Santal 33 (Le Labo)

By Andrew

After an evanescent tart citrus top note, Santal 33 is pretty much what it says on the label: a very literal, unembellished sandalwood reconstruction. Whatever else may constitute the 33 ingredients on the Le Labo label, it’s only sandalwood and cedar that register. That’s fine, so far as it goes, but it’s no more interesting than a decent Australian sandalwood oil - nor as pleasant.

My problem with Santal 33 is that among its components there lurks a stupendously potent, sinus piercing synthetic “wood” (the notorious polysantol?) that sucks every last atom of oxygen out of the room. No complaints about potency or endurance here – I can smell this stuff at fifty paces and no amount of scrubbing can remove it. If the composition captured the smooth subtlety of fine sandalwood or brought some sort of nuance to enliven its monothematic structure I might not mind, but after a couple of hours I find Santal 33 unendurable. Primarily of interest as a demonstration of how poor handling, paucity of imagination, and lack of proportion can render even a great fragrance material monstrous.

Year: 2011

Perfumer: Frank Voelkl

Notes: Australian sandalwood, papyrus, cedarwood, cardamom, iris, violet, ambrox

and leather accord