Santal Complet

I finally broke down and pulled the trigger on this gem and I do not regret it! Now I have Oud Noir, Orange, Bleu and Vert as well as Milano and now this! I had been reluctant because I had oud orange and I didn't want 2 coconut fragrances, but they are so different, the orange being a gourmand for winter and Santal being more of a luxurious summer holidays type fragrance. I had also considered Kilian's Scared Wood as my go to sandalwood fragrance, but it is currently discontinued and leans on the vegetal smokey wintery side and is not as uplifting as Santal Complet. For coconut fragrances, I had been considering as well Creed Virgin Island Water, but found it too artificial and I wanted to wash off the metallic citrus note, that seemed to last on my clothes until the next day. After one wearing of VIW I decided it wasn't for me. But I wanted something sandalwood and something coconut for summer, so I revisited it after just trying it once in the sample set alongside the other 9...on second go I was blown away. Not only was it more luxurious and uplifting that Sacred Wood, but it was also cleaner...on top of that it was everything I wanted in Virgin Island Water without the artificial metallic note. I think the lemon and violet brighten it up while the black pepper gives it more focus so it never becomes flabby. It starts strong and fades over many hours but is always present on my skin and clothes even though I don't spray it on my clothes (diffusion). So for me I can still smell it during my 5-6 pm workout when I applied it at 11 am...so a solid 6-7 hours. Does it project? Well enough for me, but keep in mind that I wear fragrances to boost my own mood and confidence and do not look for compliments - it is a vain and weak man who needs to get compliments from a cloud of perfume he wears. I wear PDM Layton and am often worried it projects too far and I get taken for one of these gold chain ostentatious guys looking to act big. But Santal Complet is nothing like that. It enhances my life, makes me feel I am on a beach in the tropics, lifts my mood, makes my life better. Like all fragrances from this line it is classy and uplifting, and few brands can say this of so many of their offerings.

I really enjoy this one from FDB, and have to agree with other reviewers that it is not very longlasting. I have been sitting indoors all day, so I haven't sweated or anything, and it really only lasted about a solid 3 hours on me. It's now 7 hours later, and I am catching slight whiffs here and there, but overall, it has worn off. I do like that it doesn't turn into a straight vanilla fragrance on me, which is a problem I have with vanilla's in the base. This develops into such a lovely and comforting scent, it is soft and slightly powdery, but not too powdery. Some are comparing this to the CK IN2U For Her, and I actually used to have that fragrance back in the day. I would say, I do see a slight resemblance, but they open very differently in my opinion, and the base is different too. I get the similarities, but this one from FDB is much creamier and powdery (in a good way) than the CK one. The CK one is definitely more a spring/summer fragrance, it's more citrusy and fresh, Santal Complet is definitely more of a fall/winter fragrance. They both have amber in the base, but the addition of the Sandalwood in Santal Complet is definitely what differentiates it from CK, and truly makes it what it is. It's a soft, powdery, sandalwood fragrance, with a beautiful ambery/vanilla base that fortunately does not turn straight vanilla on me. This makes for a great everyday fragrance, as the projection is not super intense, so it would be fine for the office. I wouldn't say this is necessarily a special occasion or night-out fragrance. Many reviewers are saying that the price is not justified, which I can understand. I would definitely pick up a sample of this one before you go and purchase a full sized bottle. I would like to see this be a bit more long-lasting, because then the price would be more appealing. It is a lovely fragrance from the line though!

The musk in the base is most likely causing anosmia among those who complain this doesn’t perform well. I would have agreed if I didn’t know much about perfume, because I could not detect it on myself after a couple of hours. However, when I woke up the next morning I smelled it again, clearly. So it performs just fine, but you may not be able to notice the “scent bubble” around yourself. Which is unfortunate because I really like this! It is not gourmand to me at ALL, and at no point do I get anything I could identify as coconut. It opens with a peppery citrus blast, and dries down to a creamy citrus sandalwood. It’s pretty and simple. Edit: it’s nearly a month since I wrote this review. I used up the sample I had, which was a few years old, and bought a new decant. With the new one, I do not by any means smell this the next morning. I don’t even smell it after an hour or so, and neither can my husband, so anosmia is probably at play a little, but not to the extent I first thought. I’m not usually one to scream about reformulation, but this does make me suspicious. Real sandalwood is notoriously difficult to source anymore, so in this case (assuming FdB actually uses real sandalwood) reformulation would not only be typical, but highly likely. I’m grateful I got a decant rather than a full bottle as I had debated on. I really like this but can’t justify the cost at all. Edited again lol: Despite its issues I love this and got rather obsessed with this scent, and ended up finding a partial bottle on ebay, which according to the seller is a few years old. When I spray it in the evening I can still smell it the next morning. This has most certainly been reformulated and the older formula performed fine while the current one does not. Bummer, because it’s not common to find older bottles, but I’m delighted to have one!

