Private Collection - Cedre Sandaraque
by Parfumerie Generale

Sandarac is a resin obtained from the small coniferous tree Tetraclinis articulata, native to the northwest of Africa. I have never smelled the raw material, nor am I aware of its use in any other fragrance. What Cedre Sandaraque reminds me of is scent I have not smelled in many years: sassafras tea. An unusual ‘woody gourmand’; I would not wear it myself, but perhaps it would smell good on someone else.

25th May, 2010.

A gourmand cedar, like eating a praline cedar cakelog topped with almonds except you got it all over yourself. Aside from fans of this house, who'd want to wear this? The drydown is too spicy and still foody. I just feel uncomfortable wearing it.

5th April, 2009.

Cedre Sandaraque is a charming fragrance, the brother though not the twin to Bois Blond.

The cedar in the title is somewhat misleading. While there is an Atlas Cedar note in the base, I mostly pick up on the grassy and "pralined amber" notes.

I find Cedre Sandaraque's "pralined amber" note almost identical to Dzing!'s "cotton candy" note, though the two fragrances are quite different otherwise.

I mostly steer clear of gourmands, but Cedre Sandaraque is sweet and mellow without ever crossing the line into cloying.

Fairly low sillage, but decent longevity.

12nd November, 2008.

Cedre Sandaraque is creamy, soft, aromatic, and smoky sweet with cedar and "pralined vetiver" being the main stars. On me, a grainy tea-like (my guess is "cereal") note comes to the fore and becomes tinged with grassiness. It is accented by a minute amount of vetiver and florals, while an undertone of cedar is present throughout.

7.8/10

Oct 26 2011 SotD note: Nowhere near as good as Vetiver Tonka. I don't really get cedar today. (More vetiver than cedar actually) Comes across as being aromatic and quite grassy.

13rd October, 2008. (Last Edited: 26th October, 2011.)

Captivating aromatic and resinous opening – admittedly, “aromatic and resinous” doesn’t sound like a gourmand, but it is gourmand in this case. Cedre Sandaraque has all the necessary elements to qualify it as a gourmand, but it is different from the normal run of gourmands: It’s not strong, nor is it thin. It’s a rich, quietly brooding, softly medicinal sweetness centered around the pralined amber. This amber accord is refined and balanced and steeped in shadowy resinousness and smoky sweetness. The cedar warms the background, and I suppose that the cereal gives that bit of neutral richness that I can’t ascribe to anything else. I don’t get any vetiver.

There are a lot of gourmands that I consider thumbs up fragrances, but I don’t really enjoy wearing most of them (Casual Friday is the only one I wear regularly) – they are just too sweet and youthful. This is one I really enjoy wearing because its resinousness and its smoky depth provide a broader dimension to its sweet gourmandness.

10th May, 2008.