Blue Santal

Absolutely phenomenal for me. My first-ever blind buy was CdG Artek Standard, another wood-focused fragrance from the house. I was (and still sort of am) a bit iffy on it; while I'd hoped for a strong and unpretentious wood scent, I got more of a dry citrus and rusted metal followed by a very, very gentle wood/tea. This, on the other hand, is exactly what I was trying to get with that initial bottle. One of the main reasons I initially ordered a decant of this was because one of the other reviews on here mentioned it smelling like the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Growing up, my aunt had a cabin that she and her husband built in the 80s up there that she would let my family use, often right in late summer when you were dreaming of fall but not quite there yet (also the time of year I am writing this review). One of my favorite parts of going up there was the smell; the massive pine trees made the air incredibly fresh, but the cabin itself smelled of well-loved and ancient wood (with a small fresh/earthy touch, not quite mildew or dust but more like a clean set of spare sheets that have been sitting in a wood closet for 6 months). CdG Blue Santal smells EXACTLY like this cabin, or at least my memory of this cabin. It is an overwhelming wood with a hint of fresh sweetness and slight earthiness; it is very much recognizable as a cologne/perfume (unlike some of CdG's other offerings) but it is amazingly inviting and comforting to me. I appreciate the general lack of citrus that a lot of woodier fragrances have, but I do recognize the freshness or "blue" people have mentioned in the reviews. I do not get much of the pepper note save for immediately after spraying it. Performance is far better than any other CdG I have tried (though Amazingreen is almost able to compete with it); despite my skin usually swallowing CdG's products pretty quickly, this stuff lasts all day and can still be found as I go to bed. I feel like I'm probably a bad judge of unisex vs. masc/fem, but I would compare it to a flannel. It's definitely not overtly feminine and is maybe traditionally a masculine look, but I can't imagine a flannel feeling out of place on anyone who is already interested in buying a flannel. Despite the coziness it evokes, I don't think it'd have trouble in most seasons (though it might not quite be fresh enough for spring). This review is way overly sentimental and might not mean anything to anyone, but I am elated that I have finally found something that I have always wanted to find in fragrances. It feels completely in line with my personality and the aura I want to project. I wore it for the first time yesterday and bought a full bottle today.

Blue Santal immediately reminded me of Wonderoud by Comme des Garçons, blended with the cool incense character of Blue Encens from the same brand. There’s that familiar Comme des Garçons signature: woody depth paired with a slightly smoky, mineral incense tone. But Blue Santal feels like a more restrained, lighter interpretation of that idea. In many ways it comes across as a stripped-down version of Blue Encens. The composition feels cleaner and more transparent, focusing more directly on the sandalwood note while letting the incense sit quietly in the background rather than dominate. Even visually, the bottle hints at this idea. The blue “stain” on the bottle only covers about one sixth of the front surface, almost like a subtle brushstroke rather than a full block of color. It mirrors the fragrance itself: present, noticeable, but intentionally minimal. On skin, the scent opens with a cool, slightly metallic incense impression that quickly blends into smooth sandalwood. The wood feels polished and modern rather than creamy or milky. Compared to Wonderoud, which is dense and resinous, Blue Santal feels much more airy and contemporary. The drydown is calm and understated: soft sandalwood, a touch of dry spice, and a lingering smoky transparency that keeps it from becoming too warm or heavy. Overall, Blue Santal is a quiet, minimalist woody incense fragrance. If Wonderoud is deep and dramatic and Blue Encens is sharper and more atmospheric, Blue Santal sits comfortably in between—cleaner, simpler, and easier to wear while still carrying that unmistakable Comme des Garçons character.

