Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Eau Fraîche

First off, I just love this cologne. It's kind of simple in that what you're getting is a lemon/green with musky woods and a touch of patchouli... but there's some sort of alchemy going on that makes the sum of the parts so much greater. I think that's in large part to the limoncello accord: a delightful sweet and sparkly touch. A lot of times a poorly done lemon note comes off as "cleaning solution", but this is so masterfully blended that it's just pure happiness and warmth. It has better performance than a lot of Lacoste fragrance; I get in the 6-7 hour range with 8-10 sprays and it does project moderately for about half that time. It's a heavily underrated warm weather stunner in my opinion. Lacoste kills it with the warm weather/sport scents. Previous poster said it was discontinued... I hope that's not the case!

This smells nothing like dolce and Gabbana light blue, it has no woodsy accords at all or salt. Anybody comparing it to Light Blue must have had their signups’ removed. To me this smells like a weaker version of Mercedes-Benz cologne/dior homme or possibly Versace man Eau Fraiche. When I say weaker, I mean much weaker. The lemon in this is addicting, such an amazing lemon. I just wish it was stronger, but it’s in the name “Eau Fraiche”, which means the perfume oil concentration is very low. I just scored this at Ross for $20, it was definitely worth it.

The opening is so delicious and uplifting that I'm more than willing to compromise on performance and sillage. It's a boring cliché to nag about fresh scents not lasting. I personally don't think I need to smell any deeper than this in the dead heat of summer. Just re-apply and be happy that you can get this for 30 bucks! :)

Awesome refreshing scent reminded me of Armani Mania but not as long lasting. Got a 175 ml bottle to fire at will as it needs some extra juice to keep the smell alive.

Ultra fresh and zesty. Clean with a lemony smell but with a clean linen quality. Only downside is longevity so u will need to apply more than usual on this one.

Limoncello has a very distinct taste and smell, not just lemons but yest, lemon oil, those compressed lemon pastes they have in north African cuisine and obviously booze and a frosted effect from being chilled in the freezer. Lacoste L.12.12 Eau fraiche really doesn't possess these qualities to my nose at least. Yes there's a delicate citrus in the top notes coming across cold and refreshing, not disimilar to that D&G Light blue Zest edition that came out in the summer. However Eau fraiche is a bit weirder than that and has far more in common with unusual modern, woody perfumes like escentric molecules, than it does with citrus and edc type fragrances. Don't get it twisted, I don't mean it's an ISO E Super fragrance or anything but it does have a stale, cedarish bed and a very slight nature to it, which sits incredibly close to the skin. I found it interesting and not really the fragrance I had expected to find from the notes. It's no Eau de Lacoste Blanc but it definitely warrants further investigation and is more than I'd bargained for. I've gotta say the bottle looks nice with that fade effect too.

Very much akin to light blue. I go nose blind to citrus very quickly and almost immediately could only really smell this with my nose to my wrist. It is very inoffensive. Very typical spring summer fragrance. On brand for this type of year. I get a very lemony green smell that almost has a very classic vintage smell to it. Very mass appealing. Good for the beach if you like a sharp citrus smell for hot days. Patchouli dry down offsets the sharp citrus very well and makes it a little softer and a little greener over citrus. I lean more fougere in my tastes so it is refreshingly green as opposed to the Lemon grenade I was expecting.

There is a difference between subtle and weak, this cologne is weak. It is a shame because it really is a nice fresh citrus fragrance. If a person gets any of Lacoste's L.12.12 fragrances than this person pretty much knows how this is going to play out. A nice and attractive fragrance that pretty much starts off as a skin scent, no matter how heavily applied, and then it's pretty much undetectable an hour later. It really is a shame, the bottle presentation is nice, I like the bright colors this line comes in and if only the product delivered on performance than I could give it higher marks.

