Santal Blanc (2001)
by Serge Lutens

This begins for me as a fresh, minty blast, followed by a generic woody floral scent, that is common and unremarkable. Unlike most strong Lutens scents, this is extremely light.

I get none of the spice notes mentioned by others, and my nose is most susceptible to the use of both cumin and immortelle (fenugreek) in modern perfumery. Odd that so many did get these notes, but my nose cannot pick them up.

If there is iris here, it is almost imperceptible as well, but may be adding to the dry woody notes.

All in all, pleasant but entirely unremarkable.

Whilst there is the light white sandalwood as the core, it actually opens up with a resinous and peppery-spicy undertone. In the drydown it takes a floral turn, incorporating iris, jasmine and a light whiff of rose, and in the base the inevitable cedar arrives - few sandalwood scents theses days don't have a dominating cedar sidekick attached to it. In all fairness the cedar sticks to a supporting rôle here.

Overall this follows a fairly traditional concept that is very well executed with top-notch ingredients. Good for warmer autumn days, it displays soft sillage and adequate longevity ion my skin with a very good longevity of seven hours. A brighter sandal scent. 3.5/5

Genre: Woods

A straightforward, linear (presumably Australian) sandalwood composition, accented with a touch of spiced rum and sweetened with vanilla and benzoin. The booze and woods are less stark and bold than in its younger cousin Chêne, and the whole thing is less complex and paler than the more recent Santal Majuscule. Santal Blanc is a pleasant fragrance, but neither exciting nor original. To my mind, the aforementioned Chêne and Santal Majuscule both outshine it as woody entries in the Serge Lutens lineup.

I would have never thought to say this about a scent, especially a Lutens one, but the first thing I unconsciously thought of while testing this on paper was: pizza. Freshly baked, steamy pizza out of a brick oven, covered in sweet tomato sauce and sweet mozzarella. Must be some weird musky sandalwood accord. However then it tends more on a sweet/smoky side, with a spicy tea accord. In short, a decent scent (except for the odd start) that does not even compare to most of other Lutens fragrances.

5/10

Santal Blanc is the masculine Un Bois Vanille. It is a lovely vanilla sandalwood with balsamic notes in place of the fruity notes of Un Bois Vanille, which is one of my very favorite vanilla fragrances. Sillage and longevity are excellent for both. Santal Blanc is both soft & warm and bold & bracing all at the same time! It is no longer available in this country, which is a shame.