Ralph Lauren Safari  (Dominique Ropion) 1990 + Great Adventures Giveaway

Ralph Lauren Safari 

Ralph Lauren Safari bottle, photo by Rachel K. Ng

My first memories of this earth are running through the tallgrass prairies of Texas. Silvery-blue to bronze Bluestem, golden feathered Indian grass, and reddish-purple switchgrass painted my vision and tickled my hands with their soft and springy textures.

Christina’s World Andrew Wyeth apped common use

The world of scents alive in tallgrass prairie are prismatic: rainbows of green, coumarin and vanilla-like in the sun, clean and soapy at times, earthy and slightly smoky in the fall, bread-like or popcorn-like with hints of coriander on the wind, and so much more. As a little girl, this was my windswept sunbaked savannah full of adventures. The fragrance that captures this majestic edge of my world as a pre-teen was Ralph Lauren Safari, my first perfume.

Master Perfumer Dominique Ropion

Master Perfumer Dominique Ropion

Ralph Lauren Safari opens with an impressive dose of green galbanum. At first sniff, Safari transports me back to days of tousled prairie life, free-spirited and wild. Safari captures the sweeter smells of grass in the opening and dry dusty aspects in its dry down. Tagetes blossom in opening, bringing spice to our green. Hyacinth is a high wind blooming with springtime freshness. Hay-like narcissus is magical when paired with the scent’s clean jasmine. Narcissus combines the scent of daffodils with iron-hot grasses scorching in the mid-day sun. It’s jasmine-like core blends beautifully with floral bouquets, adding elaborations of coumarin, hay, and musk.

Ralph Lauren ad safari 1990

Ralph Lauren Safari Advertisement 1990, wiki

Iris and rose develop into a powdery duo in the floral bouquet that is the heart of Ralph Lauren Safari, with slightly barbershop green lingering around the edges. Orange blossom in the bouquet prolongs the green sweetness and adds a fruity complexity. Towards the dry down, Safari becomes woody and musky, closer to the scent of stems and the ground of prairie. An ambery patchouli and dry sandalwood are the lingering impression of this magnificent fragrance. Ralph Lauren Safari smells of the great outdoors, of wide-open spaces, and great adventures. The women I admired who wore Safari were always casual, easy-going, yet ultra-chic.

Safari captures the Ralph Lauren spirit of khaki, cotton, dusty earth, sun-drenched grasslands.  Safari invited us all on a voyage of sophisticated adventure. Dominique Ropion’s masterful composition was my coming-of-age scent and a true icon for so many women taking charge of their own destinies. As the sun begins to heat my part of the world, nothing suits it better than Ralph Lauren Safari.

Notes: galbanum, tagetes, narcissus, hyacinth, orange, black currant, mandarin orange, cassis, orris root, Rosemary, Italian jasmine, rose, orange blossom, vetiver, amber, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli

Bottle my own, opinions my own.

~ Rachel K. Ng, Editor

Ralph Lauren Safari 1990

Safari bottle, photo by Rachel K. Ng

Thanks to the generosity of Fragrance Vault, we have a 5 ml decant of  the original 1990  Ralph Lauren Safari for a registered ÇaFleureBon reader USA ONLY, (if you are not sure if you are registered click here – you must register on our site or your entry will be invalid). To be eligible please leave a comment on this site with what strikes you about  Rachel’s review. Did you have a coming of age perfume? Draw Closes 5/30/2024

For a wide assortment of vintage, niche and artisan perfumes fragrances check out our fragrant friends at Fragrance Vault.

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13 comments

  • dctrbanner says:

    I’ve always loved the smell of sweet grass, that’s what intrigues me the most.

  • Sheila says:

    I love that you grew up in Texas and found your perfect scent so early.
    Tall grasses in a field vs fantasy Africa.
    My coming of age perfume was Gucci Rush. I was in jr. high.

  • Lorenzytenzybenzy says:

    My Mom loves that sweet grass smell and you story really intrigued me. She loves the sort of African grass smell.

  • opalbear says:

    Ropion is truly a master! And this is an iconic classic. Just looking at these notes you realize his brilliance! Utilizing aromatics and greens like rosemary, Galbanum and vetiver while choosing the florals that can be pulpy, polleny and grassy like narcissus and Tagetes then throwing in cassia and black currant to bring out that ever so slight tart fruitiness! All with a solid classical floral to woods structure, he makes it travel and sing without being confused or loud. Safari is timeless. I would love to have a decant that I know isn’t missing any top notes! I am in California, thank you for the chance to win.

  • Kelly Atwood says:

    I was just overcome with emotion seeing this bottle. This was my mother’s signature fragrance when I was a child and she has since passed. I can still smell it when I think about her getting ready to go out for an evening. I would absolutely love to be entered into this giveaway! I’m in Texas

  • mdellaroc says:

    Safari was my signature scent for years! I love it. I would love to win this decant so much. I want this perfume back in my collection. In maryland.

  • oliviatworkowsky says:

    I love that this perfume is named much like the journey of the down of the perfume, I think the way fragrance can change from the opening to the dry down is amazing and that you truly get a fully developed experience over the course of the process. I have always love the smell when you wake up in the morning and the smell of freshly dewed grass, it just so nostalgic to me!

    My coming of age perfume was viva la juicy gold couture, I loved it and still love it! It’s a hot or miss for people but I love it because it bring back Sonny happy memories for me of better times!

    Commenting from Missouri in the USA

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thanks for the lovely writeup Rachel (and the use of the Andrew Wyeth image – my favorite American artist).

    I love how green and verdant this (an in general most vintage fragrances) were. There are some really beautiful florals in this (orris, jasmine, rose, orange blossom) that really tone down the bright green that galbanum is. The use of patchouli and vetiver to create that “close to ground” scent completes the scent.

    I would love to sniff this.

    Cheers from WI, USA

  • rachel says:

    What a lovely description of a scent to accompany childhood memories of the American prairie! As usual, Rachel paints a picture and makes me want to feel all the feelings this evokes. It’s been on my vintage radar for quite awhile but I’m trying not to blind buy. Thank you for the opportunity to win a sample. From Brooklyn, NY

  • sunnlitt says:

    Well, my first perfume bottle was Lauren, in the blood red bottle. Now, I can’t believe that such complex scents were marketed to teenagers!
    Ralph Lauren Safari sounds like a wonderful scent! I love those old green scents, loaded with galbanum. Yum!
    I would love to experience a ‘ voyage of sophisticated adventure’. That sounds delightful!
    I live in the USA.

  • Sherin Thomas says:

    My brother loves that sweet grass smell and you story really intrigued me. He loves the sort of African grass smell. From PA,USA

  • roxhas1cat says:

    Love the artwork chosen for this article. I hadn’t heard of Safari before, sadly I wasn’t much into fragrance at that time. The rose and iris becoming powdery intrigue me the most. I’d love to smell what Dominique was up to during the 90’s. Thanks to Fragrance Vault. USA.

  • mmerline says:

    Rachel’s description of the prismastic smell of tallgrass prarie is striking: “rainbows of green, coumarin and vanilla-like in the sun, clean and soapy at times, earthy and slightly smoky in the fall, bread-like or popcorn-like with hints of coriander on the wind.” I’m not familiar with Ralph Lauren Safari, but the combination of spring flowers and galbanum over coumarin, hay, and musk sound a lot like Rachel’s prairie. The drydown sounds particularly nice. Thanks for the wonderful recommendation, Rachel.

    I’m in the USA. The first fragrance I can remember wearing was a small sample of Xeryus Givenchy that I exhausted every last drop of. Thanks for the giveaway!