Has a nice fresh opening...Then dries down exactly the same as CK summer 2019, and a little mix of 2020 summer version with woody more masculine vibe than original CK One. For $20, nice summer scent, easy wear, but nothing ground breaking. Decent performance actually....It took a quick turn to woody base from the opening....Wish the opening and mid lasted a little longer but it's worth having if you don't have the summer flankers from CK

Nice fresh summer scent, a bit in your face initially but then becomes an intimate skin scent. Very musky and woody. It almost smells the same as Dolce & Gabbana light blue intense although light blue smells more citrusy and Lacoste smells muskier I'd say. In terms of performance, it lasts about the same as light blue intense. Nothing more than an average fresh summer fragrance

Recommended spring/summer frag here. Smell’s like a 212 but without near as a high a proportion of citrus or it is a citrus of lower quality. Perhaps this is an inexpensive lemon whereas 212 is using a higher quality bergamote/grapefruit mix. But at the price point, this gets a greenish aquatic that lasts longer than what I anticipated. I would recommend.

This is strong. Not for me. I like light blue...This could be good but not on my skin, it just projects so strong right away it's to much? Never thought a Lacoste Frag would do that........Its Green and kind of sweet to me

Great for spring/summer. Casual fragrance though couldn't be worn for formal events. Great for days out to the beach,picnics or if your going shopping. Seem quite strong for the first few hours. A good Lacoste release!

First Impression - I don't get the liquor vibe either - and I am no stranger to limoncello. More like lemon sorbet to me. I like it a lot but I get NO longevity. Maybe I'll have better luck in warmer weather.

Fresh but not sharp. A bit sweet and sunny. Very pleasant fragrance for warm days. It is carefree and uplifting. I imagine a nice man wearing it while on vacations in Italy. Final note: 8/10

very pleasant smelling summer freshie. Does not smell like CK one, but definitely has the same vibe. Longevity is not the best, but quite enjoyable while it lasts.

If you want Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue pour Homme at a cheaper price, Lacoste Eau Fraîche is a perfect option. Same lemony vibe. Same salty vibe. I like lemons and citruses but I cannot stand salt in fragrance. Not sure how the two compare performance-wise, but again, I don't care for either of them... PS. The review below me mentions patchouli and musk. I'm not even sure the reviewer is talking about the same fragrance! I get only lemon and salt. At this point, I'd rather have patchouli and musk, honestly.

This is a good fragrance to keep in your car during the warmer months. Its something to throw on easily and reapply when needed. The fresh, green, citrus hits you on the opening and fades in about two hours or so. Not a powerful, long-lasting fragrance, but thats the case with most citrus fragrances. Its a winner still.

This is just a meh for me. It does nothing special. Is a little to synthetic. There are better options to refresh yourself on those warm days. But its so inoffensive, that kids between 12 and 16 can wear this to school. I can recommend this one for that. Does the job.

A basic citrusy, fresh, grassy, sea-like fragrance. Expecting more from Lacoste? They make fragrances like elementary school homework.

Let's start with the nice things: the bottle design is nice, the colour gradient is appealing and the little croc is cute (it still has some defects though - the cap is trash and squeaks if you twist it). Unfortunately, that's just about what can be said about this fragrance in positive terms; as the content is not really up to par with the bottle. It's a pity as I was really happy to receive this one and I was anticipating some nice citrus/green vibe reminding me of (long gone... thanks covid) summer dinners with friends, aptly ending with a glass of frozen limoncello. On my skin, L.12.12 Eau Fraiche opens with a sweet bubblegummy citrusy accord, which I think should resemble the limoncello scent in the imaginary world of who created and vetted this fragrance. Now, limoncello is indeed rather sweet as liquors go in Italy - or anywhere else, for what it matters - but since it's made by an alcoholic infusion of lemon peels, it is also zesty, tangy and refreshing, things this scent is definitely not. What it is, I'm afraid to say, is a sugary sweet lemony mess, top to bottom. There are some faints green and watery facets to it - more watery or aquatic, than green - that remain afloat for a few minutes (maybe 10 or 15 or so) before disappearing in that black hole that is the underlying sweet base, which leaves a slightly unpleasant scent on my skin. To be fair, on a test strip it's far cleaner and more lemony with the sweet side more controlled; and when sprayed in the air, it's getting quite close to what limoncello smells like. A few youtube reviews report the same, so this scent must be really sensitive to skin chemistry. Definitely try before buy. Projection is luckily limited, and longevity a little more than a joke; I don't get more than 3 hours, and maybe one more as a very faint sweetish skin scent. My bottle was a birthday gift, at least, so I won't regret having spent money on it; batch code 0106 from April 2020. I will probably use it as a fabric scent as it performs a bit better when it doesn't touch my skin.

