Hermessence Santal Massoïa

The first time I tried this I was in the worst possible scenario, a hotdog place, full of those sickening smells of fried potatoes and over-the-top seasoning. I opened my brand new box (believe me this is one of the most luxurious and high end packagings I've met) while having hot sausages all around (being a vegetarian that's far from paradise). Still, the moment this touched my skin I felt transported to another world, a very refined one and my heart went pum pee tee boom pee tee boom, I thought it was so elegant, so well blended and definitely what I had in mind when getting a(n)Hermessence. The first thoughts were "this is soooo figgy, amazing use of it... but wait... where is fig in the notes?" Then I felt it leant towards gourmand territory and again... how come a gourmand from the notes? never quite crossing the line though... very velvety and chic. So indeed I had an instant crush on this and I still think this is a gorgeous scent... but not for me. In this case, softly foody again as the other hermessences I've sampled, my caveat is related to its gender. I wear happily all sorts of unisex scents and this could well work well on some men... but you wouldn't believe how it works on women... wonderful!!!! I wound up giving this to a friend and as soon as she passed by having this on her scarf I knew it always belonged to her (to them). It is a soft scent that lingers for a long time and all the things I've read here are accurate, milky, figgy, slightly green, woody... the style is very Jean Claude Ellena indeed. So don't expect a parfum de sillage. Don't miss this scent if you like his style and the VERY discreet charm he weaves.

I usually spray a random scent on first thing in the morning before showering and then a different scent for the rest of the day after showering. Today I decided to revisit Santal Massoïa and it just smelt so good during the school run and gym session. I rarely spray the same scent after showering but today, I just had to keep the Santal Massoïa love going. I was deeply into the Hermessence range a few years ago and bought a bunch of them, but Santal Massoïa was rarely one that I reached for. I'm not a huge sandalwood fan but as with most Hermes frags, Jean Claude Ellena just has a way. He made sandalwood delicious. It's milky and just sweet enough to draw this gourmand lover in. Hermessence isn't known for longevity but I could smell it right through my work day and until school pick-up. Probably leans just that little bit more feminine but could easily be worn by men. I don't find this too heavy and would happily wear it in summer. Just beautiful.

You have to smell this because it’s unique but not extravagant, memorable but not obnoxious. I get all the notes, this is all about the massoïa. Never smelled this wood IRL and if you haven’t either, don’t worry. This is so organic and natural smelling, you will easily pick up that note. The opening is cloudy-woody, how is that even possible? While the perfume was working with my skin chemistry in the first 5 minutes, I start to get resinous dry fruits for a bit, and then the milk! It gets more and more realistic, like a splash of milk. The type of lactonic here is cashmeran, sweet, very well balanced with the sandalwood note. On and off I get some green notes, more like flower stems. I keep smelling and It keeps me intrigued and interested. I don’t want to spoil this for you, give it a try. This is grown, distinguished, UPSCALE. _____ Projection, sillage, longevity : 8.5/10 Originality, presentation : 10/10 Quality, value : 9/10 9/10

Just got a big bottle in a swap and it is understated, meditative and sublime. Very much in agreement with most of the comments around notes, I think the milk note is misleading, to me it’s the creaminess of coconut and perhaps the way it mingles with the sandalwood, sort of round and chewy. Yes, it takes more sprays than I would like, but the sprayer is quite strong and I have found that if you stack the sprays on top of each other, not unlike Caron Pour Un Homme, it performs much better. I can’t imagine paying retail for it as I am sure I will tear through this bottle. I think heat is key for this fragrance as well and I’m looking forward to wearing this all summer. The sun was streaming in the car while I was driving and it just lit it up with all the heat. It’s like when someone is wearing something almost sheer and the sun backlights the fabric and you can see their naked skin underneath. Visible and hidden at the same time...

Whenever I want to feel innocent but strong and elegant in the same time, I always select Hermessence Santal Massoïa for my using fragrance. The gem Hermessence does not make me feel like neither eating dessert nor being a little child, but it reveals my deep other self, which is not worldly-minded. I mean an enthusiastic person who wants to learn new surroundings or experiences all the time. In my mind, Hermessence Santal Massoïa is a high-quality perfume with well-mixed notes between sandalwood (symbol of adultness, elegance and sophistication) and milk (symbol of childishness, naïveness and purity). Longevity: for me, it is 7-9 hours. Sillage: moderate within 1-2 hours and skin scent later :) Score: 10/10, five stars !!!

Tampered cellophane wrapped around a luxury coffee table book & milky sandalwood fig? A little plastic smelling on me but I surprisingly like this as it’s quite unique. Update: tried this in the colder weather, sprayed on my coat and skin ,lasts a sold 6hours (days if sprayed on clothing) with lots and puffs of whiffs that my nose catches. Instant compliment getter, people will recognise your presence. Truly an underrated masterpiece (I hope it stays this way), especially for an edt. I now feel the pricing is justified because of how stunning this scent is. If you’re having problems with projection, try spraying this on clothing. Problems with longevity, I spray into a little almond oil and apply to skin.

