Les Absolus d'Orient Santal Royal

Santal Royal in the new translucid tinted glass bottle and latest repackaging has been reformulated and watered down, I believe some time around 2021. Current formula code is 15715, the longevity is 8 hours, projection sadly quite close to the body. What a disappointment! I bought this new reformulation in the latest repackaging. The scent is now more transparent and airy compared to its older formulation. I would like to trade it with someone here who prefers a lighter Santal Royal for the older formulation please. Its previous two very slightly different packagings released between 2014 to 2020 with just a tiny tweak between cursive and straight fonts of the word "guerlain" within the gold round graphic emblem on the packaging front, has the older formula code in different forms, 08874M and 08874, respectively. The bottles are both opaque. This older formulation lasts around 16 hours on skin, with beast mode projection! UK Guerlain Client Service Solange had insisted Santal Royal's formula code has remain unchanged in its latest repackaging which is untrue. There is not only a change in formula code from 08874M and 08874 to 15715, evidently printed on the packaging's back, but the scent has clearly been reformulated and watered down. It now no longer has that pungent smoky gasoline leathery medicinal clearly animalic opening on skin, but instead opens directly into its heart notes of silky smooth peachy jasmine rose sweetness and barely smoky leathery woods that has this new found watery freshness, lightness and brightness to it compared to its previous formulation. The very realistic, full-bodied and natural smelling spicy cinnamon that used to be laced on top of the smooth peachy jasmine rose sweetness forming a gourmand dessert accord is now GONE!!!! Nooooooo....!!!!!!! It has now become much less oriental, much more occitan. Much less masculine, much more unisex. Much less deep and complex, much more linear and simple. Much more polite and smooth, but also devastatingly much weaker!! An emasculated toothless floriental it has now turned into, basically. UK Guerlain Client Service Solange: you can now neatly fold and keep your "same formula but raw material/seasonal/harvest variances" red herring trope safely and snugly back in your immaculately dry cleaned and steam pressed Burberry's double-breasted silk-lined camel coloured trench coat's pocket now. ;) Batch code reviewed: 2B02 Formula code: 15715 The current entire Les Absolus d'Orient series has new and updated formula codes, packagings, labels and bottles switched from opaque to translucid glass reflecting post 2021 reformulation except Épices Exquises launched only in 2022. 2025 update: After letting it sit for close to two years, it now finally has good performance almost like its previous formulation; its longevity and sillage have both doubled—this is unbelievable! However, the rose and oud notes don't last as long as the older formulation and are significantly weaker in the long dry down. The shop testers and my bottle when I first got it all had the same performance issues, before they were allowed this extended period of maceration. Not acceptable having to wait that long for maceration to strengthen a perfume's performance to its intended usual strength. Guerlain should release this perfume only when it is ready to be used with its intended and usual performance, not place the burden on consumers to wait to find out if maceration and performance improvements will occur (or not) without any disclaimer or instruction. This shoddiness is bad form for the company.

Sexy oud. Yes, a sexy oud + rose. I love oud and rose together, but rarely do they charm my snake. Guerlain's own Rose Nacree du Desert is beautiful, but it's as far from the bedroom as the toilet at 3 AM. Stuff like Oud Ispahan and Oud Palao and even Arabian Oud's Resala are wonderful, but they do not make me smell sexy. They smell GOOD, but I doubt they would make anyone want to hop on the train to pound town. This one though, this spicy little mamasita right here...This is carnal. This has sex appeal with a capital S. And throw in a capital A as well just to keep things in order. First thing that should be said is that this fragrance is really not about sandalwood, despite the name. I guess these Gallic fellers just like to throw you for a loop with the names? "Hon hon hon, ve 'ave got you again!" Ambre Eternel isn't really about amber. Patchouli Ardent isn't really about patchouli. Encens Mythique isn't really about incense. What is it with these wise guys, eh? Is the joke that funny, Guerlain? Sick burn, we made a fragrance that smells completely different than the name, LOL. Dabbed on em' boys ayyyy. Anyway, I'm sure that sandalwood is in here somewhere, it's just not very prominent at all. This is just a beautiful fragrance. The opening has a blast of a little bit of skank - maybe skanky oud, maybe skanky leather, maybe indolic jasmine, or maybe all three - but it's never too much. It just keeps things interesting enough. The skankiness quickly dissipates, and the fragrance begins it's slow and elegant drydown. Beyond the opening there's very little evolution, but the drydown is just so good. This is rich, opulent, truly regal stuff - leather, smoky oud, amber, musk, cinnamon, creamy wood and this beautiful ripe peach note (which Guerlain does so well) which, I don't know if this will make much sense, just seems to connect everything together so beautifully and adds this additional succulence and juiciness that takes this over the edge for me. It is dark, deep, rich, enveloping, like you spilled some kind of spicy peach syrup on a black leather jacket and happened to be burning bakhoor nearby and some sandalwood incense. It is never too much in one way or another - never too dark, never too sweet, never too fruity, never too smoky - but just right. This is another testament to the skill of Thierry Wasser and a complete knockout stunner for Guerlain. I've been complimented every time I've worn this by my friends and girlfriend, and I'm sure that trend will continue. In my view, this is perfect for a really cold night, something you could wear to a party or to dinner or a show. The opulence of the occasion really should match the opulence of the scent. But I think you can pull this off for just about any occasion, as long as it's cold and you're dressed well. Performance on my skin isn't as amazing as the other reviews led me to believe, but it's still tenacious, and lasts days on clothing. It's 100% unisex, and though I love it, I think this would smell even more amazing on a woman. Like, voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir. It is enticing and intoxicating; it makes you kind of lose yourself in it. A succubus (or incubus, just to keep things equal) should smell like this. Overall, I'm so glad I got my hands on this, and can't wait to bust it out next fall and winter. 9/10

