Santal 33 came out in 2011 at Le Labo, signed by Frank Voelkl and drawn from a house candle, Santal 26. Unisex, and inspired according to the house by the American myth, the eau de parfum brings together Australian sandalwood, papyrus and cedar, lifted by cardamom, iris, violet and ambroxan, with leathery, spicy and musky notes.
Victoria, on Bois de Jasmin, praises in 2011 a bold woody scent drawn from Australian sandalwood, leaning toward leather and amber, distinctly masculine to her taste; Kafkaesque, on the contrary, finds in 2014 the blend of sandalwood, cardamom and sugared leather cloying to the point of nausea.
What critics say
Victoria, Bois de Jasmin, May 2011
In May 2011, Victoria praises a bold attempt: building a woody scent on the natural facets of Australian sandalwood, medicinal, smoky and leathery, without the rose petals and cream of Indian sandalwood. Santal 33 does not smell like classic sandalwood; it explores the idea of wood on the side of leather and amber.
She finds it has a distinctly masculine ring, made of themes common to the masculines of the day, fresh and marine notes, dry woods, soft leather. Over time, it loses its cowboy bravado and settles into a smoky leather, underscored by dry cedar.
Kafkaesque, June 2014
On June 9, 2014, Kafkaesque notes that the formula counts thirty-three materials, of which only eight are named. The opening evokes creamy, milky woods, threaded with watery cucumber, watery florals, rooty iris and cleanliness.
The sheer potency of the sandalwood, cardamom and leather, as if encrusted with sugar, strikes Kafkaesque as cloying and nauseating.
More perfumes from Le Labo
Also composed by Frank Voelkl
- Glossier YouGlossier
- Boss Bottled BeyondHugo Boss
- Seductive HommeGuess
- Boss Bottled Beyond Eau de Toilette IntenseHugo Boss
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