I don't get much of sandalwood, neither milk. The first notes remind me of squeezed suculents like aloe vera or crassula, then the perfume becomes slightly sweeter, it's not the milky sweetness that would make me sick but rather dried fruits sweetness combined with wood. The sandalwood and massoia are there, furtherly present, distant, such an ideal that the perfume would like to reach but it... I cannot say fails: no, the lasting power is incredible on me, but it's still just a concept of the 'idea of sandalwood', not sandalwood itself - but what else is a perfume: an idea of something material :)

I agree with others who describe this as creamy and woody. I think it wears better on skin than it smells on a paper sample. I don't notice the sweetness listed in the accord, but there is a certain mellow tenderness. This is the only fragrance I've come across that makes me think of a sound (strange, I know), but when I smell it, I think of a Xylophone. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of the resonant wood being struck by a softer mallet. Santal Massoia layers harmoniously with many of the other Hermessences, blending from its wood or sweet side as needed.

To me this smells like a horse stable in winter. In the best way possible! I don’t really know why I should enjoy that smell so much, but it’s kinda whimsical, magical and melancholic. It reminds me of one of my favorite books The Bear and the nightingale- if anyone knows it :) it’s like a child cuddled up to her favorite horse in the barn, it’s warm body steaming in the winter frost. It faintly smells like horse poo, hay, milk and old, damp wood. Wish it lasted longer.. still worth a bottle for me

I love it: I'm a fan of milky scents anyway and I would like anything with good quality ingredients smelling like "woody nut milk". Musc Nomade has this same vibe: beige, soft, comforting. Straight off I get sandalwood and milk, then it settles to an exquisite woody floral, quite persistent if close to the skin. I'm looking for a tall glass of "woody nut milk" whenever I smell it. Very foody. And I definitely get a good quality sandalwood note in this. Lovely stuff :)

This is gorgeous! Sweet and woody and creamy...absolutely beautiful. One of my coworkers commented that I've always got new stuff, but this was his favorite of my scents. Unfortunately, even wearing it on a cold day when fragrances normally wouldn't evaporate off my skin very quickly, I only got about four hours out of it. I would have liked for it to wear longer, but as generous a sample as Hermes sends, I can afford to reapply.

this smells as if u break a twig and then smell it... fresh, the whitish pole of the twig gives away a lactonic smell but not quite milky. looking at the notes one wud think this will be too sweet but its a nice surprise to smell how airy and light this scent is. the massoia wood gives a lil depth but it still feels lightweight. another killer from hermessence. beautiful and non-chalantly elegant (super dacob this is for u lol)

Hermes Santal Massoia (2011) - milky sandalwood - #jeanclaudeellena creates one of my favorite hermessence perfumes. I always comment about focused thought and smooth transitions - this one has those in spades. Sandalwood stewing with Milk, White flowers and dried apricot/ prunes. It has a crystalline sugary accord, yet the perfume still retains its transparency and radiance. Reminds me of whipped cream on top of a chai latte.

Beautiful! Otherwise the real fragrance composition is: Top notes: star anise Middle notes: coconut, hedione (freshness booster coming from tea or jasmine), green notes and peach Ground notes: santal, woody amber, cedar, heliotrope and licorice Longevity and sillage are medium but it's normal for eau de toilette. Any way that is the pleasure to add the fragrance at the beginning of the afternoon!

A beautiful warm scent. I wore it this evening for the first time. Just one spray, and my 6 year old son, who never comments on any perfume before said “mommy you must have had a good shower today, you smell delicious!” It is delicious. I’m so extremely picky when it comes to scents especially since recovering from Covid and losing my smell for 2 months. I keep coming back to Hermes and Ellena.

This is the sandalwood fragrance to beat, even beats out Sandalwood Temple in terms of creaminess. It's also not fatiguing to my nose since I'm able to pickup something slightly salty that reminds me of licorice. So it's not all creamy sweet to my nose. Holds quite closely to the skin, not a projecting powerhouse, but that's how I prefer my sandalwood fragrances to be anyways.

I love this stuff. It smells off-white, like a baby in its blanket while mommy sings a lullaby. I'd wear it to work, to sleep, to cuddle and whenever I need to feel that no matter what, someone loves me. It's a skin scent, so the reassuring feeling is just for the ones who get close enough ;) 10/10

Sweetly milky sandalwood that is never cloying. Everything I love about sandalwood without the bitter dill note that sits on my back molars with, for instance S33. A gorgeous, relaxing scent that lasts, to my surprise, overnight. Gratitude to the deft hand of JC Ellena for this poetic wonder.

This smells like Fig to me even though it's not listed, and I see that I am not alone in that thought. It's soft subtle, and gets a little more creamy and woodsy as it mellows, but to me it's not as fab as many of the other scents in this line. Has good lasting power and moderate sillage.

I love this stuff. Absolutely love. Ellena is truly an artist. I hate how expensive it is. It has basically no projection. It's milky and figgy and creamy and sandalwoody. It's a little bit sweet, but not cloying at all. It's very understated. Very calm. Very sophisticated.