Santal Impérial (1850)
by Creed

I remembered this being extraordinarily weak from before, and it is in fact so weak that it's difficult to review (unless my vial has gone bad). It's a decent sandalwood, not too medicinal, not too sweet, with more of the scent of just plain wood than a lot of other sandalwood scents give you (maybe they added some cedar?). It's very smooth, and it has some of that tantalizing, semi-perfumey, expensive-smelling Creed base that they use a lot. Unfortunately, later on it gets kind of sweet and sticky, but by this point it's so weak that it could smell like maple syrup and it would still seem light. Some Creeds I'd be willing to pay the price for, but if step one in my decision is just being able to smell the damn thing, then this one is having a hard time getting past that stage. Plus, considering how many other sandalwood scents are on the market, I think it's time for me to move on.

6th November, 2011.

Let me start this with a disclaimer: I am not a fan of Creed. I was not, until recently, a fan of Santal Imperial either, although now I find it so addictive I wonder if the tester I had originally sprayed was old or the victim of one of the house's notorious batch variations, as I had gotten no sandalwood whatsoever from it. Well, I was killing time in a Neiman Marcus the other week and figured that there was so many good things from other sandalwood fiends about Santal Imperial that I might as well give it another go. How happy I am that I gave it another shot.

Santal Imperial is terribly polite. At the same time, though, it's almost playful, and will seemingly vanish for a moment and then waft back to your nose, reminding you of its presence. This continues throughout the entire wearing and hell if it isn't a nice effect. I'm normally fond of bold, in-your-face scents, and this is not one of those. Its real charm emerges after an hour or so, when the sandalwood really blooms. It stays a skin scent, so don't expect a bunch of sillage, but I find it lasts a very long time. It's a magnificent sandal, sweetened ever so tastefully with the tonka bean, creamy and warm and comforting. I don't smell a great deal of the ambergris, so even if you're not a fan of the toothed whales' gift to perfumery, don't write this one off.

OK, I'll be blunt: I don't buy for one measly moment Creed's fantastic history about wandering the globe making perfumes that cause hearts to ache and angels to weep and whatever other drivel the marketing minds want us to devour. I'll also be blunt in saying that I don't give a hoot if this stuff really is from 1850 or if it's from the 1980s. Either way, it is absolutely fabulous and is not one of Creed's most recent creations. It's when I smell this that I realize: THIS is the sort of thing that originally made Creed a sought-after house. Not the pomp and circumstance, not the capitalization of all the letters of their surname, not the notion that Jay-Z and King George and Tutenkhamen all wear or wore Green Irish Tweed. It's the fine quality that scents like this exhibit.

Sandalwood lovers won't want to miss this one.

29th August, 2011.

Very creamy type of fragrance, more feminine in my opinion. Not bad but I would not wear it.

20th May, 2010.

Sandalwood, smoothed over by a judicious touch of suave tonka bean on a very soft, soapy base. That's it, and it's completely linear. Elegant, impeccably put together, and classically poised, Santal Impérial is also overwhelmingly conservative. We are talking about a fragrance that's seen its 150th birthday, after all.

This is old world aristocracy, British gentry, and 19th century American plutocracy in a bottle. Strictly starched, buttoned down, and ready for the boardroom. Wear Santal Impérial when you're feeling dignified, or need to project a sense of authority, but don't wear it to a party. It's flawlessly dressed, but it doesn't know how to smile.

24th December, 2009.

I am surprised by the high percentage of positives on this one. While I do not loathe Santal Impérial (as I do Creed's Original Santal), there is not much to be excited about here. There is a decent dose of tonka in here coupled with a sandalwood note. The fragrance is extremely subtle and discreet, staying very close to the skin. I don't find it to be an unpleasant fragrance, just uninteresting. I give it a neutral rating on smell and would say that there are better sandalwood options at more reasonable prices.

10th September, 2009.

Quite old-school, not very strong, with a somewhat limited sillage. This is a very straightforward sandalwood, with a little bergamot in the top and some other woody and coumarin notes in the base, plus the ever-present Creed signature ambergris. Not great on longevity, this scent is nevertheless redolent of aristocracy and conservative notions of style. If you like solid and reliable scents that send a message of (perhaps slightly smug) self-possession and self-regard, this is for you. The other possibility is that you like something very obviously old-fashioned; simple, yet brilliant in its simplicity; and satisfyingly (if fleetingly) beautiful; then this is for you, too. Personally, I think I'll take it on the latter terms.

26th December, 2008.