Reviews of Santal Blanc (2001)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

After trying the excellent Santal de Mysore, I was expecting great things from this one. However, the sandalwood note isn’t at all prominent in Santal Blanc. Instead, this is more of a floral scent with sandalwood deep in the background. The overall composition is okay but there is a strange chemical note in there that annoys me.

It's definitely one of the least interesting releases by Serge Lutens and its longevity is above average.

[Original submission date: 30 October 2006]

Lasted all day and with good sillage on my skin, but ultimately this powdery sweet sandal wasn't masculine enough IMHO. Nice, but not my style.

Didn't like this at all on myself. A heavy sweet carmely or brown sugar base is always lurking. I agree with the flour some have mentioned.The sandalwood is just clinging and monodimensional. It is hard to get out of your nose. If it could only be sampled in very brief doses as it is worn it could be a very intimate and exciting smell on a woman, exotic and musky. Her companion certainly wouldn't forget it. All the associations of that evening would surely come rushing back if smelled again; hopefully heated ones, because it is the farthest thing from a light or cool fragrance that may be suggested by the name.

What a weird, interesting smell this is. One of the biggest oddballs in a whole Lutens line. To me it is very near to being just a cozy, almost dull woody fragrance....but then, that foody (almost bread-, flour-like) nuance makes it very twisted, and although I basically admire this and it`s bold originality, I always seem to end up gagging when I smell this one. Can`t help it, it`s really offputting in the end.

Neutral just because it`s that impressive.

Btw, like with all fragrances, by any means do not judge this by the first sniff.

This has a really, really woody opening! It got my attention. The various woods combine to suggest cedar, a real pencil-shavings tone. In the opening, it is a cool-spicy wood scent, and I like it. I don’t mind the fenugreek. I think we see a good, naturalistic rendition of this seed/spice. Yes, it is bitter, medicinal, woody… and it adds an interesting aspect to the scent. It is not out of balance with the other elements. I don’t find this to be sweet or foody-gourmand. I also don’t find anything curry-ish here. My overall impression is one of wood. Eventually the cedar tone is replaced by the promised sandalwood, here done in a mild style. Several hours later, I’m still smelling it. Now it has a somewhat sweet, powdery-balsamic aspect. Here I lose interest, and will not move from sample to purchase.

OK- I am going to *try* and be fairly objective at first. To my nose, Santal Blanc is gourmand/semi-leather fragrance with pungent top notes of sweet cinnamon and coffee. If you compared its first 15 minutes of life to other perfumes, you'd think it would be a kissing cousin to Neil Morris' Izmir, Bond New Haarlem and to an extent, Ava Luxe Silk and Milk. After the 15 minutes are up, the leather notes arrive but the cloying sweetness of the spices and Serge Lutens' candy-like base stays firmly put, and those odors end up defining Santal Blanc.

Emotionally speaking, I DETESTED Santal Blanc (along with SL's Louve, Rousse, 5 o'clock Ginger, Iris Silver Mist, Borneo 1834, et al)! It is difficult to imagine who would want to smell like the kind of flavored coffee beans you buy at Safeway. I am going to thump myself if I haven't learned my lesson by now to just leave the Serge Lutens line alone!

Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: Sandalwood, cinnamon, bark, benzoin, balsam, musk, rose, copaiba, jasmine and pink pepper.

Oh, this is a very odd scent; but who said odd was bad? There is something very unsettling right at the top, and most people seem think that it's the fenugreek. Who am I to disagree? I don't have a better theory. Fortunately, this awkward stage doesn't last forever; eventually Santal Blanc settles down into a spicy, musky iris groove. Then it's fine, but it does lose some of its projection at that stage. It should be obvious by now that this one isn't for everyone. I go back and forth on it, but today I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.

Thankful I only sampled it..not for me..it smells like rotten cocoa , may be the fenugreek. I'll pass.

I also belong to the scarce group of fans of this Lutens. Definitely not one of this house´s biggest crowdpleasers. But Santal Blanc is such a pleasant wear!

It sort of shares some qualities with L'Artisans Bois farine, both have a dry, almost flourlike accord. The Lutens however is seriously complimented by cinnamon, pepper and other balsamic ingredients. The sandalwood isn´t a standard one (obviously) but instead a lighter, mellow one. Drier than the creamy variations found in for instance Trumper´s. But after all this is a Lutens fragrance, and there´s plenty of sweetness in there balancing the dry, blonde sandalwood. There´s no information about cumin being part of the pyramid but to my nose there´s a clear cumin note as well, This might however be the fenugreek that other reviewers have mentioned. I suspect that it is this spicy edge that makes Santal Blanc an aquired taste. To me, as a whole, it is an amazing fragrance with so much going for it. Sillage might not be awesome, but longevity is - won´t leave until you shower. Overall a cool and original winner from Serge!

A savory sandalwood, with layers of sweet over the savory. A very odd bird indeed. Try before buying.

Reminds me of a somewhat more pungent version of the 1990's fragrance called VENEZIA. Markedly different. This Santal Blanc possesses a definite medicinal tone. If you can push your olfactory past that note, there lies a crisp oriental musky sandalwood. Not what I'd call easy to wear. I don't like this for myself, but SB could be a stunning formal fragrance on the right person!

In the face of several average reviews I am surprised to admit that I really like this fragrance. I have not seriously considered trying the Santal Blanc for a while because I normally do not prefer sandalwood fragrances, but this took me by surprise. It does not smell of sandalwood first - I guess the fenugreek seed is the winner here.