With all sincerity this is quite literally one of the best if not THE best Oriental fragrances I have ever put my nose on. I have been hesitant to write a review as the fragrance has confounded me. Upon initial spray it is an unholy but wonderful blast of very strong oud and rose. Whilst many deride this fragrance as just another in a long tedious line of Oud rose combinations this one is deceptive. Yes it does start off in this fashion (and it is in my view a superbly executed rendition of a very Middle Eastern type of Oud rose fragrance) but dries down into a supreme sandalwood with Oud still enveloping. The Oud is not a dull western rendition (think TF Oud Wood) not an animalic offensive Oud... rather it smells like a hauntingly divine scent of fermented grapes (one type of Oud scent I really like - also found in Arabian Oud’s Woody Style). It is so incredibly rich, so opulent, exquisite and oriental one could be forgiven for feeling quite overwhelmed by this. Smelled up close on the skin it will intoxicate you and the real magic is floating in your scent trail two metres behind. Naturally anyone can wear anything but I would imagine that this fragrance does confuse those seeking traditional sent profiles as the Jasmine and peach in the opening may suggest a feminine sent offputting to some men whilst the dark rich overpowering Oud and other notes as it dries down may deter some women. It is beyond any convenient taxonomy. Neither feminine nor masculine (nor unisex?) neither purely Middle Eastern and certainly not occidental, not a guerlainade yet a manifestation of what guerlain is all about... supremacy in blending and quality. This fragrance is one of the best value vs quality, very accessible to buy and really is one of the best fragrances I have ever put my nose on. Thank you Guerlain. I too can now feel like the Ottoman Sultan or Shah of Iran!

This is stunning to me. This is rich, opulent and Oriental. I love the combo of Oud/rose/sandalwood. 🪵🌹🔥✨✨✨ I had written a review a few months back based on a sample from Guerlain and it wasn’t a favorable review. However, I have changed my mind since. It starts as a massive Oud bomb and takes you on a journey. The rose in this scent is soooooo beautiful and Red and imposing without being cloying. To me, this is well balanced. The Oud is the reigning item here, it is sitting on its throne from beginning to end and I love it. But the rose and sandalwood as well as the other notes do bring balance to this fragrance and it is a very nice blend. This is not a sweet scent at all. It is very woodsy, incense-y and rose-y. It reminds me of being in an old church. It evokes a sense of mystical quietness, it invites you to sit still...at least, it’s my personal take on this... Longevity: not bad, 6 hours Projection/Sillage: imposing at first (20 minutes) but it settles down to a nice bubble afterwards. Price: it’s pricey but I bought it from someone who no longer wanted it for a nice discount. I would not have bought it at retail price otherwise. Season: for me, it definitely is a winter/cold weather scent. Beautiful fragrance but this is very much an acquired taste in my humble opinion so I definitely recommend you sample it first. This, to me is more of a cold/frigid weather scent. I do not see this on me at the height of summer but every one is different, right? Fortunately, I live in a place where winters are long, cold and sometimes even arduous 😰 so yay!!