Sharp green/piney/incensy/peppery opening, that shortly after dries down into a linear dry but still creamy cedar-y sandalwood note, still supported by a (soft) blackpepper note. That's pretty much it. It's basically Wonderoud with a strong incensy/peppery opening, and the drydown a bit dryer, and with blackpepper still presnet (but toned down compared to the opening). And I guess the same reasoning would apply to Wonderwood, given the strong similarties that it shares with WO (that I 've read on reviews). Not really a surprise, since CdG uses Pashminol (a substitute of sandalwood) generously in most of its woody compositions. Like WO, it's a very simple, linear, synthetic smelling, but very addictive fragrance (the magic of pashminol, probably...). I don't get the cold/blue feeling, tbh. It's just (a tiny bit) drier than the drydwon of WO, but they are very similar. Like WO - again - the projection is on the soft side on my skin, an issue if I had to pay full retail for that. No remorse for me, since I wanted a backup bottle of WO, and this is going to be it (with a twist). But who already owns WW or WO and doesn't want a backup bottle clearly don't need Blue Santal, given the strong redundancy (aside of the early opening, that is: just the first 10min). In a nutshell: recommended if you can get with a good discount, assuming you don't already own Wonderoud or Wonderwood. At full retail price, there are better options around, imho, but for the $40 I've spent on a large bottle, it's a love for me! Fall days, 20+

I've trialed this 'blue' collection extensively now and I held off from reviewing them in the autumn until I got my second set of samples to reserve judgement. I have to say I love them! Blue Santal is a knockout! It's a super fresh but very spicy, peppery opening. The freshness is being supplied by a definite juniper note in there and it combines with the pine to lift a scent that could be too peppery and spicy for some...but do be assured it dries down very softly to a beautiful clean skin scent. The sandalwood is more to the woody/spicy end of the santal spectrum than the sweet creamy end, although that is still there and develops more as it dries down and the pepper moves into the background. I honestly used to love sandalwood but recently I've gone off it a bit, maybe it's due to a lack of interesting combinations of notes to accompany it who knows? Anyway this has restored my faith as it truly has that alpine fresh coolness with a warming familiar woodiness and it is WOODY...Blue Santal is awesome!!! I'm wearing it today and I feel that I smell great. These Comme des garcons have excellent longevity too I got about 8-10 hours yesterday from Blue encens(okay with a very liberal application but still!) and this looks to be performing just as well.

My favourite of the CdG Blue series and definitely one of my favourite sandalwood scents. This is mainly due to how different it is. For the most part we find sandalwood blended with some citrus, petitgrain, some other woods, some vetiver. or maybe some cacao or vanilla. They often tend to steer towards the warmer side of the spectrum. Blue Santal ditches that idea and gives you a very sharp, pointy Australian sandalwood, not at all the creamy variety, which with the spicy pepper note, would still be a somewhat comfortably warm presence, until the juniper and pine are taken into account. This juxtaposition freezes the whole concoction and an almost camphorous accord is borne into the fray. It is quite linear, projects well and has very tenacious staying power, especially on clothes. Being that the smell is fairly linear, a bit on one's clothes actually doesn't hurt either! If you wear this very clever sandalwood, I can guarantee you'll stand out in a crowd and also in a crowd of sandalwood wearers! It's a freezing, camphorous, angular, shimmering take on the genre which pretty much stands alone among its peers. I love it and wear it regularly, in any weather and for most occasions. Not for everyone, but definitely for me. Love it!

This reminds me of Hinoki more than Wonderwood. Maybe it's the juniper and pine. To my nose the santal doesn't come across as strong or as dominant as I had expected, and my first impression is of a woody mélange - a composite accord reminiscent of juniper, cedar and sandalwood with a hint of "green" pine. I confess that I do like it - received a full bottle today and am allowing myself the luxury of really savouring the fragrance, whereas when I first tried it I was on a rush, yet couldn't stop sniffing my arm all afternoon. Woody, woodsy and fresh is my first impression of this (if that makes sense). Usually I can't stand pine in any form, since it always makes me think of disinfectant. But in this wonderful fragrance, the pine forms an integral part of the symphony that is Blue Santal, and the cumulative effect of the wood notes is to create a woodsy accord that serves as a tribute to Sandalwood, in the same way that Wonderwood is a tribute to Agarwood/Aloeswood/Oudh. On my skin the longevity and sillage are slightly greater than Wonderwood, and thus far I have worn this in both formal and casual contexts - I believe it works well in either. I am fond of Blue Santal, and may soon grow to love it.

