De Los Santos

Wow, I really like this. Quite modern and minimal, but very unique. Almost bitter herbal notes and a hint of tangy fruit on the opening, giving me a surprisingly boozy blast for the starters. Settles to an eerie ambroxan construction with earthy, herbal, salty, musky and woody sides playing games with your nose, appearing and disappearing. Also a beautiful interplay of warm notes (silky musks, lightweight woods/resins and very understated powderiness) and that gentle nose cooling sensation from the sage. The bitterness does not completely disappear but just adjusts to a pleasant level, giving me some tea vibes, although tea is not listed as a note. Uplifting and meditative. Nearly angelic in an androgynous way. Celestial teatime in a bottle. Honestly, the lifeline of this scent is one of the most unusual I have ever experienced. The fruit is barely there in the opening. And the herbal dominated phase lasts for hours on my skin. But on the ultimate dry-down, the mirabelle plum makes a glorious reappearance, presented with very understated woods and that silky musk. Such a beautiful take on fruity note. The only comparison that comes to my mind is Six Scents Ohne Titel, it also marries well lasting plum notes to an extremely smooth musk base with similar modern-minimal style, but it has animalic notes with distinct leatheriness and feels edgy-artsy, De Los Santos is angelic androgynous all the way to the end. Lightweight, but very, very long-lasting. Excellent daytime choice, had to get my own bottle...

De Los Santos is air and earth colliding—weightless yet grounded, the last wisp of incense curling into a desert sky. It opens in a burst of herbal crispness, sage crackling under the heat, lifted by a sharp, almost mentholic brightness. Not fresh in a watery sense, but fresh like a breeze sweeping over dry, sunlit stone. The Mirabelle plum is not juicy, not lush, in fact more like a fond memory of fruit, fleeting sweetness tucked beneath the dust and resin. The smoke wisping about here is not your usual kind—one of little thickness or density, more the kind that lingers in fabric long after the embers have died. Frankincense hums in the backdrop, its devoted whispers softened by an airy, mineralic, ambery touch—probably the work of Ambroxan stretching the scent like light through sheer prune-tinted fabric. Guaiacol creeps in to add a dry, almost charred, yet graceful woodiness, as if that palo santo accord had been burned down to its last ember, now sitting regal and tranquil. Musk here is diffused instead of pristine or skin-like, interweaving its charming windswept quality into the evocative composition of smooth resins. Warmth drifting in and out like an ember glowing beneath ashes, a sacred haze than a thick burn. This is a scent like a quiet offering, a scent of remembrance and renewal. Not loud, not indulgent, just present. Smoke curling into sunlight. Earth warmed by something unseen. The kind of fragrance that lingers like a whisper, understated. Yet so deeply felt.

De Los Santos is a clean and simple aromatic, herbal, white musk that’s great for an everyday reach. It’s not a showstopping super unique or ground breaking fragrance but it’s beautiful in its blend. It smells like a light, airy more transparent version of Bond no 9’s Governors Island with an herbal dryness, a touch of citrus brightness and a tiny, tiny dash of sweetness. I mainly get a natural smelling very prominent clean white musk with a DRY herbal fresh sage, a *touch* of a citrus nuance and a little bit of a sweet ambery note all blended around and in support of the musk accord. De Los Santos isn’t a projection beast as it sits relatively close to skin but it does last a very long time. It won’t fill or be detected across any rooms but it’s a lovely intimate cuddling type of fragrance. Its definitely unisex but leans a little more on the masculine side of the spectrum but ever so slightly. If you’re a fan of musky fragrances this is a great option. Smells really clean and natural, unlike those harsh synthetic musk fragrances from JHAG or Escentric molecules. It’s unique as a musk with the herbal aromatic and citrus touches (which Ive never smelled in any other compositions) but still is very much a musky ‘second skin’ like fragrance. It’s long lasting with a soft projection so it really won’t offend anyone. It’s a very good fragrance and definitely does not deserve all the negative reviews IMO. To each their own I guess.

