SPORTY DAD SCENTS

Anyone who was alive and, well, breathing in the ’80s remembers Ralph Lauren’s Polo fragrance for men. Launched in 1978 and created by its eponymous namesake along with nose Carlos Benaim, the scent’s composition of green herbs, cut grass and ground spice was, arguably, the template for all future sporty scents—even its own, 16 years later.

Today, the sport trend has been reimagined into myriad livelier, cleaner, fresher, wetter and, yes, saltier interpretations. David Beckham’s Instinct Sport, Chanel’s Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme, Davidoff’s Cool Water Man Pure Pacific, Givenchy’s Play Sport, Hugo Boss’ Boss Bottled Sport, Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Sport and Kenzo’s Homme Sport play prominently in this new theme, all with a mandatory squeeze of lemon, lime, mandarin orange and/or grapefruit.

“People relate to that wonderfully uplifting citrus clean,” explains Will Andrews, a fragrance scientist for P&G Prestige perfumes. “It’s like olfactory sunshine.” It’s also an easier and lighter way to wear your favourite, yet more sedentary scent, during the warm months. And let’s face it, being considered squeaky-clean fresh—which, according to a recent study published in Men’s Health magazine, had nine out of 10 people associating with the smell of citrus—can only be a good thing.—Adriana Ermter

PHOTO: ADRIAN ARMSTRONG
SHOWN (L-R): Kenzo Homme Sport EDT, $58CAD (100 ml), www.kenzo.com, www.sephora.ca
Davidoff Cool Water Man Pure Pacific, $87CAD (125 ml), www.sears.com
Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Sport EDT, $95CAD (100 ml), www.isseymiyake.com, www.sephora.ca

Other men’s sport-themed fragrances that have caught our eye—and our nose—during this pre-Father’s Day moment, include the following:
Beckham Instinct Sport EDT, $49CAD (50 ml), www.davidbeckham.com, www.walmart.com
Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extrême, EDT $89CAD (100 ml), www.chanel.ca, www.holtrenfrew.com
Dolce & Gabbana Sport EDT $78CAD (50 ml), www.dolcegabbana.com, www.thebay.com
Givenchy Play Sport EDT, $65CAD (100 ml), www.givenchy.com, www.thebay.com
Hugo Boss Boss Bottled Sport EDT, $70CAD (30 ml), www.hugoboss.com, www.thebay.com

For more detailed notes and descriptions on these fragrances, visit our PERFUME-O-PEDIA.