A trail fit for royal demi-gods... This rose-oud-sandalwood beauty will get you noticed. with its otherworldly trail befitting royalty at a time when monarchs were part god (makes me think of Xerxes in the film, 300). The note from the brand states this was launched for the opening of Harrods Salon de Parfums, and there is definitely a Middle Eastern vibe. Opens with a burst of white floral & oud with clean & violet touches, that deepens into a spicy rose-peach heart that has velvety, honey, sweet, violet, cinnamon, peppery & oud nuances, all resting on a leather & sandalwood base. Overall: Has an amazing trail and powerhouse performance, but a dressed up vibe. IRL this would be perfect for a dressed up night out. (Opaque bottle with gold writing). This is the perfect scent to wear when you want to be mistaken for royalty. This has recently been reformulated (clear bottle) but if you get a chance to try any of the earlier versions, I recommend it. It's a love for me. Enjoy! Contrast to Opulent Oud Lattafa: These are different, but there are similarities with oud, rose, cinnamon & amber. Santal Royal has a more forward sandalwood, although there's something that reads like sandalwood in Opulent Oud. Santal Royal outperforms. Update 04/24/25: Sprayed this once yesterday, and it's still going. It's mainly a leathery oud & sandalwood scent, but yesterday there was a lot of rose & peach that read like honey as well. It's quieted down to oud-sandalwood this morning. It could be worn year round, but I'll reserve it for cooler months. Still a love.

Les Absolus d'Orient Santal Royal Guerlain (8E02, 100ml. out of 125 ml., USD 55) I truly know why Santal Royal could be praised in some element and disgust by some Guerlain fan. Well I think this is another modern masterpiece tho, it's just new. I believe skin chemical mighte play a huge roll how the scent turn out. Santal Royal, is interpretation of Brunt woody sandalwood, Leathery Oudy accord with Rose combine together. The aroma of Brunt sandalwood, canbon dark and oudy almost Coal like. Mix with Textured Rose and extend life by the tightness of new world amber. Decorate with Spice and Fruity. Key player here is high-dose of Saffron with oud accord create strong Leathery oud scent. But how the scent is softened by woody material is very charming. When Guerlain talk about Sandalwood, well. Nahema, Samsara or Herritage comes to your mind. The classic cushiony powdery sandalwood. Clean dust almost like White cushiony pillow. Yeap, I agree it is very good too but please it just old.. we have a thousand of that scent since beginning of Perfumery. I believe this is twist from Cuir Garamante (2013, MDCI), later wildly popular scent to 2nd Rendition of L'Autre Oud (2016), Penhaligon Sohan (2017), Santal Noir (2018). However, Santal Royale is dense compare to Cuir Garamanate, Santal Noir (2018) is gentle with support by Ambrett.

Thank god I smelled this after the sheer horror that was Bois Mysterieux. Wow, this is beautiful. Immediately it made me nostalgic for something, but it's really difficult for me to place what or where. Actually, upon reflecting, it hit me: this specific potpourri that we had in our house growing up. I remember sniffing it regularly and being intoxicated by the scent. That memory is here in Santal Royal but more alive, fresh, and pungent. The opening is a little harsh with the rose and slightly animalistic, but as it dries this sweetness comes out that is fruity. Smells like peach cobbler sprinkled with rose petals and dare I say a really nice air freshener for the car. My description probably does this no justice--it's just very complex, rich, layered with florals, sweetness, and slight smoky vibe. I'm having a hard time detecting the woody notes but as I'm sitting here I'm noticing them come out as it dries down. It's very unisex. I tend to notice that most scents on my skin smell on the sweeter side. Wearing this as a man would be bold for me, but it takes boldness to wear pretty much anything Guerlain. Because it is so rich, heady and expensive smelling, this is a scent that is to be worn for a special occasion or with nice clothes. I truly believe this is what God would smell like if God had a scent.

That this fragrance is so obscure and ignored by most Guerlain lovers is down right criminal. I don't quite understand how it happened, the confusion of multiple bottles? The name? Either way, if you miss this you are missing out big time. Earlier this year I was craving rose and cinnamon. I was pretty much told by just about every perfume lover that such a scent didn't exist. But it DOES. It's *right here.* And it is so good. Santal Royal is what a perfume should be. It's fairly easy to find, affordable (it's not cheap but it's reasonably priced) and gorgeous. To my nose, and on my skin it's a juicy rose, not dry or powdery, absolutely *drenched* in cinnamon. Think a bouquet of red antique roses (the really fragrant kind) and cinnamon sticks and then bury your face in that. There's a bit of medicinal oud at first and there's a lovely spicy wood base that keeps the whole thing grounded. This is one of the only perfumes I own that gets regular compliments. I'm a light sprayer, but even with just two sprays I regularly have people compliment my perfume or say how lovely someone smells. It's a winner folks! If you want a spicy rose? Buy this.