There are fragrances that announce themselves. And then there are those that arrive like a memory you didn’t realize you missed. De Los Santos belongs to the latter. It opens with a quiet brightness sage, clean and herbaceous, as if crushed between warm fingers under an open sky. There’s something ceremonial in it. Not too sharp. Not green in the ordinary sense. It’s softened, almost spiritual, like smoke rising from something intentional. Then comes the plum. Not overly sweet, not indulgent. A restrained fruit note dark, velvety, and fleeting. It lingers just long enough to suggest warmth beneath the surface, a subtle contrast to the dryness of the opening. As it settles, the heart reveals itself in layers of orris and cistus. Powdered, but not cosmetic. Earthy, but not heavy. The orris gives it that cool, almost aloof elegance, while the cistus brings a resinous depth ambered, slightly leathery, like sun-warmed stone. And then, the base. Palo santo and musk. The palo santo doesn’t shout. It hums. Dry wood, faintly smoky, with a sacred stillness to it. Paired with musk, it becomes intimate close to the skin, almost indistinguishable from it. Not a trail, but a presence. You don’t wear this fragrance to be noticed. You wear it because it feels like something that has always belonged to you.

Smoked sage, varnished wood, eucalyptus mist, dry menthol, green tea. Imagine if Aesop branched into the occult. My favourite scent of all time to date. Full stop. Instant aromatherapy. No matter the time of year or my mood, I keep coming back to DLS. It's aromatic, green, boreal, vespertine. Airy enough to feel clean, but without treading into soapy spa tincture, and herbal enough to have a bite of earthiness, without feeling mulchy. A sage stick, without the acridity of smoke. It's a true unisex scent with admirable longevity for a Byredo; I spray it on my travel scarf before long-haul flights and it will last the whole slog through to the return flight. I promise I'm not a shill, but I own two large bottles and several of its candle formulation (Sweet Grass), and live in low-grade anxiety that one day they'll retire it and I'll need to empty my savings to secure a larger stockpile. Since meeting De Los Santos, I compare every scent that's followed to it. Mental Snapshot: You're a herbology professor in haute couture. You frequent places like old Catholic churches, which have been converted into a steam saunas, or teahouses in a modern art galleries. You can guess strangers' star signs to 89% accuracy. tl;dr: modern witchy teahouse 🐍🍵

Specially the dry down of De Los Santos is the smell of road trips from my childhood summers, on the way to Antalya, jumping out of the car in the middle of nowhere, some random place in nature under sun, hot humid, heated bushes, herbs, woods mixing each other in most beautiful ways and also slight sweetness of some fruit. Something is burning inside passionately and calm at the same time. It's dry and yet sensually exciting. I understand Los Angeles is the place this perfume is representing and it has similar nature smell around South-Türkiye in summer. I like perfumes which doesn't smell like perfume, but smell natural like a special place from your memories or from your future dreams. That's why De Los Santos is my signature scent, which I'd like people to remember me with. I suggest using it above 22°C (72 F) degrees weather. Hotter the better. Otherwise it doesn't open up and might smell cold sage in a medicinal way. Also spray it on clothes, so you get longer dry down, that's where the magic happens. edt: every Los Santos bottle smells a bit different, I tried 5. And they all bettered a lot with time and maturation.

based on the notes, this fragrance would have never caught my attention. but smelling it straight from the bottle at a niche parfum store, it was a immidiately HIT. I LOVE the herbal side, I LOVE the woody warmth, I LOVE the slightly sharp opening. On my skin: even better. A mix of dried tea, honey, hay, dry hot sand and herbs. That is the feeling what I get from it. Really different and unique. After a few hours it stays herbal-green-woods full on, but there is always a hint of the (I think) citrussy mirabel in the background. So SO good!!!!! This is a big hit for me, going to save some money to get a 100ml asap!! Maybe on the masculin side for some, not for me. I think it is perfectly unisex. EDIT: I ordered my second bottle today, because I emptied the last one from every possible drop, and now I know why I want this fragrance in my collection forever. It smells like our garden from our tiny holiday home on La Palma, Canarian Islands. Dry wood, hot sand, herbal, heat, and a hint of fruit and eucalyptus. It is awesome. Love it so much! I want to smell like this forever.

De Los Santos smells *exactly* like fresh alfalfa hay - sweet, dry, a little minty, and fresh. Then palo santo makes itself known, adding the incense-y 'church' quality. All throughout there is the dusty note of orris, but it never smells 'dirty' - just like a walk out on the Palouse. I smell sagebrush (not like baking sage, or even smudging sage), ritualistic frankincense, and the unique floral peek of rockrose. And the alfalfa! Personally, I've been on the hunt for a good 'hay' note scent since hearing someone describe vetiver as hay-like. And this is exactly it, not dry itchy hay, but *fresh* green alfalfa that you feed to the rabbits or hold a fistful out for the neighbor's horse to chomp over the fence. This is a masterpiece and in my top 10 for life. ETA: this has become my signature scent. It’s so unique and fresh without being soapy or masculine or expected, and I get complimented all the time wearing it. For a fall/winter version I’ve fallen in love with Maison Margiela Replica “Autumn Vibes” - same hyper-real plants and magical energetic quality.

