Indian Study / Santal +++

It is said that sandalwood relaxes and quiets the conscious mind, enhances higher consciousness, and grounds one during meditation. I am no skeptic, I believe all of this to be true, and even in some instances, I believe perfume that contains the many constituents of sandalwood can have a notable effect. When wearing Indian Study, I do actually feel more relaxed and focused. Regardless of what its formula actually contains, this does come very close to the scent of Mysore sandalwood (Santalum album), creamy, somewhat buttery and sweet, smooth and nutty-earthy. Here, it is purported to be accompanied by amyris wood, which is believable, as amyris, long considered adjacent to and a more affordable alternative to sandalwood, is often used to enhance and extend sandalwood in a perfume composition. Its own qualities are more translucent and balsamic, and may serve to balance things out. There is also a subtle cumin and other spices here, adding extra grain to the wood, nothing too sharp at all, just a slight texture to counter the smoothness. It's worth noting that unlike several other sandalwood fragrances I've experienced, Indian Study, doesn't lean too heavily on cedar, has no curveball notes that detract (see Santal 33) and not a drop of Iso E Super can be detected (even if it may be stealthily present). It's not trying to be anything more profound or complex than what it is—it simply is. There are moments that recall milk powder and old paper—sweet, dusty, dry, still. I also imagine Hindu statues painted with sandalwood paste, spaces of devotion, quiet temples, divine forms of expression, quiet awe.

Sandalwood is possibly my favorite scent. I love the sensual, woody, and slightly savory complexity of sandalwood, the transcendental associations it has with various Eastern spiritual traditions, and nostalgia for the incense at my aunt's ashram and traveling throughout India. This one hits it on the nose. Because it's a true sandalwood, Indian Study works both on its own as well as layered with other perfumes or scents. I love combination of rose and sandalwood, and have often combined Indian Study with Made by Yoke's Flow perfume oil. Still, I have a common Miller et Bertaux complaint of sillage and longevity, which is too bad with how lovely and versatile this perfume is.

It's just sandalwood, plain, simple and beautiful. Sandalwood of the highest upbringing. Gently sweet, warm and very creamy. Like walking into a white sandalwood barn, made out of freshly sawn logs. There may be other ingredients in here which help in bringing this ethereal sandalwood note to the forefront and not making it just sandalwood. The fragrance is not complex or sophisticated. That's why I love it. More or less linear. The varnish accord hits you very gently at the beginning. Scent: 8/10 Performance: 5/10 Sillage: 4/10 Value: 10/10 Love 10/10 You just wear it for you and anyone else who will feel comfortable around you. Quite soothing.

Sandalwood at the peak - yes, just like they describe it. This is a really nice sandalwood fragrance, I would guess one of the purest sandalwood perfumes out there. Only downside is that it does not last superlong. But it's ok. Beautiful hippie stuff!

The warmest, creamiest dessert ever served in a wooden cup.

Calm, contemplative, quiet and lovely. After a bruising misfire with M&B's A Quiet Morning - which looked gorgeous on paper but turned rankly sweaty on me - this is an absolute delight and hits that rarely found impeccably-balanced zone that's neither too sweet (the powdery-creamy-coconutty end of the sandalwood spectrum) nor too savoury (the greener, more masc, dill-pickley Santal 33 region). While this is probably too cheap to contain genuine Mysore sandalwood, whatever they're garlanding it with does do a fantastically nuanced job of mimicking the mellow near-spiciness of the real thing, and achieves perfect, golden-mean stability right in the central, purest spot of sandalwood delight. Spare and simple: do not be alarmed by the mentions of varnish (!), curry tree or cumin, as they are just blending in almost imperceptibly in the undertones, rather than blundering in noisily to the study space. And perhaps it's those tiny touches that are really lending the Mysore-esque mystique to this one. (Interesting comparison: Lutens Santal de Mysore is a giant overloaded spice-beast like a tumultuous mela of millions, whereas Santal +++ is more like a remote, non-fraudulent yoga ashram, if India-spiced sandalwood is the vibe you seek). As with all M&Bs, this one is all about discretion and subtlety; its reach is very limited, although its longevity is quietly impressive at 5-7h on skin, so the pleasure will be yours and yours alone. Usually that sort of minimalist low-key-ness leaves me feeling a little short-changed, but somehow this one coheres completely in a way that makes the understated style make perfect sense. Not one for a wham-bam entrance or a lasting impression, but a genuinely lovely private space to linger in - an Indian study indeed. Feels genuine, honest and kind - as well as beautiful - and that is RARE. Approved!

Indian study was actually the first pure sandalwood scent I sampled, and after sampling way too sandalwood 'soliflore' offerings in the last year, I come back to this scent with a new appreciation of its balanced simplicity. Disregarding the poetic reviews below, this is essentially just a very straightforward subdued low projecting 'one note' sandalwood that sits in a beautiful sweetspot between dusty dryness and lactonic milkiness typical to modern sandalwood accords, a milk powder almost, with a touch of fine spice blended into it, slightly sweet, slightly powdery, a bit coconutty even. As many have mentioned before me there is a vanillic paper nuance in there, for those that don't know the story, paper degrades into woody vanillin-like substances as time passes, and that alluring dusty woody vanillin-like scent is very much present in Indian Study, and very welcome too if you ask me. However it is important to note that Indian Study is all one big sandalwood accord, without any other notes appearing besides gentle hints or nuances fading in and out. Fantastic, affordable (allergen-free, see the label) sandalwood to be sprayed liberally on your person or also in the house, given it won't make a big dent in the wallet. Edit: I see various claims on Miller et Bertaux reviews that they are very expensive and I don't know if there is some kind of import cost in the USA, but here in Europe the entire line cost slightly less than 1 euro per ml, the very low end of niche prices.