Merry Christmas to my wonderful Fragrantica family🎇✨🎅 A special wish and hug goes out to those of you who are spending Christmas alone this year💖 I decided to wear my last few sprays of Santal Royal today. On me the rose pushes all the other notes into insignificance; it dominates. Never thought I would ever enjoy wearing a rose forward fragrance, and here I am actually finishing a bottle. Over the years I wore this in winter mostly because it is a warm, spicy rose. Never did get either of the top notes. It just goes straight to rose, and then I'd get bits of oud and leather in the dry-down that at times gives me a tobacco scent. Extraordinary performance from Santal Royal: this lasts well beyond 16 hours. I won't be replacing it though. I have another great rose fragrance in Noir de Noir by Tom Ford, which I rate higher. Another really good one is Issey Miyake's L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Or Encens. It is very similar to Santal Royal with a sexier dry-down. Have a lovely day, my good people. May you always be blessed with peace, good health, prosperity, happiness and love💖⭐

Finally getting around to writing about this juice. I'm not going to compare this to Kilian..it wouldn't be fair to either. Nonetheless considering how often I would wear it, I would get my monies worth with Santal Royal by Guerlain. I bought a bottle over 3 years ago and I still enjoy the smooth aroma of Arabian oud mixed with a hint of rose which complement each other. Sandalwood and leather gives the fragrance a well balanced aroma. After several hours, the constancey of oud and rose blend is prevalent without it being skanky on me. Perfect during the late fall into the winter...amazing during the evening. Longevity and Sillage is better than decent. Guerlain has always come out with quality products over the years. Often companies try to cut corners and cheap out on low ingredients. This might not be considered a niche fragrance but if I did blind smell test...most wouldn't know the difference. In my opinion this well worth the value for what you're paying. High quality...9/10 Kudos Guerlain

Right after the launch of "Un Homme Ideal", Guerlain launches a very strong and commercial (this is a compliment here) bi-sexual oud-based fragrance. The initial hit is formed by the fruity, jasmine-esque, wet and juicy floral of the neroli that is amazing. I also get an almond-amaretto hit, if not even a slight cherry-like burst, reminiscent of the adorable "Mon Cheri" chocolates that were THE romantic gift from a lover in the 80ies/ 90ies on the continent. What follows is a beautiful dark rose on a bed of cinnamon, leather, amber, musk. The foundation of course is the Sandalwood and the Oud, which will leave you with a bit of a dry tickle in the throat (which is my only criticism of this scent). Generally very linear after the first hit of neroli-amaretto-cherry-rose fades into the background after about 20 to 30 minutes. Thierry Wasser: I bow my hat for you! You did it again! A beautiful modern Oriental Guerlain Oud. 9.5/10 (if only there wasn't this tickle and that linear development)

Wowww, this is royalty in a bottle. I feel like I’m flying on a magic carpet in Aladdin’s world whenever I wear it. The song Arabian Nights plays in my head, and it perfectly matches the luxurious depth of this scent. Jasmine, neroli, rose, peach, musk, sandalwood, leather, amber each note feels like it belongs to a royal palace. It’s effortlessly majestic, like a dream of the Orient. The hair mist version? Just as enchanting ..... Words can’t capture how special this scent makes me feel. It’s a whole vibe. It’s one of those scents that lingers in the air, like a mysterious aura that makes everything feel more luxurious. It doesn’t scream for attention, but it demands it with its intricate, rich layers .... Every time I wear it, I feel its a scent from a different era, a world of timeless elegance. It’s not just a fragrance, it’s a journey. If there’s one scent that could define true opulence, it’s this for me. – Bhavna Darira Chesan

A beautiful, (albeit not the most accessible) smoky wood and rose fragrance. I say wood and rose because I actually do not believe this is an overdone cut and dry oud rose combo. Rather, it is a very pleasant combination of smokiness, woody notes (sandalwood, cedar, and synthetic oud), and a gorgeous juicy wet rose that is complimented very nicely by sweet peach, cinnamon, and amber. Many say this is a dry fragrance, I have to disagree. I find it very rich, sweet and creamy. It is somewhat reminiscent of waking into a hookah lounge, although it is lacking a tobacco note of any sort. Performance is great, expect longevity of 8+ hours, with 2-3 hours of solid projection. It will last on clothing for days. If you like rose based or oud-rose fragrances but are looking for something more unique and interesting, or perhaps you find Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomade just a little too bold, give this a try.

