Bottle Design:
Ben Kotyuk

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Safari Ralph Lauren 1989 Eau de Parfum

8.1 / 10 347 Ratings

A popular perfume by Ralph Lauren for women, released in 1989. The scent is floral-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by L'Oréal.
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Main accords

Floral

Spicy

Woody

Green

Chypre

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Galbanum

Aldehydes

Hyacinth

Pot marigold Orange

Orange

Blackcurrant

Mandarin orange

Heart Notes

Narcissus

Orange blossom

Orris root

Rosemary

Jasmine

Lily of the valley Rose

Rose

Base Notes

Moss

Amber

Cedar

Patchouli

Sandalwood Vetiver

Vetiver

Perfumer

Dominique Ropion

Ratings

Scent

8.1347 Ratings

Longevity

8.4278 Ratings

Sillage

7.9263 Ratings

Bottle

9.0280 Ratings

Value for money

8.273 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 10/25/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Safari Parfum

Suffice

Antonia

Boudoir Eau de Parfum

Dune Parfum

Grand Amour Eau de Toilette

Reviews

33 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/07/2014

9Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Karinoula
82 Reviews

Karinoula

Top Review 9

old time classic

I knew this perfume since 90s. What can I say it is really a masterpiece. Thank goodness it was again once more available after so many years of disappearance. It is so aromatic yet exotic and soapy too. I can't find many words to describe this one but such perfumes of this quality will never be made again. I would suggest this is appropriate for spring/summer. Longevity is great and sillage much appropriate. I must not forget to praise enough the first class bottle along with the snakeskin magnificent box. All collectors of perfumes should get this one. 10/10.

08/11/2017

8.5Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

Exciter76
78 Reviews

Exciter76

Top Review 10

The Choice Scent for Intellectuals, Circa 1990

When I was in my early teens I received my mom and my aunt’s perfume hand-me-downs. My opinions of those scents were of no consequence; love it or hate it, I wore it. Of course, it was always better when I loved the second-hand perfume. I hated Oscar de la Renta’s eponymous perfume but I wore it daily for three months when I was sixteen because my mom gave it to me. That was as good a reason as any to wear a scent, even a despised scent. But RL Safari was a solid love affair. Nothing could ever replace my beloved scent. Nothing.

I’m trying to get back into my fifteen-year-old self’s headspace to understand what it was that made Safari so irresistible. My fifteen-year-old friends were wearing Liz Claibourn, Tresor, or Sunflowers. I was a wallflower whose perfume made her stick out like a clichéd sore thumb. I carried my cut glass trophy of a scent everywhere I went, and boy, was that bottle heavy. I refreshed my scent often, which was absolutely not necessary. Often, I smelled of Safari even after showers. Our love was solid. But why?

It was the last of the big-boned broads from the late 1980s/early 1990s. Safari was not as obtrusive as its contemporaries (I’m looking at you, Red Door) but it was not demure, per se. Safari was bold but it was also tempered with green elements, like oakmoss and vetiver. It did not feature prominent roses or jasmine; they are present but lurking in—not dominating—the scent. Instead, new and unorthodox flowers were presented to star in this show. In a word, Safari smelled new. To smell it now, it smells kind of dated.

I never answered WHY. I loved its quirky personality and its greenness. I loved its status as a perfume outcast, for I was an awkward outcast, too. It was light years away from what every girl in high school was wearing. It was smart and sophisticated, or at least what I imagined smart and sophisticated women wore while reading Kafka for pleasure’s sake. Safari represented the woman I aspired to become. Safari still smells like that to me.

I’m spending a little time with Safari because many loves have come between us. It feels an awful lot like seeing a high school boyfriend some twenty-five years later while you’re shopping for tomatoes with your current beau. It is awkward and confusing but you might remember what it was that caused you butterflies some twenty-five years ago. Or you might scratch your head and wonder what all the fuss was about. I’m recalling the butterflies and the love letters of years past. However, I’ve moved on. I’m happier snuggling up to my Guerlains and my Tauers. But Safari taught me how to love and appreciate what’s beautiful and unique in the (perfume) world. For that reason we’ll continue to catch up every so often for a platonic date. We will then part ways until next time.

05/14/2012

7Scent

Awesomeness
247 Reviews

Awesomeness

Top Review 6

Unique, if not always wearable

I adore the dry, green character of this fragrance, but I am not a lover of white florals and I found it difficult to wear in parfum formulation.

