Reviews of Sandalwood Cologne (2002)
by Geo F Trumper

This is by far the most sickeningly sweet and cloying sandalwood type cologne I have yet try (though the shaving cream is decent). The opening is an indolic blast then creamy woods and super sweet vanilla and tonka bean emerge and stick around for hours.

This is an excellent sandalwood fragrance. I think it's best described as a crude Egoiste, and that's not a bad thing, though it isn't exactly the most unique fragrance I've ever worn. It lacks the polish of Chanel, but it's obvious that it's made of quality materials. It's a sweet, slightly spicy sandalwood with a vanillic base. I actually like this better than Egoiste because of its relative simplicity and its excellent, colorful drydown, which itself is reminiscent of Egoiste's drydown. It also has a subtle soapiness and a slight Habit Rouge-like orange peel note during the first hour, which makes Trumper's Sandalwood smell cleaner than Egoiste. Finally, I am happy to say that this fragrance has excellent longevity; on my skin, I can still smell this about 12 hours after application. Sandalwood is a winner.

These days, there are no sandalwood scents which are really built around good quality natural sandalwood oil in any quantity, as the stuff is in very short supply. This means that sandalwood scents are either "impressions" of the precious stuff or full of the synthetic replacements which can smell fantastic but cannot really replicate the true oil.

Trumpers have taken an interesting approach - they have chosen to "stretch" aspects of the sandalwood accord out in various diections - sour, spicy, sweet, creamy - exaggerating each facet around the small but good quality sandalwood note which sits right at the centre. Lemon, sweet orange, spices and rose, vanilla, milky aldehydes and much more acheive this. This works very well for me.

Sandalwood Cologne is somewhat reminiscent of Egoiste, but lacking the "chanel" aldehyde attack up front. It is very complex and well composed, and fits the Trumpers tradition well. The level of complexity puts it alongside their Spanish Leather. It is long lasting and has beautiful evolution. The sillage is controlled and makes it very wearable.

Excellent.

A deeply unpleasant experience, saved only by a brief phase close to the end that was smooth, mildly spiced, and what I had hoped for from the beginning. I could have sworn that I sensed the presence of cassis in the opening, it provided an oily hemp like accord that was quite wretched. I would have preferred to have the presence of the sandalwood earlier in this experience, as it would have lent the whole fragrance a much more reassuring seam on which to build. As it is, this is something bizarre and chaotic.

this is a lesson in patience... Preconceptions given the blatant use of sandalwood in the name would lend you to believe that this would be a one man show, but this is very far from the truth. The opening spicy citrus kick is anything but the creamy soft texture you would think a sandalwood fragrance to be. My girlfriend, who has the enhanced olfactory sensitivity of a newly pregnant woman, thought it beautiful on the skin but had a bit of insect repellant sillage. As we lay down to watch American Idol (thank god for DVR) some mysterious changes came to pass. Within fifteen minutes the brutal acid of the citrus top started to quiet, and an extremely sweet (though not cloying) floral santal vanilla started to pulse and waft up from my chest. This is definately an "aura" fragrance, which projects only enough to be detected by those within a couple of feet from you. As everything settles down you are left with a very stark vanilla with just enough sandalwood to keep it from being too sweet. All in all at hour one I would give it a 7, hour two a 9, and hour three forward down to a 8. It definately does not fit the bill as a pure sandalwood fragrance, and after the last few months of smelling vanilla in most of the fragrances I sampled, I cannot give it an enthusiastic thumbs up, but a thumbs up teetering on neutral.

Much like Le Labo's Vetiver 46 "isn't vetiver", Sandalwood Cologne isn't sandalwood. Also much like Vetiver 46, this is a sweet, creamy, incensed sandalwood. Good thing I wasn't expecting a huge sandalwood. I'd be disappointed if it actually was sandalwood. I rather like this. Good cool weather wear.

