eventually.
The dialectic of FFs is pretty much always the same, ain't it: toothachingly sweet fruits cut by either citrus or ozone, which then segues into a 'bouquet' of indistinct and/or sheer florals, the whole on a base of pale, musky woods OR vanilla-musk gourmandesie.
On the plus side, RL scents are always well blended, even if they feel young. I like & wear both (men's) Romances and Polo Blue. What do you think of them, R?
LOL — true, but this one is probably better than most. But have to confess that I am horribly behind on the Ralph Laurens. I know what Lauren smells like because at one time, everyone on earth was wearing it, but have never smelled Romance or Style, or Ralph or Ralph Cool. Have a sample of Safari that I haven't opened yet. Only very recently smelled Polo Black & Polo Double Black. Must get on the ball…
Ok, I'll try Ralph Rocks if you try Romance and Romance Silver, LOL!
Dear Robin: “Lauren” and “Safari” (for women) are IMHO the best Ralph Lauren has produced. I think “Lauren” is discontinued, but for me it was sensuous and classy.
Same for Safari, pure class.
Polo “Blue” is one of the most successful male fragrances released in the last couple of years, at least here in Buenos Aires, it is a HUGE hit.
The “RALPHS” (cool,hot,etc.) I find mildly plastic (as in synthetic) but nonehteless fun. This last one sounds as a in interesting combination with the coconut and passionfruit.
The downside of the R.Lauren line, for me is that Safari for men turns, in my skin , with my body chemistry, into the sourest disgusting cheese smell.
Foul enoght to keep me off the line for a couple of years!
Regards Robin and happy new year.
If a teenaged girl wanted to impress me as rebellious when it came to fragrances, I'd give her mad props if she indulged in any of the following:
Femme
Old Spice
Fracas
Poison (the original, nasty 80's version in the divine purple flacon)
Any Lutens or Malle scent
Sigh!
Does any one remember the original Lauren fragrance (in the cranberry colored glass bottle)? It was the first 'real' scent I wore as a teen, and while it wasn't ground-breaking, it was well composed and ADULT. RL's Tuxedo was lovely as well (though it was a total flop commerically). Fell out of love with the Lauren line upon the introduction of Safari (though the packaging was to die for).
The irony is that I was in the middle of writing my post right before I read yours regarding the orginal Lauren fragrance! Thanks for the your thoughts on the RL line.
Thanks for providing such a wonderful forum, Robin. Best wishes to all for a happy 07'!
That kind of one-upmanship could get ugly, LOL…but will try to pay a little visit to the RL counter soon
Oh, so very true — any of those would be perfect on a young girl if not worn too heavily. I need a bottle of Old Spice myself, for that matter.
Missed Tuxedo entirely, but will have to break out my sample of Safari & try it soon!
Thanks so much for the run-down. Had no idea Blue was so popular, and shocked that Lauren is discontinued — it was soooo popular at one time.
And a very happy 2007 to you too!
Happy 2007 to you too!
Oh my goodness… I remembered that wonderful cranberry colored bottle of Lauren. I was in the 6th grade (yeah, my obsession started quite young..) and a classmate's older brother gave her a small bottle of Lauren. A few of us girls took turns spritzing this on ourselves. If I was to go back to wearing any of RL's fragrances, Lauren would be it. I think you can still find Lauren at Macy's or online. RL Blue for women smelled fantastic on my skin.. I'll rethink on that one too.. As for Ralph Rocks, it sounds too juvenile for me (Remember, I am a huge fan of the old classics. Forgive me…) LOL!
Ok, I'm new here, but I noticed you just reviewed Rocks today, so I wanted to chime in.
I have this. First let me start by saying that I gravitate more towards the sweeter scents. I've worn Hanae Mori Butterfly for years, and my more recent favorites are Betsy Johnson and Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb. Now, I honestly think that Rocks is in completely the wrong packaging. It doesn't smell rebellious in the least. It smells more like it would be packed in a much girlier bottle instead of one that comes across as sporty and unisex (to me at least). It really is a light, fruity floral. It isn't nearly as strong and sweet as the Escada LEs (though the scent is along the same lines, to give you an idea), but it isn't as complex as the more mature fruity florals (Hanae, Flowerbomb, Vera Wang Princess, etc.). It's somewhere in between. I like it as an everyday scent…but I really hate the bottle.
