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

There’s something spicy in the opening almost like cumin. It lasts to the mid but fades into the background. The main part of the scent is a creamy, smooth, semi-sweet citrus with this cumin spicy moving throughout. This is not a sandalwood scent like original Santal but more a scent of sandalwood creaminess and smoothness. There is a woody aspect but more of a pencil shaving, cedar wood scent. Overall, I really enjoy this and think it’s a great scent.

Formulated in 1850? Wow! So... how come nobody here is calling it an "old man scent?" :) This is not, to my nose, "pure masculine." It smells a wee bit cloying. Not for me.

I remembered this being extraordinarily weak from before, and it is in fact so weak that it's difficult to review (unless my vial has gone bad). It's a decent sandalwood, not too medicinal, not too sweet, with more of the scent of just plain wood than a lot of other sandalwood scents give you (maybe they added some cedar?). It's very smooth, and it has some of that tantalizing, semi-perfumey, expensive-smelling Creed base that they use a lot. Unfortunately, later on it gets kind of sweet and sticky, but by this point it's so weak that it could smell like maple syrup and it would still seem light. Some Creeds I'd be willing to pay the price for, but if step one in my decision is just being able to smell the damn thing, then this one is having a hard time getting past that stage. Plus, considering how many other sandalwood scents are on the market, I think it's time for me to move on.

Whoever expects this to be "santal" (like me), maybe because of the name (?), will be vastly disappointed (like me). Boring Aftershave for the price you'd get really really incredible stuff from other houses. Another Creed fail. P.S.: For your sandalwood fix look no further than to the three big ones: Tam Dao, Santal Noble and/or Santal Majuscule.

Just received Santal Imperial and I am in love with it. I find SI to be quite pleasant and enjoyable; SI is creamy and sweet, I don't detect so much wood as others have noted nor extreme citrus. I detect a light citrus note and hints of vanilla. This would be for me classified as a unisex scent and not 'pure' masculine in my opinion. Now, this is very different from OS but there are small hints, very reminiscent of Silver Mountain Water, again in its own class still...no one has mentioned a similarity of Royal Delight then again, maybe that's just me with the sweetness detection. Overall, wonderful fragrance that I highly recommend!! Update:This fragrance is amazing! So, even though this is gray top (older fragrance) fragrance, it actually smells very modern. In this I get florals and sweets...there is bergamot in there and some amber however, it is this creamy musk that plays the majority role. Lovely juice; light, slightly citrusy with a touch of powder. This falls somewhere between Silver Mountain and MI. Great fragrance indeed!

Opens with citrusy almost alcoholic whiff to it. There is a brief note of something very animalistic and musky. Closest to a real ambergris experience that I have ever had. Settles down to a majestic traditional perfume with the citrus remaining as a balance. agree with other reviewers from basenotes: "It is a sweet sandalwood layered over a super prominent ambergris base" "whatever is used in Santal Imperial smells very true to the salty, sweet and slightly animalic character of the real stuff." To my nose, had this sweet sawdusty sandalwood scent without ambergris an hour later. Someone else wrote that the fragrance is very light and dancing in and out of perception. I thought it was gone but when I sat down to eat I was pleasantly surprised by the sandalwood scent coming back. True masterpiece-very majestic fragrance with quality natural ingredients. This is what made me appreciate Creed in the first place.

What does this smell like, literally opens with a beautiful "classic" citrus with a background of sandal wood. Then reveals its soft and sensual Tonka bean, really is just a sweetness and lastly your left with a sandalwood ambergris base. Amazing scent. too bad its going to be discontinued.

This smells really mellow to me but its so good! I get the Tonka Bean note and the citrus at first spray but then it very slowly fades into the sandalwood. Its a very sophisticated smell, very aromatic, but definitely one i would recommend for all year wear.

masterwork. so much better, deeper, more austere and more refined than original santal. creed please don't discontinue this!

Where are the vintage bottles if it's as old as they say it is? This brand is baloney.