Santal Imperial

Forgot I even had this til I was poking around the linen cupboard where my fragrances live. Santal Imperial is the only Creed I own which has “Eau de Toilette” on the box - the others claim to be “eaux de parfum” (even if their mediocre Creed performance belies such lofty nomenclature). Must confess I don’t actually know if there is an EDP version of Santal Imperial but thus far I’ve never heard of one. The version I have is dated 2002. I acquired this back in the day when I could actually afford to spend profligate sums on frivolities, motivated by a secret desire to live vicariously as a Royal by sharing an olfactory experience with the Kaiser und Koenig of Austria Hungary. Santal Imperial opens with the cliché Creed citrus-bergamot overture before becoming a linear-but-nice Indian sandalwood over white ambergris (and tonka) that rapidly becomes a skin scent. At least in this 2002 EDT version the sandalwood is of superlative quality - it smells like what the Indians call “old tree” sandalwood (from heartwood of sandalwood trees more than 20 years old). The sandalwood note is similar to the sandalwood in Himalaya, and the sandalwood-tonka theme was revisited in Original Santal. Although a high quality fragrance, undoubtedly made from the finest natural ingredients, the performance is truly abysmal and closer to an eau fraiche with longevity of less than an hour. Maybe his imperial highness was afraid that anything too fragrant might raise eyebrows and/or questions about his manliness. Can’t imagine Sisi would have smelled it unless she jumped him as soon as he applied it. Don’t think I’ve worn it in public more than once because by the time you get out of the house it’s like wearing nothing at all. It is unquestionably a nice Indian sandalwood fragrance with a glorious pedigree and a great mythology but it doesn’t last long enough or perform well enough to be truly wearable by modern standards.

I have a bottle of Santal Imperial manufactured in 2002, and it was only when looking at the box today that I noticed it read "Eau de Toilette". All my other creed fragrances do not specify a concentration, yet I have always seen them referred to as "eaux de parfum", which I have always doubted - given their poor longevity. Anyhow, I initially acquired Santal Imperial out of historical curiosity. I wanted to know what Austro-Hungarian Kaiser und König Franz-Josef smelled like. And Nicholas II. There's a kind of tragic glamour surrounding those rulers of fallen empires, and I was curious to know this fragrance that adorned Habsburgs and Romanovs. The first thing that struck me about Santal Imperial was its relative weakness for an Eau de Toilette. It seems to be more like a cologne than anything else, and opens with a citrus note that is now almost a Creed cliché. This top note is only a fleeting presence however and rapidly gives way to an elegant , slightly musky, classic sandalwood accord, which I presume is sandalwood, tonka bean and ambergris. This latter seems to have a very distinct animalic presence, which I presume must be the ambergris. Overall it is a very elegant fragrance, but as others have observed, the longevity is very poor which I find surprising given that it was created in an age before anti-perspirant deodorant. I can only imagine that a day with the imperial court in high summer may have started out smelling nice and fresh, but must have been devolved into a rather stinky experience. An interesting historical curiosity, but in light of rarity and terrible longevity, I would consign it to the past. I no longer bother wearing Santal Imperial out since after 20 minutes it's as though one is not wearing anything at all (fragrance wise). .

I’ve pulled down my old review as, I must confess, I judged this fragrance too quickly. I’m going to try and provide a more objective review here. Santal Imperial provides a luxurious, creamy sandalwood with a strong ambergris kick. To my nose, the citruses in the top only serve to accentuate the sandalwood, rather than provide a distinguishable scent by themselves. This is perhaps the most linear and stable Creed fragrance I’ve had the pleasure of trying. For a grey cap EDT, the longevity is respectable at an approximate 6-8 hours, but the projection is nigh on non existent. This is a subtle fragrance, for a man that isn’t necessarily out to make any statements, but still wants to cultivate a suave, refined exterior for those fortunate enough to come close enough to catch a whiff. Though Creed may think it a sin, I think this fragrance would provide an excellent base to layer other fragrances on top of. Of course, given the price and scarcity of this one, it may be best to leave it alone. Unlike some of its contemporary grey cap brothers such as Royal English Leather or Royal Scottish Lavender, Santal Imperial lacks the versatility to be worn with any regularity in the 21st century. I could perhaps see a refined gentleman in his 60s wearing this; I dare say the more quiet, subdued intellectual types would suit this fragrance well. However, it creates an interesting paradox of being too formal for jeans and a t-shirt and too bland for a suit and tie. And, unfortunately, my chances of becoming the Emperor of Austria-Hungary seem to be getting slimmer and slimmer by the day, so any sort of royal regalia is out of the question. All in all, Creed has made a truly beautiful fragrance here. There isn’t much to complain about, given that I feel it fills its unique niche perfectly. In 2022, we’ve come to expect far, far more from a fragrance. Whether you judge Santal Imperial by the standards of 1850, or by the more Creed-skeptic standards of the 1980s, it accomplishes what it set out to do as a fragrance. Be a gorgeous, simple, linear sandalwood scent that doesn’t offend and doesn’t announce itself to the world. I Quite frankly, I wouldn’t recommend this one - even to dedicated Creed collectors. The other grey caps almost universally offer an experience more interesting than this. Santal Imperial. The Toyota Corolla of fragrance. It does its job without any pomp, and it sure isn’t going to drop any panties.

Creed SANTAL IMPERIAL is certainly not a "pure masculine fragrance"! In fact, when I first applied it, my reaction was that this one was probably marketed to women and/or universal. The composition is quite simple and likeable, really a quasi-single note presentation of sandalwood which has been lightly tempered with amber. The citrus is very understated, so this does not open aromatically at all, and the tonka bean is also light enough to impart only the slightest sweetness. I am finding in my journeys through Creed that the older scents--those created centuries ago--tend to be very natural, with high quality components, and SANTAL IMPERIAL is just such a creation. Unfortunately, there seems to be an inverse relation between naturalness and staying power, which makes investing in a bottle problematic, given the cost. I like SANTAL IMPERIAL quite a lot, but while a fine fragrance, it is not to my nose exceptional.

Santal Imperial is a now-discontinued offering by Creed that fits well into its flagship category of fresh woody fragrances, a blend of bergamot, tonka, sandalwood, and Creed's signature ambergris base. It's a very pleasant mix without being outstanding among either contemporary fragrances or even the discontinued EDTs, such as Epicea, that I love. Performance is average at best, especially considering the potential price tag, and it's not terribly unique, yet I'm still a little surprised this was discontinued, given that it's easy to wear and fits in well with their fresh woody group. I imagine it might fare better than Bois de Cedrat in current markets. Another interesting Creed fragrance, it's not one I'll be chasing down but I was happy to try it out. 7 out of 10