This is interesting and beautiful. Not enough sillage or longevity for my liking. The sandalwood is very dry, crisp, clean, and short. Not creamy or enveloping like some sandalwood scents. It is fresh and would be very nice on a man, but its not too masculine for a woman. Smells 'cold'. I can clearly detects sandalwood, pine, juniper, and some salty fresh aquatic. The description from the web above is perfect. There is definitely an interesting contradiction between the traditional warmth of sandalwood vs. the crisp cool freshness this scent evokes. I think it is versatile and 'safe' enough that it could be worn in any season at any time of day, yet it is different and interesting at the same time. I really like this but I want more projection and longevity. Too soon it sadly disappears into oblivion, like PLAY GREEN.

A cross between CdG Wonderwood and Blackpepper. Like others in the pebble bottle collection, Blue Santal also shouts CdG DNA, and it is great. I love CdG fragrances especially on how they prove aroma molecules can create unique olfactory experiences. The sandalwood molecules (Javanol, Pashminol) are long lasting, playing with your olfactory senses, coming and going. Some people might feel like longevity is poor but assuming one is not 100% anosmic to these molecules, the only way to find out is to spray it on a scarf or a paper strip and leave it in a room that is not visited often in the house. Then go in next day and see. Another way is to give a break from these frags, and then smell it again after a week or so. IG: @talkaboutscents

to my nose this smells like the birth child of Wonderwood & Montana Graphite (both of which I own) not 100% but in its character. This is a beautiful calming almost powdery sandalwood with a touch of unfortunate sharpness I wish they had left out. It annoys my nose the same way ambroxan does. Does it have ambrette seeds in it? ewww. sharp synthetic. No need for it. It has nothing to do with the word "blue". I still have yet to decide if I'm going to keep it or return. I think it's slightly overpriced but still a nice signature scent if you don't mind the juniper berries lingering around. And no, not the type of juniper you can smell in a gin and tonic. Much sharper. I'll see if I can tone it down with Graphite or add an iris note.

2nd review (original somewhere below): Wonderoud, Wonderwood, Blue Santal are all brothers, with Floriental being their sister, each different enough to have in the collection. Blue Santal is carrying the same Javanol/Pashminol X Cashmeran = creamy diffusive sandalwood accord a la Molecule 04, topped with CdG signature black pepper and incense notes. The main difference happens on the very top, you get yet again the same cypress pine terpenic effect as in Wonderwood (lacking in Wonderoud) but dosed up with juniper berry with its strong, stinging, peppery, balsamic fir needle smell. Nobody does peppery sandalwood incense better than CdG, and Blue Santal is no exception. Top fragrance at a reasonable price for what you get.

Blue Santal has an interesting cold feel over a bed of soapy, non-creamy sandalwoodness. Juniper freshens the whole thing up. When I breathe it in, I feel like I'm in a snowy forest where the wind has died down and pure, evergreen air surrounds me. A little too poetic, perhaps, but I enjoy the atmosphere the scent evokes. One of my favorite sandalwood scents without being a traditional sandalwood fragrance and with a more blunt edge than I associate with some other CdG fragrances. Projection is somewhat close, though it's not a skin scent, and longevity is moderate.

I've tried all of the fragrances in the Blue line by CdG. All are nice, and one or more will likely appeal to you. This one is my favorite, followed by Cedrat and then Encens. Santal has a very pleasing, unique, sharp, spicy, woody scent. Longevity and sillage are acceptable. If it wasn't so expensive and I didn't already have so many colognes, I'd buy it.

This is THE fragrance for me. The second one I ever bought or sampled. It will last forever on your clothing, and has really decent longevity on the skin too. Despite that, the name is a bit wrong. Very green santal, not blue. One of the better Santal/Sandalwood fragrances I have. This has and always will be one of my favorites.