I'm a woman and I bought a bottle of this because I liked the idea of smelling like a super prototypical men's cologne. The problem is, it's so, so strong to my nose. I feel like it's super hard to pick up on any notes beyond patchouli and musk. If you're in the EU and want a 95%-full bottle, let me know!

I'm very impressed by this. I find Lacoste a bit patchy on the whole; but this is one of those Lacoste 'places' where the land rises very high out of the water, so to speak. A surprisingly hefty musk is the basis on which a green-aquatic - and yet somehow not clichéd green aquatic - accord is built. I think this is very much what might be called a 'post IFRA' perfume. (Apologies, please, for using foul language!) What I mean is, I think a lot of perfumes - new releases, that is - are beginning to smell like this. Not like it as in the content of the fragrance - no these fragrances I speak of are perfectly well varied - it's just that there seems to me a certain paradigm of fragrance emerging - perhaps that of headspace & molecule-tweaking getting really quite consummate. (Like ... Limoncello !? A perfume note!? It's a lovely drink - one of my favourites - but a perfume note?) Others that also show it forth are the new ones by Memo, which are really very lovely. And there are yet others. Or perhaps it's just my imagination. I was also very surprised at how many compliments this drew as well. (Might even have been a whole two (people seem to be a bit wary of complimenting my perfumes for some reason. And when they do it's often in a roundabout way, such as telling me never to come near them wearing that stuff ever again, or something like that)). But these compliments were actually normal ones!

Charming beyond measure. The limoncello is realistic and, dare I say, cloudy. There is a dream-like haze in this fragrance. It has been a compliment puller for me. The longevity is no good, but with a reapplication every 3-4 hours, you'll get through a whole day just fine, unless you're in direct sunlight in which case you'll have to apply more frequently than that. The musk and cedar here provide a thin lining to the cloud that keeps it masculine and gives contrast to the limoncello note. This fragrance is a treasure.

The D&G Light Blue comparisons leave me baffled. The is 90% Lacoste Essential (but better) with an unabashed panache of Lemony zest bursting in the opening. The opening can be a bit much if a bright green/citrus punch is not your thing - but it settles nicely onto the skin keeping it's green/lemon charter.

Immediately after the first sniff, I knew I smelled it somewhere long time ago... Since it's 2018 bottle, it means they just copied one of the older ones I guess. Plus it becomes a skin scent in about an hour or so... I'm very disappointed :-(

Ima add on; this smells just like D&G Light Blue. Very similar fragrances in terms of the quality. Get if you’re looking for an inexpensive D&G Light Blue alternative (not that Light Blue is expensive lol) get it!!

Lovely vibrant and fresh fragrance, lemon notes are not overpowering and suits almost every situation. Very unfortunate that it’s been discontinued. If you have a bottle and are looking to sell, look my way 👀🙏🏻

Nice pleasant fragrance. Modern, masculine boozy lemonade. Very fresh with some citrus sweetness. Acceptable performance and good value for money for the summer/spring days.

All the fragances in the "Reminds Me" chart are very differnt among them... are the people sure that tested it the same fragance?

It’s a good citrusy scent. Not the longest lasting but you get what pay for for I suppose...

What a pleasant surprise. Very fresh and green, reminds me of 212 by Carolina Herrera.

OK release kinda smelled like sunscreen tho. Not that long sillage either.