Santal Dan Sha

Must admit I adore this - it is a sublime, meditative woody sandalwood that is fairly linear and if only its longevity were better it could even be my signature scent. This is the first fragrance I have owned that includes Dreamwood, the 100% natural proprietary Firmenich sandalwood molecule (made from sugarcane if I remember rightly) produced via "white biotechnology", thus a biodegradable and eco-friendly alternative to Mysore Sandalwood. I believe Santal Dan Sha contains some real Indian Sandalwood in addition to Dreamwood. On application it has a cooling effect on the skin, and conjures in my mind the image of an ancient temple whose wooden pillars and altar exude the subtle aroma left by centuries of sandalwood incense. Top notes vanish quickly, and for most of its lifespan Santal Dan Sha presents as a rich, woody Sandalwood. Although this is a truly magnificent sandalwood, longevity is crap as it devolves into a skin scent after the first hour. Longevity improves somewhat in Winter and in low humidity. This could easily be worn by anyone regardless of gender, but I would advise trying before buying unless you're a sandalwood obsessive like me.

This is so good. A bright, slightly spicy and creamy sandalwood with notes of bergamot, cardamom, resins, musk, sandalwood and cedar. Despite the supporting notes this is undeniably a sandalwood forward fragrance. Absolutely unisex and I expect quite versatile year round; except maybe in high heat. For me, this evokes a pleasant feeling of browsing around an antique store. It conjures up memories of painted and polished Chinese wood carvings, but with added freshness from the citrus and creaminess from the musk. It sounds ‘heavy’, but on skin it’s very well balanced and not the least bit cloying. I suspect that the eau de toilette concentration (as opposed to an eau de Parfum) is the reason. If you are a fan of sandalwood scents and you have an opportunity, I would recommend that you test this latest Armani Prive release.

I think this is beautiful. It is not at all my selection of notes, but despite that I will purchase a FB, it is that good. Someone said it leans slightly masculine, and I must agree that in some moments it does, but it is still unisex enough for me to wear it (I usually go for super-feminine perfumes). For me it is the spot-on balance of freshness and woodiness. Woods are usually more heavy and dry, more wintery. Here, the bergamot, I guess (but it is not lemony or zesty, just simply fresh, airy and light) makes the whole thing balanced, and I won't name other notes because I can't say I can separate them. It is just in total a very attractive, sexy, date night, all-seasons perfume that lifts feelings and selfesteem. Update: now that I am a happy owner, I love it even more each day. What a gem!

Im in love with Santal Dan Sha. Have to be honest when I test it in shop I wasn’t blown away and had to come and try it multiple time. Thankfully weather cool down and I just went for it and have to tell you only regrets I have is not buying 100ml. When I opened the fresh new bottle and sprayed, it gave me much more nicer smell than the testers in shops. I can smell the bergamot with cardamom in opening in perfect balance with my skin 🥰 and also my one of the most favourite notes is sandalwood so the creaminess what’s coming out of it is gorgeous 🤎 the musk is soft, touch of woods but it’s deliciously creamy and soft on my skin🤎 It’s completely unisex to me but I do believe it has to work well with your body chemistry to truly enjoy this creamy beauty.

This to me is very similar to Van Cleef's Santal Blanc, which I loved. It has the same freshness, the coconuty/figgy scent that reminds me of summer. It lasts around 8 hours, but stays close to skin after the first hour. The bergamot (thankfully for me) doesn't last more than half an hour, it's all about creaminess and cocooning afterwards. A great morning scent for sunny mornings.

Love at first sniff. This is the best Armani Prive imho. Smoother and fresher version of Le Labo’s Santal 33. I love that the citruses persist towards and in the drydown. Sillage and longevity is 9/10. Like in many other fragrances, people will only appreciate it when someone famous endorse it or if product becomes viral. Glad to have my bottle as it is very limited in Asia.

Creamy dreamy sandalwood...Love it! The more I wear it the more I become obsessed. One of my favorites for sure. I don't find it too masculine which is what I was afraid of. It's beautiful. I wear it anytime anywhere. I am in a woody phase in fragrances right now & this just checks all of the boxes for me. Thank you Fabrice Pellegrin & Armani for this gift of a scent. 💋

Nice straight forward in your face sandalwood scent. For some reason this is what I imagine Australia smells like. Not sure what the association is.. anyways I love it.

