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Best sandalwood fragrance?

Varanis Ridari

Varanis Ridari

The Scented Devil
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StylinLA said:
CHANEL EGOISTE
DIPTYQUE TAM DAO
TRUMPER'S SANDALWOOD

EGOISTE and TRUMPER'S are somewhat similar. EGOISTE more rosey and spicy; TRUMPER'S more creamy.

TRUMPER'S has the benefit of reasonably priced shower gel, aftershave and shave cream for a very immersive experience.
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So many caps, so little time. Better lock'em down.
 
Xcaliber6685

Xcaliber6685

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The new version of Ensar Oud's Crime & Punishment has Sandalwood front and center.
 
slpfrsly

slpfrsly

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It's a tough one.

I spent an age and no small amount of money trying to find the answer to this. In the end, it was a forlorn search. A truly great sandalwood doesn't really exist (anymore).

My personal favourite, by the end, was Profumum Roma's Santalum - but it is by no means a great sandalwood scent and I certainly couldn't recommend it for the money. If I were to revisit now I would be tempted to change my mind: it's probably a toss up between this and the other ones I'm going to mention as what I'd recommend as 'the best'. In any case, this captures something of the 'fullness' of sandalwood: the warmth, the creamy butter, but also the spice, the dryness, the ambery elements, the oriental and the mystical. It's not the easiest thing to wear, and it's maybe not a particularly pleasant wear, either, as the myrrh (in many ways, a good cousin for the many elements of sandalwood) does give it a certain heavy feeling. Performance is also shite for something that will cost you over £2 per ml. Profumum Roma do take the piss as a company, so many of their scents are shocking. If you want something close to the real thing, however, opt for this: if only as a reference point.

Another good one was Serge Lutens' sandalwood. I didn't try Santal de Mysore - I'm not willing to blind buy but if I ever come across a sample, I will jump at the chance, as (despite the reviews) this one seems promising. His other one, based on sandalwood and rose, is great if you don't mind rose. Simple, clean. light, yet fragrant and traditional - not boring, bland, green, or vinegar-y.

In the vein of traditional, then the two worth trying are Trumper's and Villoresi's. The latter is lighter, more floral, slightly sweeter, creamier. It's not sandalwood-centric, there's more going on in the way of florals and citruses, and it's akin to an old sandalwood soap. Villoresi's is heftier, with plenty of clean/dry white woods, rosewood and the like. There's a dash of something balsamic in the base, but this is an otherwise dry, sober take on sandalwood with dry herbs supporting dry woods. Neither are perfect by any means.

YSL's Rue 24 might be the best 'modern' sandalwood in that it is a heavily suede-centric, creamy, furry, fuzzy sandalwood scent that doesn't really smell like sandalwood but does feel like it, in an abstract way. There's a dash of incense and some woods, but it starts to feel a bit feminine after a while. A good cousin to Oud Wood, if you like the creamy wood in that, with none of the fake oud or florals. Performance is excellent to the point of overbearing, which makes the high price easier to accept.

There are a number of decent but 'meh' scents - Tam Dao (either, although EDP is probably closer to sandalwood) and the like. There are also a few horrorshows, like Le Labo's Santal 33 and Kilian's Sacred Wood. These are unwearable vinegar blends but some people seem to love them, perhaps it's a case of inexperience/loving the idea of them, I really don't know. They don't smell like sandalwood in the slightest, nor do they feel like it, either. Given how women seem to have very different responses to javanol (sandalwood aromachemical) than men, I wonder if there is a male/female divide in this area: women seem to like the vinegar and don't actually perceive it *as* vinegar but as something woody instead, whereas most men don't like it and do smell the vinegar.