This is the *only Byredo fragrance I own, which indicates how much I love it. I dismissed Bal d'Afrique bc it gets sickening pretty quick. I dismissed Gypsy Water bc the opening pine needle smell is the highlight and fades in 10min. This fragrance smells like the most delicious herbal medicine. I love the smell of Chinese herbal medicine, which is cleansing and calming for me. This smells like the sweeter, more spa-like version of it. If I spray it before bed, I wake up smelling the gentle sweet herbalness upon waking. I keep feeling it has a clean patchouli in it, but that isn't listed. It's probably not a mass-pleaser. But for those who like the herbal medicinal scent, this could be the elixir for you. It is healing, soothing, and delicately sensual. Even though they are nothing alike, I love De Los Santos the same way that I love Chanel Sycomore. I think this would cut through the muggy heat in the summer, enhance the fresh air in the spring, ride the crisp wind in the fall, and pierce through the icy cold in the winter.

i've worn this every day for a week and every. single. day. i've gotten comments. all along the lines of 'oh wow WHAT perfume are you wearing ?!'. we all wear perfume for different reasons (and my reasons tend to change by the hour), but it sure is nice to get those 'oh wow' moments. a personal, inward-looking fragrance (due to its spiritually-associated notes that people from various traditions and backgrounds will recognize) that also manages to reach out and captivate others in a moment of inspiration is rather apropos of a perfume called "of the saints". to my nose it is all about the herbaceous sage that is expertly blended with the frankincense. the ambroxan makes it smell relevant and of-the-moment (hence all the le labo and escentric molecules comparisons), but the orris and mirabelle plum balances that out and keeps it timeless. i concur with other reviews here that all of these elements blend to reveal a calming tea-like quality. sweet but earthy, effervescent yet grounding: as above so below.

My signature daytime scent. Tried to switch to something else but I couldn't. This is my treasure, a scent I use at home just to appreciate all by myself. I think the DNA works with my skin very well, and settles into a lovely warm amber base as it fades. I have to say this base really makes it worth it as the layers wear off. The sillage is not big but it's long lasting on skin and on clothes. It's light but I get compliments when I hug or am in close proximity to others - perfect for me. As for the notes, they create juxtapositions that I find intriguing in a scent - that's probably why I never get bored. Dry yet juicy, powdery yet creamy, cool but warming. I love resinous fragrance, but this is so restrained and doesn't get sticky; it projects a cool incense breeze that lures you in. I disagree with any hint of toothpaste, its more high-end spa as a whole. I definitely feel the spiritual side of this fragrance, I use it as a little aura or spirit to uplift me. Hope it never changes.

this stuff is heaven, love at first sniff (‘∀’●)♡ i had a sample of it and after smelling it i had to go and get a full size bottle. it’s this beautiful dry musky herbal scent that i find quite spiritual. i totally get where byredo was going with this and it definitely gives off the palo santo scent but with a bit more complexity. the sage is balanced beautifully with the orris root, and there is a powdery dry floral sweetness from the rockrose (cistus incanus) and the ambroxan. the musk in here is very airy and smoky but not in like an incense or a burnt wood kind of way. its more of an earthy resinous smokiness thats really ethereal and almost powdery. the powder aspect definitely comes from the orris root as well, but it’s not a lipstick old lady kind of powder; very green and light. i find this fragrance to have a sort of fresh quality to it that makes it very wearable. this is super unique and very versatile; its great year round. i get alot of compliments with it.

There is something very refreshing in the composition while at the same time a bit ceremonial. The dry down is fantastic and it is here that the scent becomes quite intimate and I feel wholly enamored by its transformation. Quite addictive but also something I tend to wear more conservatively; there are many more secrets and stories DLS reveals and whispers over time. Certainly polarizing, best guess is the issue some people will face is less of a batch/quality control issue and really boils down to the blend itself. Ambroxan usually does not play nice to my nose nor my skin and yet here I do not find it particularly heavy-handed nor unpleasant/overt. DLS instead really amplifies the transition from the aromatic dryness of desert sage at the height of midday heat; the sun dips over the horizon and a sweet but arid woodiness appears. Prefer to wear in the evenings although the heat of the day really amplifies some of its sweetness... truly beautiful, a personal favorite!