The perfect perfume for a beach night cocktail or wine. Very zen, it starts fresh, almost minty then drifts to a very enjoyable woody tone and stays there for 7-8 hours

I wish I could get Santal kardamom by Lancome but it's gone... This is my next best and it's very good also, little fresher.

This smells SO GOOD from start to finish. I would love to smell this perfume on a man! 😍

Wishing if it's an eau de parfum for more longetivity and sillage!

‘Santal Dan Sha’ was a blind buy for me when I was on the hunt for a perfect autumn sandalwood. (Spoiler, it was not this one). This perfume is heavy on the woody aspect, and the cardamom is also very prominent. In some ways is reminds me a bit of ‘Santal 33’ from Le Labo, but this one is way fresher, and softer in a way. Where ‘Santal 33’ is a wooly blanket, ‘Santal Dan Sha’ is a velvet one. The initial drydown on my skin brings out a lot of the citrus note, and the violet leaf is also easy to pick up on. It brings out a sorely needed contrast to the heavy sandalwood/cardamom mix. The citrus and violet leaf is also almost impossible to detect if you’re just sniffing the bottle, and I sometimes forget that this is what I like the most about this fragrance. The actual drydown around two/three hours in shows more of the ambermusks, and the contrasting citrus has disappeared. The fragrance tend to lean masculine even though it is advertised as a unisex one. The first hour or so could be classified as unisex, but the more it settles into the skin the more masculine it feels. This is an okay scent, better than a lot of other santal perfumes, but not the best santal perfume either (feel free to send me suggestions, I am still on the lookout). If I were to rate this from 1-10 as I normally don’t do, I would give this an 5,5 and I actually think that is pretty good if I’m being honest.

Ever since I've sniffed Le Labo's Santal 33, I've been on a search for sandalwood perfumes similar to that profile. I don't like Santal 33 btw. The dry down is harsh and smells like a hamster's cage. During my search I came across two that I really like, and that includes 7 Virtues, Santal Vanille and this one. Santal Vanille is better fitted for autumn and the cold weather because of the cozy vanilla and spices in it. Armani Prive's Santal Dan Sha, on the other hand, has bergamot, giving this perfume a lighter, fresher (almost zingier) take on the sandalwood profile. Santal Dan Sha is a very lovely perfume. It is well balanced and mixes well with other scents. I am loving this more and more with each wear. This one is better fitted for spring and summer imo because it is light and ozonic. This one lasts long too, even though it is an EDT. I have the small 7 oz. dabber. When that goes empty, I'm purchasing a full bottle for sure. So good. 8/10

I simply don’t know how this fragrance is specified as unisex. To my nose this is, without a doubt, very masculine... I was wondering maybe I’m the one exaggerating but my boyfriend literally gagged smelling this on me lol. Not because it is a bad fragrance but because we both didn’t expect such a masculine smell. In the end I gave it to him and it suits him soo well, I love to smell it on him! Also, I believe Santal Dan Sha can be worn all year round. I can also categorize it as mature and slightly serious, too.

Sampled: dry milky incensey cedar scent. I get all cedar and no sandalwood, but I really like cedar and sandalwood is iffy to me, so I’m biased... and this is nice stuff. I think the sandalwood (though I can’t smell it specifically) is what’s adding a milkiness to the scent in the way that sandalwood does, the scent is dry but milky!!! I really like that!!! It’s like what I hoped Glossier You Doux would smell like. This would be a great signature mmm. Sadly the longevity is poor.

You know how when you read the notes for a fragrance, you get an idea in your head for how it might smell, but the reality rarely matches? This completely matched what I hoped this would smell like. The mix of cardamom and sandalwood is truly dreamy. For me, Santal 33 is ruined by an underlayer of scratchy wood chips and musty hay. Santal Dan Sha stays silky and spicy the whole way through. This has easily become my favorite sandalwood fragrance!

Santal Dān Shā has quickly become one of my favourite wearable sandalwoods. It's quite fresh in the opening, incorporating lots of bergamot. Whereas, coming to dry down, you get that dry, pencil-shaving, and woody sandalwood. However, you also get nuances of that creamy sandalwood. So it's a duality between woody and creamy sandalwood. The longevity of this fragrance is also stellar!