My favorite perfume, suitable for all seasons, with the smell of cleanliness and pine, wonderful يةك لة خوشترين بونةكانم ,لةكةل بلاوبوونةوةي هةست بة بوني سنةوبةر و بيبةري رةش دةكةيت بةلام بيزار ناكا بو هةمووو كاتيك كونجاوة

I love it! On some days this smells blue and marine to me, on others green and herbal. It's strange but I like it either way! I get the Juniper nice and clear. Masculine and bitter in a very good way.

Omg I'm in love with it, so aromatic and well-balanced., Something in it smells like mushrooms to me but in a good way.

a pine,citrus smell. the worse one of the 3 blue but good perfume.it remembers PINO SILVESTRE more citruses.

This is an absolute top men's fragrance, luxurious, rich smelling.

This is one of my favourites from CdG (and I really do love this house!) Together with Copper (which I don't have) this is one of the more interesting, or edgy (if you will) releases in the more widely available pebblestone bottles. This really smells like a forest. I smell pine, juniper, sandalwood, and exactly like others have mentioned, even mushrooms. Maybe that is just some aspect of the sandalwood, but I really do smell something fungusy, but sweeter, so yeah, like mushrooms really. The woods and pine is how a forest smells when it's hot, but there's some kind of cold, fresh aspect to it as well. Maybe it's the pineneedle/juniper combo. Someone here wrote it smells like a snow covered forest, and I can see that. It's fresh, it's sweet, it's aromatic, it's even vaguely dank or fungusy, but in a good way. My girlfriend loves it too, she said: "Don't take this the wrong way, but it kind of smells like a moldy basement, a cellar, a moist dungeon with old, wooden objects, but I mean this in the best possible way." And I totally get what she's saying! What's interesting is that I really do smell a lot of sandalwood. Now people are saying CdG uses a lot of synthetics (which is fine with me, but that's beside the point), so I see some assumptions here that the sandalwood is javanol or pashminol. Now I know one thing for sure and that is that I am 100% anosmic to javanol. This I know because I've tried Molecule 04, and I smell absolutely nothing whatsoever (and I can smell Iso-E Super and ambroxan just fine). So either this is mostly or purely pashminol (which I haven't had the opportunity to smell as a single note, so I have no idea), and apparently I can smell pashminol as opposed to javanol, or this is some other synthetic sandalwood I'm unaware of, or maybe it's even actually genuine Australian sandalwood, as they seem to be claiming. (I haven't actually checked a CdG source for this, just going by the description on Fragrantica.) Performance and longevity are average, but pretty good when sprayed on the hair. I love, love, love this fragrance. Though I'm somehow thinking this is more of a spring/fall fragrance, I'm actually curious what this will be like on a hot day! Yeah, gonna try that.

An *Humanized* version of Odeur 53? Well, sort of... The main theme here comes directly from those clean yet austere woody fragrances such as Gucci Rush For Men, Tam Dao and Wonderwood but Blue Santal brings to the table a bunch of juxtapositions that most of the above fragrances lack. The overall vibe is made of the same clean-metallic-woody-incense combo of Odeur 53 but it's sort of tamed, more human and less abstract. A thick synth sandalwood base a-la Wonderwood serves to add some extra body giving birth, at the same time, to a warm juxtaposition with the metallic incense while peppery nuances recall the austerity of Gucci Rush For Men. This is basically the bone structure of Blue Santal but the fragrance has something more to offer...the CDG's twist. The above scenario is successfully enriched by a pine-juniper combo which is absolutely awesome. It strikes with a freezing effect and a plethora of micro-facets generated by the interaction of these two elements with the rest of the composition. They go go from turpentine undertones (originally extracted from pinewood) to gunpowder via immense landscapes, dark-green elements, snow-covered forests and, at the same time, summer-ish spices, gin, frozen glasses and sparkling skies... I would rank this at the same level of Blue Encens and despite I've not appreciated Blue Cedrat as I expected (hoped), I strongly believe this is a pretty solid trio. Another fantastic option to enter the CDG's world. Tremendous. Rating: 7.5/10