The lemon-spice opening is pretty good. Lovely rich florals give this depth. The sandalwood starts off woody and tangy, and with the other ingredients it intially makes a dignified statement. But then the heavies (amber, leather, patchouli and particularly vanilla) kick in and highjack the scent. Where did the sandalwood go? This winds up creamy and luxurious, quite sweet and perfumed. Loads and loads of vanilla give this a foody sort of profile. Not my style at all. For the complete opposite – a lean, woody, austere sandalwood – try Santal by Melvita in its Soliflore line. That can be hard to find but is is worth the effort, I never grow tired of it. Whereas this Trumpers is a scrubber for me. A shame, because I love pretty much all of the ‘historical’ Trumper scents. But the modern ones don’t have the same character: perhaps in an attempt to have a unisex scent some of the masculine assertive flair has been lost.

Errrr -- where's the sandalwood? It's a very leaden, clammy leathery floral on me and just sort of lays there like a lump, not sparking or moving anywhere. If you want sandalwood there are several others that fit the bill much better. I don't like this at all and I find the rest of the Trumper range that I've tested very disappointing (with the honourable exception of Eau de Quinine).

Kaern

This scent has what I could only describe as a citrus-floral-leather-sandalwood harmony. At first they don't seem to harmonize, with the sharper notes fighting the warmer ones, but as the base comes into play, the fragrance mellows, and the whole composition just clicks. It then becomes a distinctive, sharp yet creamy fragrance. It continues to get warmer and sweeter as it dries. I'm not sure sandalwood purists will love this one, but as a good all-around scent this is yet another Trumpers that I am going to have to consider purchasing.

My nose must be a simple one. Of all the 14 ingredients I can only detect the sandalwood. It's a perfectly decent sandalwood, in no way extraordinary to my nose. This and the Caswell Massey Tricorn would be sensible choices for anyone seeking a simple sandalwood note that is warm and long-lasting.

I purchased this product blind and had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, I can really make out the Patchouli in it, which isn't a fragrance that I'm real fond of, so I'm not sure how much I'll wear it. If only the sandalwood were a little more prominent...

Geo F. Trumper Sandalwood is probably the creamiest, most complex and refined fragrance i've ever experienced. It's just nothing short of mind-blowing from first spritz to the long-lasting drydown. Worth every penny of its asking price.

I really don't know what to make of this. This is a nice men's-fragrance-like-fragrance, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it. The opening to me is a chaotic mix of sweet citrus floral which I find slightly nauseating. If applied very lighly from Trumper's official sample vial w/ applicator this forms a tolerable scent that I can wear, but using one full applicator stroke on each wrist I find it too sweet and cloying. The dry-down is the better part of this. While it is still nothing I find to be true sandalwood, it does approximate a sweet "sandalwood accord", which I find to be a fragment of actual sandalwood. Once the choas passes this does become quite nice, and the lasting power is pretty good, which may or may not be a good thing.

Sandalwood Cologne (SC) is said to be Trumpers most sensual and complex offering. While it is a very well made fragrance with high quality ingredients, it comes up a bit short in terms of versatility and quantity of sandalwood in its composition.

SC opens with cracking notes of bergamot, lavender, herbs and spices. The opening is so good that if SC stayed linear after these wonderful top notes, it would easily qualify as a top tier fragrance. However, SC is composed of two halves. The less appealing half reveals itself midway through the floral heart. The floral midnotes reveal a pleasing yet slightly sweet accent to the proceedings. Note that so far, theres no sign of sandalwood. SC is flying high purely on the supporting notes cast. Good, but not what we were promised. The basenotes are rich and sweet - lots of vanilla, amber and patchoulli, with hints of sandalwood. The sandalwood is drowned by tons of vanilla here - it might as well be called "Vanilla Cologne".

SC is a rich, extremely creamy sandalwood fragrance - with little sandalwood. I find that a little goes a long way, and that it wears better during winters. It can get quite cloying at times. If you like sweet fragrances, SC would be right up your alley. However, sandalwood aficionados will likely be disappointed by SC; like Creeds Original Santal, it contains little sandalwood. However, I find this one to be less wearable than Original Santal. Sandalwood Cologne is good - but it really doesnt play in the same league as other sandalwood heavyweights.