A beautiful sandalwood perfume that hardly performs. With so many beautiful sandalwood perfumes available in the market nowadays, this is just a mediocre knockoff. If you like or love this, be sure to try the others like Santal 33, Sacred Wood, Sellier, Autumn Vibe and see for yourself what the market has to offer.

woody scent with an enigma... let's see... high end wealthy man, overdressed, in his 50's, comfortable with money; business he built is thriving; more of a book reader then a yacht boater, enjoys quiet evenings with whiskey, but wonders about having a second life with a 28yo - only because they all come to him.

Unisex fragrance, can lean either way. Lasts forever on my skin (overnight). The opening is very fresh. The middle is a dry sandalwood, after a few wears I have really started to sense the cardamom as well. The drydown is a beautiful dry woody scent. Wonderful!

A refined sandalwood that could be pulled off in the warmer months as well. It is very pretty, the sandalwood has a slight pickled smell that I wish I wasn't able to smell, but still. Pretty and INTERESTING! It's kind of giving spa vibes.

One of the best santal scents Ive smelled (the bar is low tho) - absolutely gorgeous cardamom opening - but the middle/base notes are a bit too heavy on the musk for me, which is why this is just “like” instead of a love

Lovely Sandalwood fragrance but for this price I prefer things like Santal Austral.

Somewhere between santal 33 and gris charnel, but with poor longevity and sillage.

If Sacred Wood and Santal 33 had a baby.

Santal Dān Shā An aromatic spicy woody fragrance that has a lot going on in the mixture. Overall experience is reminding me of traditional Chinese setting outside of herbal drugstore. The name can be misleading because the sandalwood accord is very minor in the background and only appear in the drydown. No milky or creamy quality here because it's overpowered by the aromatic notes and sharp cedarwood. For herbal woody category like this my first choice is CROP 2017 by The House Of Oud.

Without finding it bad, I found it very ordinary. For me it's the aromatic/citrusy side that stands out the most and I could have bet that there was lemon (well, Calabrian bergamot here, not that far) and a multitude of other citrus fruits. Very sadly, I don't smell sandalwood at all even though it's its name, "Santal Dan Sha", that made me want to smell it. Quite fresh, slightly "peppery" scent which, for me, leans more towards the masculine side.

Smells like furniture. Very woody and dry but not heavy. I'm indifferent to it. An easy pass since it's not exactly my style. Also overpriced for the simplicity of it. There's almost nothing else apart from sandalwood.

Reminds me of Diptyque Philosykos on my skin, but more citrussy and creamier. I like it. Little bit more masculine for unisex but great fragrance.

When I smelled this in the bottle, I was excited― it was giving me 'under the sea' vibes and had the special something I've been looking for in a fragrance. It vaguely reminded me of Glossier Doux. I knew it had something interesting going on and I was excited to try it on my skin. When I tried it on, I said out loud, "ohhhh interesting." Theres something really clean and fresh about this that I didn't expect, and that isn't really for me. And something a bit 'off,' like it maybe reminded me of sunscreen or bug spray, like being at the beach but in a chemically way. That chemically-ness didn't go away even after hours of wear.

So not worth the money. Sillage is very weak and projection non existent. Lasting power 2 hours tops. Smells okay. Spicy pencil shavings. 370AUD. I wouldn’t pay 170AUD Edit. I need ~8 sprays before someone says “nice fragrance”. Sorry. But I can see what Armani are doing. Low-mid-high tier fragrance but no corresponding strength in what you pay for. Very disappointed with this fragrance. But it’s affirmed my sandalwood holy grail: tam dao edp

Smell’s good but performance is very upsetting. Sillage is very weak, you need to get very close to sense the smell. For this prive line of Armani, this fragrance is overpricing compare to other niche brand. Bad impression. I would definitely buy other fragrances at the same price if I knew it is this much underperforming.

The top notes are like a no leather version of Santal 33—a similar style of sandalwood. But the dry-down is the most chemical-smelling one I’ve encountered in this category. Whether it’s Santal 33 or Cremo, their dry-downs are usually charming and pleasant. But this one hits with a strong blast of synthetic scent!

Writing an updated review a little over a year after I first tried this. In the opening, it's fresh, green, and citrusy. It mellows out a touch, but not enough for me. I prefer a dry sandalwood over a green sandalwood, and this reminds me of the parts of Santal 33 and Tam Dao that don't work for me.