Regardless, Safari is unique. I really wish it would have worked for me personally. I understand how others could love this. I had it in the parfum: It was long-lasting (12+ hours). I often regret putting it up for swap just so I might take a sniff every once & awhile.

You can still find parfum refills available at a good price online ... gotta hunt though because it's becoming harder and harder to find.

UPDATE: The parfum refill is most difficult for me to wear. However, I found a part-bottle of vintage EdP and it is EXCELLENT and more WEARABLE. On me, Safari wears like the top notes of Van Cleef (1993) and the basenotes of Gianfranco Ferré (1984). Safari EdP still has white florals that are a bit pesky for me sometimes, but I find this vintage formulation quite likable. Happy to have it in my collection.

05/10/2019

JSpines
177 Reviews

JSpines

Very helpful Review 9

Ralph Lauren Safari

The fact that this smells "dated" is exactly why I love it. What is "smelling dated" anyway? To me, how something smells to someone is all about perception and what appeals to each individual. Personally, I go by the notes within the scent to decide if it's for me or not. My tastes are varied, as varied as they can be while still being governed by my wallet! HA! I never smell a fragrance and think, "wow, this smells like 1989, 1997, 2006 or 2019." I don't know what a "year" is supposed to smell like. I just know if it appeals to me or not. I think trends are a real thing though and with each decade, there are trends in fragrance, just like in fashion, hair, make-up, decor or whatever it may be. It drives me crazy when people smell a scent and say "ew, that smells like an old lady!" Most mature women I know, smell absolutely fabulous. Confidence goes a long way when sporting a fragrance.

My Grandmother used to wear Timeless by Avon and it smelled lovely on her. She didn't care that some perfume snobs looked down on Avon, she loved her perfume and her confidence in wearing it made others think that she smelled divine. Same thing with my Aunt and her Charlie by Revlon or my Mom and her Tabu by Dana. They rocked those scents because THEY loved them on themselves, all else be damned! There is a woman I work with who always wears Eternity by Calvin Klein. My goodness, she smells like a million bucks and you can tell that she loves the scent herself, just by the way she carries herself. I find people like this, impressive and inspiring. Wear what you love, even if everyone questions it! Life is too short for any other nonsense!

I suppose when people say that a fragrance smells dated, it's because what was on-trend then has now become off-trend. I, for one, prefer this. Generally speaking, I have no desire to smell like the masses. I even layer scents now and then to make up my own concoction and why not? It's fun for me to conjure up some kind of "swamp-water!" HA!

Safari, oh glorious Safari. Beautiful in every way. Blended to perfection. A little dry, a little green, a little spicy, a little florally and a lot classy! I adore it. I much prefer it over the men's version which I don't find nearly as fetching.

The bottle, a gorgeous piece of art, ensures that long after the golden liquid has disappeared, it will be kept, empty or not. I don't display my fragrance bottles (they are kept hidden away in a dark cabinet) but if I did, this one would be front and center.

Safari lasts all day on me and only really starts to fade after about 10 hours and even though it's fading out by then, I still catch whiffs.

If this fragrance is considered dated by today's standards then I will happily wear that badge with honor.

03/28/2012

7Scent 5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

Top Review 6

Spicy green floral

I almost squealed with excitement when I saw a Safari tester in a store I visited a few weeks ago. It was on my 'for test' list a year ago but I had given up hope when every attempt to find it had failed.

This fragrance was everything I hoped it would be. I can actually imagine myself wearing this on a safari, however it may not be too wonderful under desert conditions. Oh hell, I'd wear it anyway.

Safari is a floral green like the olfactive group suggests, however it's also an oriental in the sense that it relies on some rather spicy and earthy notes to carry the composition. It's feminine but also very warm and sensual on the skin.

At times it can be a little sharp, however I love its bold qualities. After some time the scent mellows into a spicy-floral soapiness which is quite different from the opening which was a combination of green accords, fruit and bold resins.

Safari is surprisingly an elegant fragrance, so not what I was expecting, that is, something that you could wear with your khakis and your sun-hat. It's spicy and clean luxury to my nose.

The sillage is fairly strong, however on my skin this fragrance struggled to last. I was very disappointed that such a classic fragrance didn't last the distance.

Despite the longevity being poor, I still adore Safari. It's a shame that this fragrance doesn't accompany the rather popular Safari for Men on the shelves anymore.

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