A special mention goes to Gucci Rush as well. Although there are more prominent woods in the blend - juniper, cedar - this is the best woody fragrance made for men, in my opinion. Its performance is poor, and its price is now prohibitive as it's been discontinued for so long, and it also suffers with a slightly 'dated' feel to the materials and quality of the scent. But it's the only fragrance I've tried that really maximises both the 'smells like real wood' aspect with 'this also smells like a lovely and wearable fragrance' element. Usually, you're sacrificing one for the other with woody fragrances, but Rush managed to absolutely nail what a woody masculine fragrance should be. Nothing I've tried that's been made since has lived up to Rush - again, not strictly a sandalwood fragrance, although it has sandalwood-as-concept in the blend. Worthy of a mention.
 
slpfrsly

slpfrsly

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mahmadna said:
Any budget sandalwood recommendation?
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Yeah. It depends what you mean budget I suppose. Wonderwood is a decent mid-range starting point - although it's not *just* sandalwood. Trumper's Sandalwood is also mid priced but the performance is more of a cologne, so the low price might not be worth it in the long run. Acqua di Parma's Sandalo is a good 'abstract' idea of sandalwood: not much in the way of sandalwood smell, but the additional use of citrus, lavender, and woody ambers does convey something of the traditional sandalwood cologne.

But those aren't really 'super budget', more mid range.
 
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slpfrsly said:
My personal favourite, by the end, was Profumum Roma's Santalum - but it is by no means a great sandalwood scent and I certainly couldn't recommend it for the money.
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Apt description. Santalum is at the top of my list for next full bottle purchase but I am trying alternatives before I commit to 100 ml.
 
Renato

Renato

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Oct 21, 2002
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Lot's of people like Villoresi Sandolo here. I did too.
But I once sprayed it on my arm and went back to the office, and some of my colleagues asked why I "wanted to smell like a girl".

I like my Art Of Shaving Sandalwood, after the strong Eucalyptus opening note wears off.
I also like my Floris Santal, and another scent which smells very similar to it - Gucci Envy - and an Australian scent, Larrikin For Men.

I don't know why, but having got used to those other ones, Egoiste and Trumper's Sandalwood never immediately come to my mind as sandalwood scents.
Regards,
Renato
 
inasia69

inasia69

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Nov 30, 2016
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My favorite is Vintage Santal Noble by MPeG I would love to find a bottle of it, followed by Egoiste Cologne Concentree by Chanel and TRNP Embers >
 
rum

rum

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Renato said:
Lot's of people like Villoresi Sandolo here. I did too.
But I once sprayed it on my arm and went back to the office, and some of my colleagues asked why I "wanted to smell like a girl".
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I know I have been a big fan of this one for some time on the site. I first heard of it in 2013 and managed to buy my first bottle in January 2014. I still remember going to Les Senteurs to get a bottle.

But alas, that was near to a decade ago now and Villoresi has moved 'Sandalo' in to the exclusive line known as 'Vintage'. I did buy a bottle of that a year or two ago and it was a mess. Too much opoponax, sweet (maybe that would explain why it was described as girly) and very little if any sandalwood.

I'm since back with a new, big blue bottle and I'm loving it again. When the weather cools down once again I will be wearing this one a lot more.

inasia69 said:
My favorite is Vintage Santal Noble by MPeG I would love to find a bottle of it
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Once again, the older the bottle the better is the way to go with this one. 90ml or 100ml size in the red coloured bottle is perfect. Anything but the current stuff basically in the clear glass bottle (which I think is a 125ml size).
 
avo1811

avo1811

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Dec 6, 2018
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Diamond Joe said:
Its not technically a "sandalwood fragrance", but speaking of ALDs, I *love* the mysore sandalwood base in Musk Lave. Truly glorious stuff.
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YES. 100%! I wasnt going to mention it either since its not really a sandalwood frag, but that base is to die for.

I would say my favorite sandalwood fragrance is Rising Mysore 2 by Dixit & Zak. Right behind it - Sandal attar by Amouage for basically a soliflore.
 
Paddington

Paddington

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Heard ensar ouds Santal Sultan is quite good for sandalwood lovers assuming you've had your nose to real sand wood though.
 
slpfrsly

slpfrsly

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Paddington said:
Heard ensar ouds Santal Sultan is quite good for sandalwood lovers assuming you've had your nose to real sand wood though.
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I'd be reticent to believe the hype with brands like this. They tend to attract cork sniffers, and the artisans are very happy to cultivate the pretension through the marketing and mythology as well.
 
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