The citrus, then herbs, and then spice are the first guests to arrive at this party. They are a masculine group dominated by the smooth, warm spices and a lavender that pushes and stresses the accord simply to keep its energy flowing. These notes are very suave, and exhibit, most Britishly, their impeccable manners and breeding while maintaining a relaxed in / formality. The later arrival of the softer, rounder, more curvaceous florals adds multitudes of depth and interest—they are so accommodating and subtle. They bud, blossom, and bloom with lustrous grace, and they bring a sensual intensity as well as full depth to the guest list. All the while there are only fleeting glimpses of Sandalwood, the honored guest, a not-so-sure sighting of him in one corner or another. It is, of course, a good party without him, but the reason I came to this soirée is simply…to meet the honored guest. Eventually I do become aware of his presence. And he is so much more (and less) than can be imagined: velvety, rippleless, and abundantly creamy; but where is the dash, the élan, the sharp elegance and ethereal exoticism that he is so famous for? I guess he didn’t bring it to THIS party...
Trumper’s Sandalwood is a great scent and it exhibits a different take on sandalwood. At first I wasn’t too impressed with the actual notes and accords. I tend to prefer the drier, sharper, more airy versions of sandalwood, and I was, frankly, disappointed—I thought that this was too smooth and creamy for me. But after wearing Sandalwood a half dozen times, I came to really love its performance in real life situations. This is such a competent and elegant performer. Seamlessly smooth—perfect sillage—incredible progression of interesting accords—great longevity—an interesting take on sandalwood. For sandalwood I still prefer the sharper, drier version as in Etro’s Sandalo, for instance, but Trumpers Sandalwood is one great fragrance—I’m a convert.

As far as scnets with "sandalwood" in the name go, this one has a pretty subtle and hidden sandalwood note. This isn't a bad thing, however, if you don't get it expecting another Tam Dao. As others have said, the opening notes start out a rather jumbled mess. For a few minutes it has a sweet/sour note that smells a bit synthetic and very out of place. But, as a chess player set his pieces on a board, the notes quickly organize themselves and start to make some sense. The citrus subsides, and you are left with a floral oriental type smell. Soon after, the florals fade, and some light sandalwood and leather (a sweet, subtle, heavenly barely perceptible leather) takes it place. There it stays, a subtle and not too sweet (i'm very sensitive to sweetness, but this one is one of the rare few that work) brew of magical "citrus-leather-sandalwood harmony".

A wonderful long-lasting Sandalwood fragrance, that is the epitome of the idea of the evolving fragrance. This one morphs at least three or four times over the course of a day. This stays interesting in my book precisely because of its very capacity to naturally and ineluctably evolve. On me, the final touch is the best, a woody yet very clean and not too sweet carnation smell that I just love. Villoresi makes a carnation fragrance that is too feminine for me, but the carnation closing of this is brilliant and helps me feel fresh well into the day, regardless of whether things go well or not. This is pretty much a "must have" mens fragrance for the Anglophile and the sandalwood lover. Hurry, many US purveyors run out and can't seem to get it for long stretches of time.

Absolutely wonderful. Simple notes with an outstanding result. Starts off with a citrusy, spicy sweet quality that reminds me of a glass of fresh juice, then mellows into a garden of white roses and finishes with a slightly sweet, woody stroke of brilliance.

Very fruity; loads of citrus, lavender and spice gives this sandalwood a sweetness and old-world English gentleman's club period style. Fit for an afternoon under languid blades of an overhead fan somewhere in the colonies. Superior lasting power for a so-called cologne.

It starts out strong and masculine. Initially, it reminded me of the smell of leather, which is a very pleasant scent, but not really what I want my skin to smell like. But Sandalwood tones down quickly to something much more subtle and satisfying. Still strong and mausculine, but more quietly strong and masculine. And, yes, as others have pointed out, it's long lasting.

This one is both understated and long-lasting; almost a contradiction, which adds to its very English character for me. No harsh or bitter notes at all. It's a keeper for me, and I'll probably use it mostly for formalwear events.

I've tried MANY woody fragrances as the orientals, woody orientals, and mossy woods are my niche of choice; however, I haven't come across a Sandalwood that packs the punch this one does. It is undoubtedly the most smooth and sophisticated I've sampled. While Villoresi's Sandalo has that raw character and Caswell-Massey has the beginning of smoothness, Trumper's Sandalwood is outstanding for its creamy texture from start to finish, which, I might add is a LOOONNGGG time after initial application. A superb gathering of fine elements. TRY IT!!