This reminds me of vacations spent in Florida, my great Aunt wore something very close to this back in late 70s early 80s I have no idea what it was she wore. She was a stunningly beautiful and classy lady. She smelled exactly like this fragrance. It's a bright creamy sandalwood injected with luscious coconut. The lemon is not distinguishable but it must give the fragrance lift. It's an "airy" thin veil of a scent. An Incredible goldilocks, not too suntanish, not too masculine, very unisex. My only complaint is it really doesn't project much past the first hour of wear. I sampled this first and from a dabber didn't think it had any longevity either. I bought a 8ml travel spray and to my delight discovered it does indeed have longevity on skin but even more so on textiles and in my hair. It'll lasts for days. So I caved finally and bought a full bottle on sale and discounted but it was still a hefty amount and I doubt it'll get replaced. So splurge if you were worried that it wouldn't pass the longevity test. Maybe someone will comment on it if they get a whiff but I'm not going to hold my breath for it to come. I'll breathe deeply and enjoy this all by myself, I smell gorgeous! PS. I've had this scent for nearly aa year now and I love it still. Doesn't project but the sillage is within arms length and the fragrance does have good longevity, 8 hrs easy. Longer on textiles, most of the time..days.

A gentle beast. The notes blended in this composition are not loud, but this fragrance seems to have random good projection and great longevity on my skin. The scent bubble is truly a bubble. Soft with rounded edges, that floats around when you move and behind when you walk, radiating when you stop for others to smell. Nothing punches you in the face (which isn’t a bad thing) even though I still detect the black pepper. The coconut milk, creamy sandalwood and violets are more prominent. With some warm brown sugar syrup! Like in Jo Malone’s Scarlet Poppy but the more melted, moisturized, emollient version but I love it “drier” in SP just as much too lol. Also smells like a smoother, less toasted/burnt Imaginary Authors’ A Whiff of Waffle Cone. Or like Jazz Club but less dark sans wrapped tobacco; they share this kind of sweetness that’s hard to explain but it’s woody, toasty and emollient as described earlier. Santal Complet is full but not dense, it smells complete. Blended very well, like a body butter that warms and melts into the skin. No sharpness. You can smell the quality. Not groundbreaking but I haven’t smelled much like this with this type of quality, a potential classic signature scent for hot and cold, anytime. So maybe it is groundbreaking lol I just love this but it is pricey so it may not be worth it to everyone.

This was NOT what I was expecting when I selected this for my monthly subscription scent. This is absolutely gorgeous but fairly fleeting. The coconut here reminds me of the dry coconut in MP’s Vanilla Powder. The coconut and violet combo makes for a powdery slightly sweet floral dream. For me (a pepper lover) the pepper is sprinkled throughout, but very subdued. I get the most pepper in the opening punching up the lemon. The milky sandalwood swirled with the musky amber base then topped with that violet overlay is blended seamlessly. I don’t get vanilla here, but I think it shows as a creamy, slightly sweet binder. I would not call this a gourmand by any stretch. I am only including that opinion because apparently some do. It does fade quickly. I have been reapplying every 3-4 hours. And you only get that true scent bubble the first hour or so and then it’s a skin scent. But it’s stunning...just hard to justify the price. For me it’s a chameleon because it really does fit any occasion while still being special enough to stand out. Firmly unisex but I feel very feminine when wearing it.