Another vote for Blue, thanks — I really will have to try it. And Lauren really was a pretty scent.
Don't think you'll love Rocks, you're right!
Hi & welcome! Great description of the scent, and have to agree that the packaging doesn't match the scent at all, other than the color which seems like a good fit. And you're right that it isn't in the least rebellious!
Hi!
If you haven't experimented with any of the newer Ralph fragrances, I highly recommend them. They are among my favorite of the “dept store” brands. While they are not particularly unique, but are well blended and will never offend anyone.
Blue for women is a pretty floral (but it seems to disappear quickly from my skin)
Romance is a lovely scent – it turns out to be more woody than floral.
Glamourous was another nice one for evening wear (warm floral – floral with golden undertones) that has since been discontinued.
Style is another lovely floral – deserves better than the bland name and packaging.
Turquoise is more earthy smelling – there is patchouli in this one.
I never had the chance to sample Safari, and would love to get my hands on some – gorgeous, gorgeous bottle, and I hear the fragrance is beautiful.
I didn't love Pure Turquoise (which is also by Annie Buzantian) but obviously this brand has lots of fans so I'd better get sniffing! Too bad Glamourous got discontinued, I keep hearing good things about it.
All this discussion of RL fragrances, and still no mention of the original Polo pine classic, Polo Green (1978).
So true! And it is another RL that I know well, since for a time every man on earth seemed to be wearing it.
I loved wearing RL Blue. It “seems” to disappear on my skin too, but other people can smell it. This was one of the few fragrances that I've own that I got lots of compliments on. I've also owned RL Style. A nice strong floral but a bit too sharp for me. And RL Turquoise was interesting… I didn't initially like it, but when I put it on my skin I couldn't stop sniffing it.
Seems like there's a few of us here who hadn't tried Safari! Now I'm curious, so I will try to covet a sample soon.
My mistake, I think I saw it as discontinued on basenotes, SOrry again.
Robin, late to the commenting here, but Lauren is still around, I run across it every now and again (I think most recently at Macy's) and I assume it's still online. I was surprised recently on re-smelling it. I think you and I are of an age, and it was fun to re-sniff something EVERY girl was wearing. It smelled exactly as I remembered it. I'll also agree with the comment that, compared to what girls are wearing now (including the new Ralphs) it is a surprisingly adult fragrance. I suppose it was from an era where girls wanted to signify their maturity? I dunno. Anyway, if you ever see it, please re-sniff. It was very pretty.
No big deal! Now that I know it is still out there, I really do need to go try it again.
Will have to go try it again, M, I remember liking it too although I never owned it.
I am not sure if it is that a) they were marketing to an older crowd back then or b) young people liked more mature things — but my guess is a) — that most companies hadn't yet started aggressively marketing to the teenagers yet. I don't think teenagers had so much expendable cash back then anyway (?)
Last night I took a whiff of Ralph Rocks. It nice, like you are going out to a party with your other teen friends. It smells like sweet citrus but its definitely too “young” for me.
Well, at least you gave it a try, LOL…but figured it would be too young for you.
I found it slightly funny that, as a 17 year old girl, I greatly dislike Ralph Rocks, and absolutely adore Commes Des Garcons 2. I don't really consider myself rebellious, but I am pretty nerdy, so I think I may fall into the independent category.
Well good for you, you're starting on indie perfumes way earlier than I did! And I wish I could even remember what I was wearing when I was 17
I bought this without smelling it before…it was really cheap!
When it arrived I was at work and my mother(she opened the box) and told me that this smelled like “me”!
At first I was a little scared since my taste for perfume have been passing through some changes lately!
When I got home I was pleasantly surprised..!
It's not very sweet on my skin(which it was exaclty what i was afraid of)….
And the best part is that it lasts the whole day!
I really like it, and probably i like it even more before of the 75% discount
BTW I didn't get the “rebellious” part!
Congrats on your bargain buy, and so glad it turn out to be perfect for you!