Santos Concentrée

Santos EDT Concentrée is one of the rare only male oriental perfumes. There is no sweet accord all throughout its evolution. The vanilla here is black and natural, with darker facets that recall treacle with off notes. Along with the note of coconut, it plays a secondary role. The surrounding amber exists only to soften the edges of more compelling aromas and is not identifiable by itself. Santos Concentrée is eminently a fougére but with a load of seasoning that makes it interesting, seductive and darker. The opening is a penetrating explosion of fresh resin, strongly aromatic and green herbaceous elements. It is an almost invasion of the senses by juniper and lavender with the citrus touch of verbena. Fresh Juniper has a resinous nuance and features a light, grainy sweetness not unlike a blueberry. The heart is dominated by nutmeg and chili pepper, two of the strongest elements of this fragrance. All other notes are now playing a supporting role and make the fragrance more creamy. Residual basil and verbena as well as geranium, add a bit of strength to existing greens, while vetiver and patchouli contribute to the earthy brownish sensation of chili mixed with nutmeg. Close to the dryness, the coconut and the vanilla stand out, but, along with the amber, always with a performance peripheral to the main accords of this perfume. Cedar and sandalwood now mark an heavy presence close to the end of the evolution, but, due to its magnific blending, the fragrance also has a leather like accord that only enhances its allureness and uniqueness. These notes and evolution really mark Santos Concentrée as a "noir" classy fragrance. It seems neatly aimed at a mature, confident, experienced and very elegant man. The perfume is marked by a manly aura typical of the classic perfumes from the 70s and 80s. Few of those "power houses" are still in fashion to this day and, from that period, only have survived those who demonstrate class and superior notes and blending. l mean perfumes like YSL Kouros, Boss Number One and Genvichy Gentleman. Many others were lost in the course of time, drowned in layers of musk and patchouli, forgotten in their animalistic aromas and off-putting notes. Santos gladly took the weight off the years. It is certainly not suitable for a young man, but it is a fantastic choice for a man over 30 and ready for a unique formal fragrance, or a signature perfume. Santos Concentrée is not suitable for a hot or humid environment, but given its tremendous seduction, it can be easily used in all other situations. Likewise it can be a natural choice for all formal or elegant environments. Its alluring power should not be overlooked as it is also a great choice for dating and romance. It is a fragrance with a high longevity, sillage and projection, being usually enough to apply never more than two or three sprays, under penalty of becoming cloying. How does this Cartier gentleman accepts ratings?: _________________________________________________________ Scent opening: 9.0 (One must still get used to maninka, but it's pleasant) Scent Dry Down: 10.0 (Manly, sweet, woody and leathery) Longevity (h): 9.0 (Up to 10~11 hours with 3 sprays) Sillage (ft): 8.0 (up to 7 ft sillage and 2.5 h projection with 3 sprays) Versatility: 8.0 (above average but not really for Summer) Usability: 8.0 (Everywhere except hot indoors & outdoors) Compliments: 8.5 (Attracts a lot ofcompliments but not from young people) Uniqueness: 9.5 (This fragrance is a flanker of the regular "Santos") Quality: 10.0 (quite high) Presentation: 8.5 (a matter of opinion) Price: 8.0 (€35 / 100 ml tester + taxes) _________________________________________________________ - Average:.........8.77/10.0 between 7 and 8 => above average; between 8 and 9 => recommended; equal or bigger than 9 => don't miss it; Opinion on Santos EDT Concentrée: Very good flanker and providing a higher satisfaction than the original. Value for money is above average as both Santos sell currently under 40 Euros. Always choose this version over the original. Recommended? Yes due to its looks, quality and uniqueness, but only if you are a man over 30 years old and like to dress smart. Blind buy worthy? No, you better try it first. It's not a please everybody perfume. I recommend this fragrance. It is an almost inexpensive niche quality unique fragrance. But the scent is quite strong, so do try it first.

