Santos 
Cartier (1981)

This fragrance is undoubtedly intense, especially in the opening and mid notes. The black bottle is a fitting representation of the scent. While it may come off as slightly dated, the fragrance is undeniably well-constructed. Initially, it may seem sharp, but it's not overwhelming or toxic to the nose. The combination of notes gives off a leathery vibe, and there's a complexity that demands deeper attention. While it feels unique to the reviewer, it also borrows elements from other fragrances, though the reviewer cannot name them. This unique yet familiar characteristic makes it oxymoronic. Ultimately, while this fragrance may not be to the reviewer's taste, they respect its composition.

What a wonderful addition to my Wardrobe. Early 80's will have you luxuriating in a solid base of Quality Sandal, Cedar and Vetiver reminiscent to the greats like Bel Ami, Patou Pour Homme and Bois du Portugal.
Unlike those, a sophisticated Masala led by Nutmeg and countered with a layered Lavender Bergamot start charms with an elegant Masculine air.
Sweetness is held to a minimum, however it shares the richness of the others.
Lovely stuff.

*This is a review of vintage Santos de Cartier

Santos opens with a moderately aromatic lavender and basil spice tandem before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart, a fine, natural smelling cedar note emerges melding with moderately sweet, smooth sandalwood rising from the base, supported by warm nutmeg and cumin spice. During the late dry-down the cedar takes the fore, with remnants of the warm spice and sandalwood adding a touch of supporting sweetness and balance through the finish. Projection is relatively minimal, and longevity on the low side of average at 7 hours on skin.

Santos is far from the typical powerhouse style compositions that were all the rage in the 80s. The composition sits relatively close to the skin, and unlike many of its bold, brash 80s contemporaries, it comes off as very classy and sophisticated. The sandalwood and cedar wood combination is the real focus, but the warm spice plays a large supporting role. With respect to the spice, when I detected cumin, I feared it would present like body odor as in many compositions containing it, but in Santos it is very natural smelling and in perfect balance with the woods and nutmeg, melding with the perfume ingredients sublimely. There is a soapiness that is most likely a derivative of the sandalwood but never calls too much attention to itself, just adding an additional touch of refinement. All-in-all the perfume is a winner to be sure, but I really wish it had better performance. I guess one can't have everything. The bottom line is the $30 per 30 ml bottle on the aftermarket vintage Santos de Cartier is an "excellent" 4 stars out of 5 rated anti-powerhouse perfume offering from the 80s that save for its lackluster performance metrics does just about everything else right, earning it a strong recommendation to vintage lovers seeking sophistication.

Santos first emerged in 1981, the creation of Daniel Moliere (who would go on to create Tam Dao).

While Santos unfortunately hasn't been cared for as well as Pasha has, someone at Cartier cares about it. The recent "ribbed bottle" formulation is a significant upgrade from the prior formulation, nicely maintaining the scent's distinctive spicy-sweet structure. Having tried the original formulation, I'd say the current stuff isn't far off the mark; it's a little drier, with less brown sugar in the base, but the quality is still fine.

The increasingly expensive original formulation of Santos is fairly dry, but it isn't soapy, with a touch of almost gourmand booziness underlying the heavy spices (cinammon, cumin, nutmeg, pepper). The original Santos feels essentially timeless given that it doesn't replicate the more worn cliches of its own time; in a blind-sample, this could reasonably pass as an artisanally-styled scent from a niche house like Serge Lutens.

For something that's aggressively spicy, the original Santos has a lot of restraint, reflecting the tasteful image Cartier wished to project at the time. In the air, it all comes together to form a nice, singular effect that doesn't evolve too much one way or the other: strong, elegant, and a bit exotic. (That taste for exoticism would show up again in the spicy opening of Pasha de Cartier.)

Given that Mathilde Laurent just did Pasha Parfum for Cartier, maybe there's a Santos Parfum looming on the horizon.

Superb leather fragrance. Manly, smooth, understated and smoky. One of the best releases from the 1980's along with Derby and Baie de Genievre.