I gotta agree - for the first time I understand what people mean when they say "it smells like pickle brine". At first sniff I couldn't really tell what's wrong but now I get it. The citrus doesn't really work for me, makes it smell like it's aged out in the sun for the past 4 years.

I did enjoy this smelling from the atomizer and I definitely get the comparisons to Santal 33, but I just do not enjoy it on myself. I was excited to try this as it was supppsed to be powdery but the cardamom is so overwhelming it just smells sour and pickle-like on me.

Cologne, standard mens cologne, that’s what I got from it. I don’t feel this is unisex, on me it’s incredibly masculine. Please try before buying, I couldn’t take it and I’m a woman who does wear perfume designed for men. It could be my skin chemistry, but this was a complete scrubber for me.

picked it up, literally just now. One of the last two pieces available in my area. That’s how quickly it sold out and that’s how quickly i was sold on the scent when i wasn’t even looking to buy one today, or for the rest of the month at that. the obvious comparison would be with Santal33 by le-labo, and that one i was looking to save up on and purchase. one of the big differences here would be the opening, that spicy and a little peppery like cardamom hits your nose, accompanied by a splash of bergamot. to go on a bit of a tangent here: with my skin chemistry, i am not a huge fan of citrus forward scents, like bergamotfor example, the wonderful terre d’hermes smells like an overly sour mess on my skin and the can’t stand the opening; but i love to smell it on friends and relatives who wear it. but for some reason, the citrus smell here plays well with my skin as of initial testing, i cannot yet detect the olibanum and which musks they are using, most likely due to the fact that they are using transparent white musks. but you can immediately get that pencil shaving like texture from the cedar and as begins to dry down, the smooth and buttery sandalwood starts to come through more and more. further testing required to try and see if this is the indian mysore sandalwood or the australian variety like what is used in santal33. upon this initial test and what i remember of santal 33; the difference maker would be the opening and the supporting notes that make up the composition. if you like a spiced up version of santal33, you should definitely put your nose on this one. projection within this first few hours of my wearing is great, not as room filling as other fragrances; but considering that this is a sandalwood forward scent, which would be a softer scent, the projection might surprise you. the silage is also amazing. this would definitely turn heads and leave a hypnotic trail as you walk by. will update this post after a more thorough testing on longevity. EDIT: worn for a couple of day, also slept with it on. lasts at least 9 hours on my skin, woke up from a full night’s sleep with wafts of it still lingering. though by the 4-6 hour mark it tends to sit closer to the skin. the dry down is still that characteristic cedar-sandalwood-pepper (spicy) mix

I have revisited Santal Dan Sha from the Armani Prive line several times since its release. It's one of the nicest sandalwood fragrances I have tried, and has a refreshing underlying crispness which is quite unique. Several reviewers have noted that Santal Dan Sha smells like Le Labo's Santal 33 and I couldn't disagree more. I detest Santal 33 and find it borderline repulsive, whereas, the sandalwood accord in Santal Dan Sha is smooth, slightly powdery and fresh. The fragrances in this Les Eaux line are presented in EDT concentrations, and can be worn on their own or used for layering purposes. They are significantly lighter than the rest of the Armani Prive line, and have less complex scent pyramids, tending towards being quite linear. Santal Dan Sha opens with cardamom and zesty bergamot, before settling into a smooth sandalwood, cedar, elemi resin and white musk blend. The sandalwood note in this fragrance is comparable to vintage Guerlain's Samsara, soft, smooth and slightly powdery/musky. The projection of Santal Dan Sha is quite light, more intimate and soft on the skin, and the lasting power is approximately 3-5 hours. If I happened to own this fragrance, I would most likely use it for layering purposes to add a woodsy/fresh dimension to some of my more simple white florals and gourmands. I'm not so enamoured with this fragrance on its own as I find it a little lacking.

Initial impression is beautiful as the top notes stick around. Ozonic, translucent, and shimmering with a bergamot edge and sharp, intensely woody heart. It almost brought out a smoky, resinous quality that had it lean towards something like palo santo. Overall it's really predictable as far as sandalwood fragrances go, but it's nonetheless well-composed and I find myself drawn to it. On paper it retains a bit more fresh violet leaf and fresh resinous elements which I love. Definitely reminds me of some Byredo scents as it picks up a clean, creamy musk facet eventually, with a hint of something sweet and juicy. Again, I think I've smelled a version of this across all ranges of bargain and high end perfumes, but it is enjoyable. I think if you looked hard enough you could find something over 90% similar at a fraction of the price, as most things like this are propped up on the same synthetic sandalwood molecules.

