Note Pyramid
L 12 12 Blanc
Few fragrances are safer to give than this one, which is the honest argument for Lacoste L 12 12 Blanc Eau de Toilette Gift Set as a present. The scent inside it is among the most widely worn men's fragrances in Europe, and its appeal is easy to explain. Grapefruit opens it, bitter and bright and juicy, with cardamom alongside, which is the choice that lifts it above a plain citrus: cardamom is cool, green and faintly camphorous, and it gives the opening a spiced edge rather than a sweet one.
Tuberose and ylang ylang make up the heart, and they are both big creamy white flowers, which sounds unlikely in a fragrance marketed to men until you smell how restrained the dose is. They supply body and a soft milkiness rather than any floral sweetness. Underneath, vetiver is rooty and dry with a trace of smoke, and suede gives the finish its character, soft and faintly tanned, like the inside of a new jacket. As a gift it works because it is almost impossible to dislike. It is clean, it is modern, it reads masculine without being aggressive, and it is as comfortable at work as at a wedding. Anyone who already wears it will be glad of more, and anyone who does not will recognise it within a minute of the first spray. A toilette strength means a light hand is not required: spray plenty, expect four or five hours, and expect the suede and vetiver to outlast the citrus by a good margin. Warm weather suits it particularly well.
Lacoste is the French clothing firm founded in 1933 by the tennis champion Rene Lacoste and the industrialist Andre Gillier, known everywhere for the crocodile marked polo shirt. The company traces its first fragrance to 1968, and the L.12.12 series it belongs to now runs through Blanc and Noir.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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