During its first few hours on the skin Indian Study reminds me of a baby bear version of Santal de Mysore’s papa bear. It’s got the same spicy biscuit served over a creamy sandalwood pudding feel. But where Santal Mysore literally roars with spiciness and plays very rough with you, claws out, Indian Study plays gentle. It’s a diluted, meditative take on SdM. I think they both have their own beauty. I love Santal Mysore, but it’s not an easy fragrance to wear in company. Indian Study is. As it’s spicy top notes die down, we get first a soapy and creamy sandalwood, and finally in its last hours it becomes a purely woody fragrance that is almost non descript but entirely pleasant. There is none of the acidic pickle effect sandalwood can give, it’s a very smooth version. The perfume lasts a long time, at least ten hours, on skin. Its projection and sillage is minimal, it wears close to the body, unlike Santal Mysore that projects like the fabulous beast that it is. They are both great but if it’s a choice between the two Indian Study is probably more wearable for most people, and definitely more affordable. I like it a lot but I have to admit that it doesn’t strike the gong in my heart that Santal de Mysore does. Sometimes with great risk comes great reward.

Sandalwood focussed fragrance that on my skin has a creaminess that falls between Tam Dao (not as much cedar / iso-e super) and Killian Sacred Wood (which is a lot more creamy and laconic). Creaminess-wise it's similar to Santal 33, but is a lot more of a dedicated sandalwood scent, as it doesnt have the papyrus or curveball that comes with the violet. My first impression was better than when I spent a lot of time with it. It has epic longevity but gets a bit too sawdusty for me.

Creamy, soft, warm woody frag. Has a slightly dusty, aged smell, like walking into an antique furniture shop or used bookstore. There is some spice but it’s warm and comforting rather than sharp or peppery. I also get a bit of balsamic sweetness. Quite a unique scent compared to other woods on the market. Longevity is quite poor though.

I'm trying indian study for the second time and for me it smells too dusty, like the old explorer's book of my grandfather having been in India. What a nostalgic sent I would like to smell when i'm searching in his old old suitcase. But I can not have it on my skin.

The curry in here ruins this sandalwood for me. I dislike Indian food, curry especially and I don't want to smell like it or have my husband smell like it either. Curry Indian dishes mingling w/ sandalwood. What a bad decision. Plus in the dry down a varnish accord really comes through for me. Why would anyone want to smell like this? Varnish is something you have to wear a mask for when you apply it to wood. This is truly horrid.

This is a sublimely chill sandalwood. Perfectly balanced. It never cuts through the air and jumps out strongly, but it does radiate out from within your center in subtle and calming wafts. The performance may be reserved, but this suits the nature of this fragrance being a meditative and introspective "study" fragrance. The overall feeling leans dry and woody, with gentle spices, but it stays even keeled with a smooth and silky background and very tasteful, light sweetness. I don't love super sweet amber or sugary notes, and this feels like it just serves the whole and doesn't dominate, like a dash of sugar in a balanced dish. Compared to SJP Stash, it's drier and less sweet, but I do pick up a little crossover with the massoia/sandalwood combo, yet Stash feels chaotic and loud when compared to the Zen minimalism of Indian Study. Tam Dao feels a bit like it's right in the center of these two, with stronger performance than this, but more natural and balanced feeling than Stash. In my opinion (performance notwithstanding), based on composition quality and concentration of sandalwood it goes Indian Study>Tam Dao>Stash. Not redundant to own all three if this style is your jam, as they each bring their own flavor and unique take to the genre. Comparisons to Antique furniture are apt, as this does impart a general wizened feeling, with old libraries, aged paper, and hand carved wood all being called to mind, but with sandalwood at the forefront throughout (Le Labo take note). The feeling and place I get is a bit plucked out of time, the combo of sandalwood, varnish, and spices can be projected into any era from ancient to post industrial revolution. Which is an incredibly pleasant feeling, to travel in the mind simply from a sniff of some molecules. I've thought about using this as a booster on a few sandalwood containing fragrances (marrakech intense, trumper sandalwood) but for now I think it's meant to be enjoyed as is. I do wish the projection was slightly longer lasting and more intense, as I love the smell enough that I just want it to permeate the room and my being at all times. Part of the charm of it though lies in revealing itself to you in quieter moments, only while you are listening and present. Similar to a 2 minute song you can't get enough of, or deep conversation with a friend. You want it to last forever, precisely because it doesn't shout, bang you over the head, or overstay it's welcome. It gives you quality food for thought while leaving room for you to do your own thinking. That's the real beauty of this one.

This is the first time when the note pyramid looks somewhat foreign to me. Well, despite not knowing massoia or amyris notes: Indian Study can be described as a warm, spicy, woody perfume. And it is very dry. I very much enjoy the dryness, and how it facilitates and gives the spiciness a chance to be as realistic as possible - as if one was visiting a marketplace's spice section. There's also a woody basenote in Indian Study. Unisex with a medium/strong projection and long duration.

I am so sad about it. It is the same as with CDG wonderwood en Tam Dao, as soon as it hits my skin, it dissapears. On paper I can smell them a little longer, but also not FB worthy because of this non excistence sillage. Such a shame because I would love to smell this on myself for at least a few hours! What is wrong with my skin ☹️

Creamy, intimate sandalwood with a pretty intimate projection. Super smooth, but a lot more powdery than I was expecting. Not wood in the sense of Tam Dao or Eidesis but more sweet and creamy. Safe bet as a daily wear and crowd pleaser (when they can smell it).

Beautiful, soft but realistic sandalwood, definitely old school book smell, a little dusty, with hints of spice. Lovely hippie library scent, very soft though. **200 samples up for swap uk - check my custom top shelf - get in touch! **