Im so in love with this fragrance! It is a feminine lemon coconut that is beautiful and balanced. Its a head turner. Very smooth with a little bit of sweetness but the coconut is so beautiful in the fragrance. I picture a beautiful woman sitting on a bench on the beach, wrapped in a wool blanket on a cool windy, afternoon. Its a soft classy beach scent. It is a signature scent if you ask me. It casual but also good for a date or even wedding. This is my favorite scent on the planet so far. I am having trouble finding it to buy a whole bottle other than Luckyscent, which I cant afford right now. but if I put some $ away Ill get to purchase for the warmer part of the year. . If anyone knows where to purchase this or trade , please let me know! :) Edit.. its been almost and year and I finally got a bottle of this beauty! It will arrive tomorrow and I honestly have never been so excited! lol. Its the best work of art I have found yet and yet its very simple as most of the best things are ;)

Soooo dissapointed with the reformulation of 2024, THAT WAS NOT ANNOUNCED BY THE BRAND. I bought this perfume last year and it smelled heavenly, creamy, almost lactonic like no other. I bought a back up this year and it smells SO DIFFERENT!!! Now it smells more masculine, the creaminess is almost gone, It's a different scent altogether. I'm really offended by this brand, they are ULTRA EXPENSIVE and they reformulate without changing the name or indicating it's a flanker, and you are left with a shitty different perfume that does NOT work as a back up bottle and no one would buy it because they don't know if they'll like the new formula. And yes, I spent a whole lot of money on this back up, and it went to the trash apparently. The brand at least should have the decency of indicating the change in the formula by tweaking the name, like "Santal Complet Intense" or something, so that you know it's different and try it before buying a back up...

I love this scent, it smells like maple candy in the most elegant and tropical way. I LOVE it, but it's so discreet, so low-profile, so beige-elegant, that it's just not my personality. This perfume is for elegant people who don't want to stand out from the crowd. If you are a significant other of these elegant people, you'll notice the elegance and refinement of their perfume, but the rest of the people will not notice the perfume unless they stay close to them for a while. This perfume is delicious, and not for my city's climate (30o to 45oC most of the time). I think that this fragrance works best in 25-30oC so that it can be considered summer, it lasts longer and it's not obnoxiously sweet if the thermometer hits 40oC! I would buy it if I end up moving and live in Asturias, Pamplona, or the north of western continental Europe in general, where temperatures don't get so high in summer.

So excited to post this as I just received my full bottle today! I am in love. ❤️ This is the most REFINED and ELEGANT coconut sandalwood parfum ever. The Lemon punches you slightly out of the gate, giving way almost immediately to an extraordinarily refined and well balanced and blended Coconut and sandalwood with a beautiful delicate vanilla amber and a whisper of violets. It is very much an intimate perfume. It is best sprayed into the neck and lingerie. If harsh piquant sandalwood doesn’t appeal to you, this is your sandalwood fragrance. It is sweet and soft; the difference between wearing a sophisticated and sexy Lace camisole vs. Fredericks of Hollywood garb. It’s silk vs. spandex. It’s a harsh scream vs. an intelligent discussion. If you don’t see the difference, don’t bother to spend the extra money for this sophisticated yet simple beauty.

I tested this today at the store, sprayer 2x on my hand. 4h in I can still smell it up close. Sillage is very minimal of this fragrance, it does not leave a trail of scent behind you. The scent itself is of course - a masterful blend. It’s warm, sweet but in a luxurious way, not too much, subtle. It’s like saying Im very rich but I’ll never show it. Beautiful bottle. I’d want a stronger sillage- I want to smell my own fragrance without spraying it 10 times. That’s what I dislike with expensive brands like Creed or Fdb.. they create fantastic fragrances for them to be barely noticeable? I don’t understand. It should be a certain level of sillage, Let’s say Widian - are you kidding me? These are wonder fragrances with a good silage. Or Xerjoff - also decent. But Santal Complet is unfortunately barely there..

This is the best sandalwood I have ever smelled! It’s actually hard to find a perfume house that does sandalwood well and in this case VERY well. The usual sweet warm’n fuzzies are at play with the amber and vanilla, which are fine – but I do not want my fragrances to smell like food/dessert all the time (vanilla is so overdone at this point) but I must say the coconut is a nice twist! The powderyness of the violet keeps the coconut from being too foodie (tropical oasis vibes here) and I think the black pepper adds just a hint of spice with the lemon keeping things zesty and fresh (very subtle, but it is in there). Amazing scent, yes it has a hefty price tag but the high quality I expect from a luxury niche perfume house is absolutely present. Consider me a new fan girl Fragrance Du Bois!