The Greatest of All Time. As a child in the 80s, after breakfast each week day before school, I watched my father knot his tie, put on his suit jacket, then disappear before emerging with a divine sillage around him, before leaving for the office. My sisters and I would stand as close to the front door as possible; captivated by his scent. He never told us what it was, save that it was from an exclusive shop in London; but my older sister found his stash, took a polaroid photo of it and dabbed some of the fragrance around it, which I kept under my pillow. Every night for months, I'd take a sniff and declare that "when I grow up, this will be the first thing I'll buy." Over a decade later, in my final year at University, I went to the same upscale store for the umpteenth time, sprayed some of this fragrance on my wrist and proudly declared that I would be back soon to purchase a couple of bottles. "No time like the present young man," the besuited attendant said. I admitted that I did not have the quoted £55 or so, to buy the fragrance but will do "by next year." As always, I ignored all the other stalls with their eager sale assistants. On the day I received my first salary, I dashed out of the office and headed straight for the Cartier counter at the department store, but could not find Santos in their line up. I enquired of the attendant who produced a bottle of the EDT from a drawer. No, I said; "the EDT is nice, but I would like the Concentrée only." "Sorry love,' she replied, 'we don't stock that anymore, it's been discontinued." I nearly fainted. I finally found the fragrance in a few places in the US, but although it bore the same name, the 2000s version had a different bottle and was only half as good as the previous iterations. Still, I bought bottle after bottle, until it seemed to completely disappear off the face of the earth. Bois du Portugal was used to scratch the Santos itch, until Creed destroyed that gem too. There is simply nothing on the market today like the 80s or even 90s distinctly dense, ambery, spicy, woody masterpiece that was Santos de Cartier Concentrée. It was the definition of vintage luxury perfumery; bold but never brash. Now, one is left to make do with combining Beloved (Amouage) and Noir Extreme (Tom Ford) to give a little bit of the thrill I experienced with the 80s/90s Santos Concentrée. Still, the itch remains. Diluted, discontinued, but never forgotten. Many thanks for the memories..

it's very important that a fragrance like santos concentree is still available. i love this and the regular version, the concentree is more spicy, the regular edt is more green(at least on my skin). the blend is well done, a mix of sandalwood, spicies, geranium, amber and lavender; very elegant, very deep, very french. i never tried a vintage version of the concetree so far, but i think the new formula has some differences. the new one is very smooth, wearable, not so aggressive but with an 80's spirit still alive. so im happy for the last formula but i would be not surprised to find the vintage version more punchy and rugged. all in all, an 80's powerhouse still wearable today, of course not the best option for the first date or for the young crowd. no complains about performance, it has a good longevity and sillage without being overwhelming. definitely for winter and fall, for people over 30, not for a sporty event. merci cartier! è bello vedere un profumo dei primi anni 80 ancora disponibile e con ancora una buona qualità di fondo. santos concentree è un blend speziato potente ed elegante al tempo stesso. non ho ancora trovato una bottiglia vintage di questo profumo ma basandomi sulla mia piccola esperienza credo che l'ultima formula sia stata ammorbidita parecchio. tuttavia è assolutamente indossabile, performante e con un fantastico odore anni 80. altamente raccomandato per le stagioni fredde e per gente over 30. scent- 9 longevity- 8 sillage-7,5 uniqueness-8 versatility-7 compliment factor-7 presentation- 7 back up bottle?maybe my vote- 8,5 in one word- dense alternative- santos cartier edt, versace l'homme, azzaro pour homme

Santos Concentree is a wonderfully gentlemanly scent. It starts off with a spicy punch, almost like a strong spicy pepper, and quickly settles down to something that is very unique; dense, dark and masculine yet very sophisticated and elegant. To my nose I smell Vanilla (which is not listed as a note but I suspect is caused by the blend of Sandalwood, Nutmeg and Amber), Sandalwood, hot peppers, nutmeg and amber. I also get a hint of Basil. Although I pick up notes typically associated with sweet scents, like Vanilla, Amber and Sandalwood, this scent has no sweetness in it whatsoever; none. It's similar in notion to how Vanilla extract smells like Vanilla, but with no sweetness that we often associate Vanilla with due to ice cream, cakes and lattes. The scent packs a punch; I wear 3 sprays and I get 6 feet of projection for the first 2 hours and then a few feet of projection until the 6-7 hour mark. Scent lasts about 10-12 hours on me and never fully becomes a skin scent, still has moderate projection all the way until it disappears. Santos Concentree is a phenomenal gentlemans scent that, much like their watches, is timeless. Santos Concentree is significantly less dated smelling than its contemporary 80s powerhouses and would smell great on any man over 25 looking to make a gentlemanly impression. Definitely among my favourite cold weather fragrances.

Santos Concentree is a scent from another era. It reminds me of my late grandfather- not as an old man, but as a younger, self-made “man of the world”, when he was in the prime of his powers. He owned his own eponymous real estate company, drove a Cadillac, flew Cessnas, loved to ski, had a sailboat, carried a gun, ate steak on a warmed plate, belonged to the Elks Club, and wore gold watches. I do believe he fancied himself a real-life James Bond. This scent is an hommage to this kind of man. This is great to have in my collection, not because I wear it often, but to remind me just how powerful and amazing perfumes used to be. I applied one spray to my wrist last night, showered in the morning, and 24 hours later I can still smell it on my skin. Nothing I’ve ever worn performs like this. Makes everything else I own seem like body spray in comparison. To be honest, a fragrance like this just makes me angry at all the weak, gutless, overpriced flavor water being sold by just about everyone. This is just in a different league. Powerful, rich, masculine, spicy, classic.