Sandalwood

THIS is what sandalwood is SUPPOSED to smell like. My heart literally broke when C&E discontinued this scent. I've used the bar soap for years and thankfully still have a couple left that I'm saving. I wish I'd bought cases of it. It's pretty sad seeing bars of soap I used to buy for $5 or so each selling on eBay for $50+ now. The scent of sandalwood it leaves on your skin is sublime. I used to put bars of this soap in drawers to scent my clothes. My husband and I both use the shower gel. I prefer the bar soap but the gel is good and is easier and cheaper to find. Also, their sandalwood shaving products are incredible. My husband won't shave with anything else. He has several of their boar bristle brushes and uses the cakes of shaving soap and their tubes of shaving cream. He gets a close shave, no razor burn and smells divine!! The EDT is wonderful too. It's one of my husband's 'go-to' scents. I can't imagine him without it. It's rich, beautiful, TRUE mysore sandalwood. As soon as I realized they'd discontinued this, I went out and bought every EDT, shower gel, shaving cream, after shave balm, shaving soap I could find. I'm hoping I have enough to last until we're dead or too old to care what we smell like (if that's possible). Yes, it's that good. Their new Indian Sandalwood smells nothing like this and in my opinion, isn't worth buying. It's a poor imitation sandalwood scent. Sadly, true mysore sandalwood is becoming a thing of the past and may soon be a distant memory. Anyone who appreciates real sandalwood should at least try this one. It's gorgeous.

Truly sandalwood. Like true sandalwood, it has a soft and polished masculinity to it. To those who are not familiar with sandalwood, however, it draws a more rugged response, making it a great all-rounder. Be sure to avoid the newest formulation known as "Indian Sandalwood". But also be weary of the production date, as most scents have a shelf life of 3-5 years before they start losing their essence.

This is a sandalwood fragrance unlike any other: warm, sweet, spicy, natural-smelling. It opens with a nuance of black strap molasses and then melds into cinnamon bark and a fragrant sandalwood. Very 'pure' smelling. Many sandalwood fragrances irritate me but I find this one rather inviting. I agree with cclark that women could easily wear this one, particularly in winter.

An amazing scent that perfectly balances the creaminess of sandalwood with the dryness of vetiver, with a hint of a very foresty fresh cedar in the opening. Masculine, mysterious, and unique, it's not just another generic cologne for men, as it offers more than the synthetic "deodorant" character.

Not to mention sexy and suitable for almost any occasion, from work to a night out.

On initial application I get an almost overwhelming blast of cool, smooth cinnamon and indistinct perfumey citrus, along with a dose of soapy florals and woods. The citrus fades quickly and the next hour or so is a mildly unpleasant cinnamon, lavender and vetiver soap up close. This phase smells dated and somewhat cheap, bringing to mind certian drugstore scents. Just as the cinnamon is starting to become untolerably buzzy and astringent, this aspect evaporates, and the remainder is an incredibly sensual sandalwood, held up by a very nice musk and coumarin along with some other indistinguishable resinous notes. A classy clean top, a sultry, musky stunner in the drydown. Very enjoyable.

Truth in advertising when it comes to this fragrance. It is sandalwood! It certainly is not a faint or retreating scent either. Put on too much of this, and folks around you will think they're in a carpentry shop. If applied with respect for the strength, it is a fresh and obviously long-lasting scent. Like my dad used to say, "If you can't handle it, don't mess with it!" ;) It could very well be one of those scents that "turns" or "sours" on some skin types - IMO.

Versatility! That's what this fragrance is! Love the dry down and it lasts all day! You just have to try it yourself. Although I don't like the initial burst but I'm a huge fan of the middle and base notes thankfully because that's what lasts on my skin and clothes.

the openning seems to be a little bit to medicinal-repulsive (maybe a lavender-sandalwood combo) but on my skin... it dries down to one of the most alluring sandalwood-amber base i've ever smelled... it's a skin scent but... i can't stop sniffing my wrist!!!

A very powerful fragrance that smells like sandalwood really very dry, do not apply too much because it is very powerful. Recommended for cold weather and very mature men, but is unfit for office because it is too intrusive.