I don't know where all the hate for this fragrance comes from. You either like it or you don't but to go so far as attacking the company and accusing them of "conning people" or "being a rip off" seems a bit much. In my opinion, this is a very nice soft, relaxing scent with a slight tropical creamy vibe. What I love the most is how I keep getting sudden whiffs just when I think it's started to fade. It lasts a good 6+ hours on my clothes & has just the right amount of sillage. I absolutely love this one. And for the record, to the reviewer down there 👇 who said, "Fragrance Du Bois lacks originality," wouldn't know "originality" if it sat in his lap. How can he say this about the house who gave the world Sahraa Oud? The greatest, most original, unique fragrance on earth! (Mic drop)

I love this, coconut, sandalwood, quite rich, very nutty, very unisex. However. I recently bought Katy Perry Indi (always on the hunt for that bargain find) and I can’t smell it at all. Like it smells of nothing, no matter how many sprays. My boyfriend can smell Indi (the whole house smelled of it by the time I’d finished ‘checking’ lol), and says it smells very masculine, and that Santal Complet has the same note in it. Oh the horror. So it must be the musk that I can’t smell. And now I’m freaking out wondering how many other fragrances with musk in that can’t smell properly. And I’m a bit scared to wear this too in case it is too masculine. But then, I like it, so I’m guessing I’ll just wear it for me and not worry too much about others!

I adore this scent but it is one the weakest, lowest projection fragrances I own - at any price point. After buying Sol de Janiero's '62 Cheirosa EDP I was surprised that it didn't smell as much like the body spray (or Bum Bum Cream) as I'd remembered. Throughout the day, I accidentally discovered that what it was reminding me of was actually SANTAL COMPLET! So I decided to test them both with one on each arm. SDJ definitely has more longevity and is warmer and sweeter than Santal Complet, but they are remarkably similar. I then saw RLara below suggesting layering Santal Complet with Bum Bum Cream to increase the longevity...and this now makes perfect sense because they are such similar fragrances.

Love it. Thankfully, coconut is actually quite prominent on me. And added to my favorite sandalwood - wow. It's not really tropical btw.... it's comforting, coffee break with great desert (choose your own) kinda of essence. Almost chocolaty.. I love when perfumes create a feeling in me, and this one is definitely a calm, morning focus for me. Regarding the performance. This is a smell that creates an experience for ME, that's why I wear it. And it is definitely lasting for this purpose. If you want projection.... why would you want to project coconut with sandalwood? - wear something else. This is an intimate gourmand smell, not meant to be projected I would say:-)

This fragrance smells sublime 20 minutes after application and lasts the rest of the day close to the skin. I work too hard and fragrance is a hobby and love of my life...so I bought a bottle. I want more! This is the most beautiful fragrance I've ever smelled in my life. I'm a goddess when I wear it. EDIT: My husband says I smell like a headshop when I wear it. wth.... I believe I become anosmic to the frag after a while. Careful not to overspray. EDIT: Now that I've had this frag for nearly a month and the honeymoon period is over...I still love it, but the opening now smells like vanilla sawdust. LOL. I still love the drydown and love this fragrance

What a beautiful fragrance but sadly overpriced for its performance. If I had a chance to go to Paris I would definitely purchase this since it's much cheaper there compared to other places. Luxurious and soft, creamy and slightly dusty caramel coconut with a boozy undertone. Definitely unisex. Edit: Just finished my little decant and realised I could never live without this scent so decided to purchase a full bottle anyway. After letting my bottle sit for a few months, it actually has gotten stronger. It's still not a beast mode performer but it's not supposed to be otherwise it would be unwearable in the heat. Really happy with my purchase.

Love this so much! 💙 it makes me emotional. I’m not sure why but I adore it and it is probably my signature. Sandalwood, coconut and violet are my favourite notes, so it’s not surprising I love it. Longevity is ok and it forms a soft personal bubble. This means you can wear it anytime. It reminds me of many tropical memories and I find it both happy and soothing. I wear it year round. A lot of the reviews seems overly negative or influenced by their own thoughts on Demi Rawling. Don’t be overly swayed and try it for yourself - I love this one! This is NOT Gris charnel at all to me. That has far more spice.

This is a perfect scent. It’s soft, creamy, tropical, a little bright, with just a tinge of sparkliness in the back. This is nowhere near a gourmand, it’s very much a your-skin-but-better kind of smell but in the most luxurious and tropical way possible. The best way I could describe this fragrance is it smells like what I would imagine Neverland beach in Peter Pan would smell like. This makes me want to touch soft warm sand and look at the sunset. Such a gorgeous scent, it could easily be a summer staple or a signature scent. Now can someone get me a bottle? Please and thank you lol 10/10