My favorite Byredo of the 6 I’ve tried. Just like sweetgrass atop unburned palo santo. Opening of aromatic sage. Initially barn like but once your nose acclimates, it’s less hay and more of an arid, grassland. Terracotta. Southwest Bohemian. Just wish it projected a bit more. Sits very close to the skin. Longevity moderate. I am A/Bing Le Labo's Santal 33 on one wrist, and comparing it to this as the comparisons are valid; however, upon actual sniffing.... ... there is a fleeting similarity of wood/ambroxan, which quickly diverges into two different pathways. Santal 33 pulls much more peppery and leathery, and DLS veers more herbal, grassy, and aromatic. Santal has better performance, but DLS is my preferred profile. I LOVE Le Labo as a brand and the Noir 29 is my signature; however, DLS is just as full bottle worthy for me. EDIT: Byredo offers this scent in a hand lotion.

This is incredible. I love the santal DNA, so got to try this and it didn’t disappoint me, I even bought myself a 100ML bottle! It starts clearly with a strong sage accord but i isn’t that sharp as some mentioned, the musky accords directly take it over and what you smell is a clear sage opening and it transforms to a semi sweet woody scent with musks that keep it clean and airy. Amazing drydown and very versatile. Imagine yourself in zen mode, enjoying every little moment you breath and receive everything. I think this scent captures that. So santal 33 dna perhaps but this is my really uplifting zen mode scent, and well.. it is sexy as well!! Performance is great this time with Byredo haha. Stays days on clothes 8 hours at least on skin(depending on situations). Sillage is ok and projection is moderate (which is perfect)

This is the only Byredo fragrance I own. After trying it I could not stop thinking about it and decided to splurge. to me, it smell very herbal, woody and a little minty. I live in denmark, so not really a place were lots of these notes should bring back memories, but for some reason there was something that kept me nostalgic. I finally realised the other day, that what it reminds me of, is the Lush jungle conditioner bar I was obssesed with 10+ years ago. I even brought the limited edition fragrance when it was made in the Lush kitchen, and I rememebr being a little dissapointed by how overpowering and heavy it was. That was my first fragrance ever actually, and Byredos De Los Santos has showed me you can grow and change as much as you like, but you cannot run from your own core.

Super intriguing, transparent, aromatic woody scent. I really like it! In the opening, it brings to mind my beloved and discontinued Bois Blond from Parfumerie Generale with its crystalline, bittersweet, straw-like accord. After that, I can definitely pick out sage, a palo santo accord, and certain synths like ambroxan and iso e super and I think Cashmeran--that crystallized, scratchy semi-sweet woody note. While it is definitely a very abstract, impressionistic scent, beneath it all there is this odor that reminds me distinctly of freshly cut wood, like in a lumber store, which I personally love. Not too sweet, not too bitter--balanced woody with a strong green undercurrent and bits of fruitiness, floralcy, and smokiness here and there.

According to the Brand's Website, the declared notes are: Top = Clary Sage, Mirabelle; Heart = Orris, Cistus Oil; Base = Musk, Ambroxan, Palo Santo. This is a unique take on the Woody Aromatic scent profile. The Palo Santo accord has some Eucalyptus and Mint nuances, and the Mirabelle note adds a bit of Plum sweetness to the opening. However, this EDP is mostly dry, bitter and herbal, with an ambery/resinous facet coming from the Cistus Oil. I would say it leans masculine, but women who like this style of fragrances may pull this off. It's not a room filler, but it's noticeable. Although it only has seven declared notes, it's not lineat at all. Signature-scent worthy fragrance that can be worn all year round.

This fragrance is warm, herbal, aromatic, fresh and woody in what I could only describe as a spiritual way.. Coming from a Nordic country, growing up with sauna/bastu/afguss culture this perfume hits some soft spots. It really reminds me of my experiences of aufguss where aromatic oils are used in a healing and cleansing ritual in the sauna. I understand that it is not fragrance for everybody, it is very ”natural” and on someone else I could probobly mistake it for some kind of essential oil blend or just the fragrant skin coming from an aufguss.. a very luxurious aufguss that is. However, I absolutely ADORE this fragrance, it is so freakin beautiful, one of my signature scents and this one is for life! 10/10

This is a freaking addictive scent.. I have never smelled anything like it, it tickles my spine and head. smells like a cozy late summer forest in my opinion, just before it starts to get too cold. There is something almost menthol-like, even though it doesn't mention it in the notes - its probably the palo santo. while its one of my absolute favorites in my collection i have never been complimented on it. it does become somewhat of a skin scent quite fast, so maybe i should overspray more. I feel like there's nothing sharp or overly perfume-y which is often the case with smells like this. completely unisex, almost in my opinion sensually androgenous