Santal de Mysore (1997)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

My one regret about this scent is the name. It is a beautifully complex spice concoction in the Lutens tradition and I loved every bit of it. Mysore sandalwood? Truthfully, I could barely find it; and yes, I have smelled the real stuff before. Perhaps a touch of it, but again it was smothered with everything around it. To use an analogy: it is like ordering the finest, most costly steak in a restaurant and smothering it with a delicious sauce that puts the meat the background. It may taste wonderful. Wouldn’t it be better to feature the meat instead of the sauce? Or use a slightly less costly meat? For me, this scent is great. Do us a favor, Lutens: substitute something for the mysore, rename it and reduce the cost to $140 for 50 mls. I think it could be done and if so I might actually buy it! Since I love the smell, thumbs up!

Wow! This stuff is simply amazing!

Santal de Mysore is possibly my number one favourite Lutens creation. It’s a sandalwood scent that satisfies more than any other sandalwood fragrance I’ve tried so far. Its notes of Mysore sandalwood, cumin, spices and caramelized benzoin contributes towards creating one hell of a heady, sensual and creamy elixir that never fails to enthrall with each wearing.

The sandalwood is always present, with hints of caramel and a coconut-like accord lurking in the background. It never drys down to something ambery or vanillic but keeps its sandalwood aura through to the very end. One of the main characteristics of pure sandalwood oil, when applied to the skin, is short-longevity. However, the fact that the sandalwood note lingers throughout its entire development is a testament to the sheer genius of Christopher Sheldrake. As always, sillage and longevity are excellent.

Santal de Mysore is a unique and highly complex scent. As for it being part of the exclusive line, I’d actually prefer it if Santal de Mysore remained there – it’s one scent that shouldn’t be taken for granted but, instead, remain highly revered and sought after.

[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

Santal de Mysore opens with an aggressive sweetness, but if one can hold on for a few moments, it rewards its wearer by transforming beautifully into a delicious, luxurious, undulating blanket of textures and sensations. The combination of creamy sandalwood densely packed with dry Indian spices enveloped by a layer of rich sweetness that in my mind's eye takes on an almost glowing, hot red hue is enough to put this guy "a swoonin'." A fantastic example of the Lutens esthetic.

I get curry… a deep caramelized curry spice accord that seems to have been on the shelf a little too long and has lost its sharper top notes: This is the accord that I get in the opening, and along with the curry, I can find the sandalwood, but it is rather in the background. After a while it disappears - I no longer smell it… I just smell the curry and the caramelized / semi-sweet background. After the sandalwood is seriously reduced, Santal de Mysore comes across to me as a linear fragrance: I liked it when I smelled the sandalwood, but after the sandalwood disappears, the curry / caramel notes, though enjoyable, just are not enough to capture and hold my interest for the total run of the fragrance. I find this fragrance agreeable, but not to the extent of several of the other Lutens’ fragrances.

The initial dry sandalwood and cedar blend is heavily spiced and discreetly seasoned with incense. Dark honey and signature Lutens-Sheldrake dried fruit well up quickly underneath, and soon overwhelm the woods to yield what I think of as the standard issue Serge Lutens “fruitcake” accord. (See Arabie or Rousse for an example.)

Happily, the honeyed fruit travels like a slow wave, so that after an hour or two of wear the woods resurface and the composition becomes more distinct and focused. Once Santal de Mysore regains its balance it continues in a more-or-less linear manner for several hours before drifting off in a fine mist of cedar. It projects with moderate strength and leaves a significant trail of sillage for most of its run – enough to make its presence felt, but not so much as to be intrusive. It’s a nice enough scent, deeper and more nuanced than Tam Dao or Satellite’s Padparadscha, though nowhere near as rich and dignified as Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier’s Santal Noble. On the other hand, given its midfield stumble into syrup and the difficulty involved in obtaining it outside of the EU, I wouldn’t invest in chasing it down myself.

Yet another winner from this magnificent house. Amazingly good scent, almost perfect in a way.
It has all the right elements to it, everything in its place. It sweet but not too sweet. Its slightly controversial due the curry (or cumin) note, but its able to stay extremely cozy. It lasts and lasts with good sillage. And off course, its full-bodied and made by extremely talented perfumer.

Its almost edible, semi-gourmand oriental. Smoothest sandalwood engaged with rich caramelisized benzoin, spiced up with just that right amount of cumin (or curry...whatever, really!).
For sure it has a sort of coconutty feeling to it. Its extremely creamy in texturewise, and it smells very beige in color to my nose. Luminously beige.
Polished, glowing warmth.

A must try if you`re a fan of sandalwood, high-quality foody perfumes, or stuff that just smells absolutely wonderful.