Fenugreek is a healing herb that always is a stabilizing soothing element and in this formula that is no exception. There apparently is pepper, funugreek, and a very nice woody sandalwood among other unknown elements of fragrance. It is dry, warm and sweetly scintillating and very comforting. What's not to like!

It reminds me of the CdG fragrance Kyoto, only in a totally different direction towards middle eastern spices and herbs. Like kyoto Santal Blanc is all background and does not step out with its own personality much. But what a great background! It is fresh, bright warm woods with sandalwood + warm vanillic fenugreek. Dry but warm and assuring. Has a dry far eastern essence but is very subtle. If you have ever had a hot cup of fenugreek seed tea you will have an idea of this scent but add some dry sandalwood (like Tam Dao) to support from inside. As with most Lutens scents it is extremely smoothe and well made - very understated like other Lutens scents (Daim Blonde, Gris Clair, and Chene come to mind). A great everyday scent and could also layer with others well but I am not sure I would want to complicate this one. Different, but very nice

So this is fenugreek! Now I know what it smells like. I must say I’m happy it doesn’t hang around any longer. This is an ok fragrance. I don’t get very much of the curry spices; on my skin it is actually rather meek and mild—except for the fenugreek. I do get a lot of mild pepper, a very little cinnamon, definite cedar, a sweet (probably benzoin), in addition to my new discovery—fenugreek. All of these present a fragrance that is pleasant but neither special nor intriguing IMO. Then there’s the sandalwood: I really do like the sandalwood. It’s a bit quirky with its touch of camphor, but it is a delicate, refined translucence that I find quite beautiful; but (I suppose simply because it is delicate, refined, and translucent) it stays too close to the skin in performance. I would like some sillage but I’m not getting very much. The sandalwood seems to hang around for several hours as a skin scent. I realize that this fragrance is not a quick study, so I am going to keep testing it: I think it has a very real potential that I haven’t yet been able to unearth, and I can distinctly see the possibility of this becoming one of my top fragrances—I’m just not there yet.

While I do like Santal Blanc alone, I probably wouldn't give it a thumbs up. (That said, I'm surprised no one else has yet.)

Lutens has talked about layering his scents on several occasions, and layering is where Santal Blanc truly comes into its own. Play around if you dare, but there is one particular combination I want do draw your attention to.

Samsara (parfum and/or Creme Rituelle) and Santal Blanc together are truly beautiful on my skin. Samsara is nice alone, but amazing with help from Santal Blanc, combining to make one of my most-loved fragrances.

And yet another negative review. Not so much bad, as completely unsure of itself.
Is it Sandalwood?
Is it afraid of Sandalwood?
What's going on here? Or to be more accurate, what isn't going on that should?
Strongly recommend sampling before buying--and trying to remember what it smelled like a day later.
This composition dissolves into silence.

Sorry to add yet another negative review of this one, but it really does leave you wondering what Lutens was trying to accomplish. It's quite warm, but not very inviting and the mixture of elements is not particularly pleasant. In many ways, it seems almost confrontational (the way the cumin note blends in is not altogether unlike Kingdom), but is softer and stays closer to the skin. I'm glad I got it in a swap; had I bought this one blind after the wonders of Lutens other fragrances (Chergui, Santal de Mysore, Miel des Bois, etc.) I would really have been disappointed. Try MANY others first before getting around to this one.

Smelling the fragrance out of the bottle is lovely. Unfortunately my skin chemistry doesn't work with it. On the right person, it would get a thumbs-up. On me, it's terrible, so I'm giving it a neutral thumb rating.

When I put this fragrance on, I thought I had smothered myself in curry. There was a very strong scent of tumeric, fenugreek, cumin, and camphor, along with a faint woody accord that must be the sandalwood.I had just gotten back from a night out that included prime rib, but nothing involving tumeric or cumin.

30 minutes later: The fragrance is changing slightly and it seems to be drying down. There is a definite floral note that I'm getting now. However, it's still dominated by the tumeric and fenugreek. There is also a strong camphor-like presence that I find off-putting.

I really want to like this fragrance because I'm a huge fan of Lutens, but I just cannot get into it.

Santal Blanc is not as good, or as complex, as the divine Santal de Mysore. I don't smell sandalwood per se, but then again I'm not so sure I know just what sandalwood smells like. It's not a very "woody" note to me. Perhaps it's almost musky or ambery more? At least that's what Santal Blanc and Santal de Mysore have in common, and what makes Santal Blanc a keeper. Other than that it's sweet and soft and gourmandy, pleasant but not very thrilling.

Tried this one while looking for a sandalwood scent, but it really is more of an Oriental. Warm, spicy, sweet, but I like the spices in Ambre Sultan better. I'm not getting any odd unlpeasant notes. It is lively, impressing me mainly with its pepper, cinnamon, and benzoin. The sandalwood manifests itself primarily as a warm presence showcasing the spices. I am seeking sandalwood in the leading role, and this is not the case here.

I bought this fragrance because I am a sandalwood FIEND but was disappointed with this one. Too woody and bitter on my skin.

Jane's review makes me giggle - partially because there is something about santal blanc that comes across as harsh and almost bitter...like a perm product!

Notes include sandalwood, cinnamon bark, fenugreek, Copahu balsam, jasmine, Siamese benzoin, iris, pink pepper, musk.

I imagine the fenugreek is what puts most people off, creating a bitter, raw wood effect. But once past this stage, and if your skin doesn't emphasize this too much, it's another wonderful oriental from SL that emphasizes white wood.