What a marvellous scent!! Sandal wood definitely holds the whole composition together and couple of hours after sprayed it’ll showcase its beautiful and harmonious union with agar wood on a soft bed of cashmere musk. It’s definitely more floral at first but then the fruitiness takes over and you can definitely smell amaretto-like cherry notes of bitter almonds mixed with the C14 aldehyde, much more bitter than your sweet peach accord and on dry down wrapped in a delicate smoky, somewhat leathery veil. It’s a masterpiece! Some ppl say it’s overpriced but when compared with disappointing and pricy Tom Ford’s juices, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d be asked to pay more for this! I’d like to see it in a nicer bottle, it’s the only reason for me to take a point away. A chunkier, ruby red and gold bottle with a heavy cap and a robust tassel. More is more is royal! 9/10

This scent has obsessed me. I just used up my tester and went in on a full bottle. It’s so powerful! I want my whole life to smell like the dry down of this one. As others said, it opens almost harsh and cloying but quickly emerges into a very juicy rose and oud combo. This stuff will hang around forever and seems to blend in well with other incense/rose/woody/leather scents so my winter coat for example is a real mess of lingering scents but it works. I tend to wear this one differently - full sprays on the skin are too much, so I walk through one spray and let another fall over my hair. This perfume is a wonderful hair scent and makes people go “mmm” and smell me when they get close. My only wish was that it was a little creamier or more solid under all the loud forward notes, sooner than 6-8 hours it takes to become a skin scent.

I was going to buy myself Patchouli Ardent for Christmas, but as I was smelling it in the fragrance store I looked at it and decided that I should smell it. Instantly I fell in love. I usually prefer sweet vanilla fragrances but this one ohh man it hit me right in the heart 🤣. Today I was throwing my clothes in the washing machine and the outfit I wore the day before still smelled like crazy. Yesterday I was wearing it and a couple of hours (maybe 6 hours I think) I entered my sisters room and she asked me what fragrance I was wearing. I had a couple of girls ask me the same thing the first time I wore it. Literally my mother liked it so much she went to the store and bought it for herself lol. Sorry for bad English guys it’s my second language 😊 Longevity 11/10 Sillage 10/10 Projection 10/10 Smell 11/10 Overall 10/10 fragrance

This scent is hard for me to describe. Clings like nothing else, fills a room. Can be slightly "sneeze inducing" for me. However, it's just a beautiful scent. I get mostly oud and rose, but with a nice sandalwood dry down. The mix is so wonderful that breaking the notes apart, for my nose on me, is almost impossible. There is something haunting and also glistening. The scent is enveloping. I love this scent, but really can only wear it in the winter and usually in the evening. The lasting power on clothes is incredible. You can smell it on your clothes days after spraying. I love this scent and think it's really quite masterful. I really can only wear this in the winter, and normally in the evening. I think this would work wonderfully on both men and women. Maybe not so much in the office (though I do wear it there sometimes).

Like, Holy Cow!!! The first spritz smells like poop to me!! As in fresh cow patty! So as first impressions go, that was not nice... However... After about 20 minutes, a most beautiful Oud smell emerges and I must say, it is very very strong but sooooo beautiful!!! Quality Oud here, no doubt. After an hour, the most wonderful rose comes out and my Goodness!!!! It is so worth the wait!!!! The rose is so sweet and so sultry! It’s an absolute pleasure! This scent is a masterpiece in perfumery. I am blown away. However, I am not giving it a full Love because there is a terrible and almost revolting 20 minutes of Cow-just-pooped-in-the-middle-of-the-living-room smell at first and that’s why I won’t give it my full approval. Blast me if you want, I completely understand...

The first time I wore Santal Royal Perfume, people were asking me what kind of perfume it was. They said they could detect the distinct scent from across a room! Mentioning its elegant and charming features in every sentence is like branding yourself with your own personal advertisements—people will know you're fashionable without even seeing anything else on display besides this one high-quality item (which happens to also be highly functional). It's hard to put into words, but this scent is just pure delight. The warm spicy accords meld with the animalic notes in a way that makes it feel both intricate and satisfying at once, while the woody components add depth on top of all these other aromas for an experience like no other!

Yesterday I was happy to receive this perfume at a decent price. Some reviews state the perfume has been reformulated and is less potent. Apparantly the seller wanted to get rid of it, due to the fact new perfumes with the same name came out by Guerlain. I didn't know what to do: buy this one or the new one (rating is higher) or both? I bought this one for now and will test the other one some other time in a store, first. I'm glad I bought this one: it's very potent! Yesterday I put the perfume on and this morning I can still smell it faintly. I must be lucky having received an earlier formulation. It definitely is a woody scent. The rose comes out in the beginning, then looses strength but then comes back. Fabulous.