On my skin it has that same "sandalwood" accord found in Santal 33. Watery, green, and something akin to either a woodworker's shop or a nordic spa. It is extremely similar to Santal 33, right down to the cardamom opening, but is fresher and zingier than Le Labo's offering. I also get a touch of MFK's Oud EPD from the sweet and candy-like elemi. There's nothing reminiscent of Tom Ford's Santal Blush, which I find much more powdery and sweeter with a strong incense accord or Herme's Santal Massoia, which if I recall correctly, is much sweeter and more lactonic. If you're a fan of Santal 33, you may appreciate this more versatile take on it. However, I am unmoved by the so called "sandalwood" accord in Santal 33 adjacent scents, and find them to smell more like a room spray than a skin scent. It's just too modern for my tastes.

When I first smelled this I thought the comparison to Santal 33 was spot on. With Santal 33 being one of my favourite at the time, I picked this up. The longer I owned this, the differences between the two grew stronger. I am, thankfully, not one of those who pick up the ‘pickle’ scent in Santal 33, and I find it to be really creamy and soft. Santal Dan Sha is the complete opposite. It started to get bitter and tart, almost acidic and astringent. From the moment I sprayed Santal Dan Sha, it would be like this. It wouldn’t go on smooth and then become acidic with wear. I bought it from the Armani website, and recently smelled it again at the Armani counter, so I don’t think it was a bad bottle. I declutterred it not long after I bought it. If you like sharp woody scents then I think this would be for you.

Santal Dan Sha (''Santal'' is another name for ''Sandalwood"), by Giorgio Armani, from the Armani Privé line, smells like sandalwood and cardamon. The sandalwood scent is too strong to suit me, it is very intense and heavy in this fragrance. If you are looking for an explosive pure sandalwood with cardamon sprinkled over it, then this perfume will be perfect for you. Santal Dan Sha reminds me a lot of Soleil de Feu, by Tom Ford. They both smell mainly as a powerful sandalwood. Plus, the sandalwood in both of them is very similar.

Santal Dan Sha is a shimmering, metallic, sandalwood fragrance with a warm, slightly oriental feeling in the base. High pitched and perfume-y, and not very sweet at all. I didn't apply very much, but projection and sillage feel gigantic. It does have a lot in common with Le Labo's Santal 33 (to which this is often compared.) Santal 33 is probably a bit denser, sweeter, and more leathery. I really don't like Santal 33, but I find Santal Dan Sha quite pleasant!

On my skin, this is a creamy almost lactonic/vanillic woodsy fragrance. I understand the comparison to Sacred Wood and Santal 33 but this is my preferred sandalwood scent bc its softer and more feminine on my skin with my chemistry. Fragrance is subjective so take what you will before writing this off as “just another”. It’s a gem for me and I’m looking forward to purchasing a full bottle once my sample runs out.

I smelled this today after excitedly reading all the hype. However, although this a good sandalwood perfume, opening with bright citrus and cardamom which I love, the elemi makes it a bit too masculine for me. I already own Sacred Wood, which is far smoother and warmer imo so I prefer it if I were to buy another sandalwood perfume, it would be Santal Basmati because that too is meditative, smooth and deep.

Had a chance to smell this at Holt when SA was taking pre-order. To me this smells 95% similar to Santal 33 (at least the 2014/15 solid version I have) except a little more raw with the olibanum (green) while Santal 33 leans floral. I was expecting something cooler and creamier, but alas not so on paper. As always YMMV. SA mentioned extraordinary sillage and longevity so there's that.

This is what I wanted Santal 33 to be. To me it opens with a creamy slightly spicy sandalwood. As it dries o def smell the Cardamom which is one of my fav scents in a fragrance. Stays creamy throughout and dries down slightly woody. It reminds me of something I’ve smelt before but I can’t put my finger on it (no it’s not Santal 33).

In my opinion, the perfume is superficial and simple and not worthy of being called Prive, very similar to the Bravo Monsieur El Ganso perfume, a little less spicy and tickling, dry and elegant sandalwood but very superficial and not as luxurious as expected. The bottle is beautiful, but the contents are extremely disappointing.