Just want to make clear that the bottle pictured is NOT the original formulation from 1970. (1976 is the wrong date for Original or the one pictured.) There have been three formulations of this ... above is formulation number 2. The original formulation is called Mysore Sandalwood and it has an elephant on the packaging. It's predominately red packaging. You'll recognize it when you see it by it's price. Originally it sold for around $20 ... now going for over $300. The original Crabtree & Evelyn Mysore Sandalwood is beyond beautiful. In my Top Three Scents of all time. The formulation that is pictured is not bad, still quite nice. However, it can't compare to Mysore Sandalwood ... which has been over-harvested and is very rarely used in perfumery these days. You can find it in some parts of the world but it's no longer used in the scents some of us once knew. The latest, Indian Sandalwood, is completely blah, imo. A pale shade of the green-boxed Sandalwood (pictured above) which is in turn not comparable to Mysore, the Queen of Sandalwood. If you can find this version (pictured) and love sandalwood, it is well worth having. I really enjoy it. Still one of the best & completely unisex. But my undying love goes to C&E's OG Mysore Santal ... best note in perfumery, imo.

(A review of the original First Formulation "Extract Of Mysore Sandalwood") I managed to get hold of a full bottle of this long discontinued treasure from 1983 and the sandalwood in this is amazing. The scent is dominated by Ylang Ylang and creamy buttery mysore sandalwood goodness. On first application the fragrance is very fresh and floral with a buttery sandalwood note underneath. As the hours pass the mysore santal accord becomes more dominate though you can still pick up the Ylang Ylang for the duration. I have to say this is the most beautiful natural smelling sandalwood I have smelled in a fragrance. It is creamy, buttery, rich with depth but also mellow in a meditative way. I have tried loads of Sandalwood scents from Tam Dao to Santal Noble and they all pale in comparison to the glorious sandalwood found in this. I got several hours longevity with this scent and the projection was about average though I could still smell the lovely santal woodiness on my clothes long after. A treasure that has been discontinued long ago due to the scarcity and expense of Mysore Sandalwood. If you ever find this on ebay going cheaply then grab it as it is a gem in the world of fragrances!

Tested on: paper strip Expectation (from the name label implied): 1. Linear raw wood scent. 2. I'm expecting camphor scent from sandalwood. Since wood scent can be divided into: 1. Hard wood: furniture like scent. 2. Soft wood: camphor like scent. Impression: Linear sandalwood, from opening to the drydown. It's not sandalwood (I didn't detect any camphor) this more a general hardwood (furniture) scent. I would categorized this into sweet wood scent. Unoffensive scent, extremely calm (if not boring). Almost like wearing an essential oil (house fragrance). I prefer more edgy scent. I did enjoy this perfume as non offensive perfume. It's laid back (very Evelyn & Crab Tree like). Almost all ECT perfumes reminds me about relaxing in a good, comfy library. Compared to Rance Victorie (wood): I prefer Rance; For it's rawness. Would I buy this: almost; They have a big discount today.

Tried the latest formulation. Smells like some cheap wood notes and/or a whole lot of aldehydes. It's so offensive that I tried to wash as much of it off as possible within half an hour. I'm a sandalwood fan, and own vintage Sandalwood for Men by Arden and the vintage Sandalwood scent by Brooks Brothers, for example. This one is just vile, IMO. However, if you like this idea, I think you might like Miglin's Sandalwood for Men better. It's a similar idea but either the ingredients are better or the composition is. I don't like the really dry and sharp wood scents, but I can appreciate many of them on some intellectual level, unlike this one.

I used to buy the Mysore Sandalwood formulation some years ago, with the elephant on the label, and I was mad for it, went through several bottles. It said the notes were sandal, vanilla, and lavender, from memory. I have real sandalwood EO and this smelled like the real deal. It is no longer available of course, but I was happy to find that on first smelling the Givaudan sandalwood base, circa 2005, (it may have changed too by now) I immediately thought 'C&E Mysore sandalwood!' So I made up a bottle of my own.

Yes..this was reformulated quite some yrs ago..it wasnt expensive..even the reform is now "expensive"...i ran thru my bottles of the Elephant variety(orig) and now have a reform bottle which is still delightful. It does last all day if you spray a few times. I cant believe that its so expensive now..I see high prices on Ebay. I think the last bottle cost me like 40 or so bucks..which i bought like 5yrs ago..not worth the high prices asked now...It is delightful however.

I really like this scent but only in small doses as it can easily overpower everything and everyone in the neighbourhood. If you are careful it can present as quite sophisticated. If you aren't, then it is about as subtle as toilet deodorizer.

I agree. This was introduced to me when I was a teenager. I have had a bottle in my possession ever since. That was over 20 years ago and counting. This is a great fragrence for women, but is seldom marketing that way.

I was a bit disappointed in this when I sampled it. The sandalwood note doesn't last, and there's an annoying chemical note, like furniture polish or a new car scent.

@calyx93-- $275.99 for a bottle!?!?! Wow!! It wasn't that expensive in the store (former sales associate '98 -'01..) Wonderful Sandalwood fragrance, though!!