Santal Wood

As a lover of 212 Men (I found it in 2020), this DOES smell very similar, maybe 75-80%, but it is not exactly like it, especially as it continues to dry down. This is something I think you could possibly have in your collection alongside 212. This wasn't a powerhouse for me, but it does still project within a couple of feet on clothes the few days after. It won't fill a room, but people close by should smell you. I wish it was a bit stronger, so 4 stars for not having nuclear projection. I would be faithful to them for life if they made a nuclear version of this, because I can't find 212 or anything similar that is nuclear. Per Montale, the notes are: Nutmeg, Madagascar Black Pepper, Cardamom, Indian Sandalwood, Moroccan Cedarwood

I love the way Santal Wood wears on me, lasting 12 hours plus and transitioning beautifully. All the violet leaf, pepper and juniper bring to mind Dior’s Fahrenheit, but there there are also sparkly spices and ofcourse a lovely sandalwood note in a glorious synthetic form that turns up the volume of the natural stuff to 10 and sharpens all its edges (No powdery wood here). There’s also a lovely barbershop finish, I woke up one morning having worn this to bed and upon waking I thought I could have been fooled that I was freshly shaven. There is a subtle clean salty ocean water feel to it in the background. You have to jive with the Montale style to enjoy this but it certainly is one of their best creations.

It was an Instant crush... until it lasted. Among 10 samples I tried from Montale (and another 10 from Mancera), this is the one I liked the most. It is a nice mix of fresh, woods, clean, creamy, gentle. It has a sporty / ocean vibe that I'm usually not really found of but it is really well done and not overwhelming. Could definitely become a signature frag, would fit almost any weather, occasion. Edit: after 3 days, I can understand why it could become a bit boring/annoying/slightly nauseating. I agree that it does smell very clean from a distance but then can become quite nauseating close. 7.5/10

Pretty damn close clone of the legendary 212 by Carolina Herrera.... Descent lasting ability and performance as to be expected by a Montale fragrance. Unfortunately though this seems to clone the new formulation of 212 nyc and not it's orginal formulation which was simply exquisite and is now greatly missed. Nice to have in the collection and in my opinion better than current formulation 212.

confused by the low rating and negative reviews. combo of freshness and a bit of marine with the wood as the backbone. I guess this mix rubbed some ppl the wrong way but it's the same reason that made it fun for me wearing this. The mix made it fun and not boring. I can see this in both the warm and cold seasons. haha, kept smelling my arms. Very enjoyable.

Sampling this as a female and although I agree this is more masculine leaning and shaving cream-esque, I just can’t get enough of sniffing myself! The spices and sea notes are heavenly. I think the opening is the most masculine part. Slowly the juniper and sandalwood begin to poke through. Nothing overly special but still lovely to wear.

Perfect signature scent and all around fragrance. Defenitely woody, aromatic, powdery, and fresh. Can easily be worn in any type of work enviroment because its so pleasant and clean smelling. It can lean a little more masculine but its a fragrance that my wife also wears. So ladies can enjoy it as well. Its actually in her top 10.

I can't believe violet leaf isn't in the ingredient list. Lovely scent with good projection. I have had several compliments with it on the first day of wearing. For the first couple of hours it smells like a hybrid between CH 212 Men and Dior Fahrenheit. Instant like for me. As usual the Montale ingredients smell of high quality.

Just tried it, different from other Montale's, a bit salty, santal is very present, more wearable by men than women but I could wear it, the sillage is tremendous!

A fresh and classy scent! Similar to Carolina Herrera 212 for sure. But to my nose, also a little bit of Vera Wang for men in there. Beautyful!!

Montale Santal Wood is a fresh, spicy, aquatic, woody fragrance that has a sporty feel. Opens with an aromatic marine accord with a noticeable fresh and salty ‘sea breeze’ quality. At the same time it’s also very spicy and peppery, You definitely get hints of cardamom and nutmeg, creating a slightly exotic vibe. The scent profile does kind of remind me of some designer freshies but this is very smooth, and has a lot of depth. In the dry down the sandal wood becomes more apparent, leaving a soft, smooth, rich and slightly sweet trail. Very pleasant, refreshing, masculine and energizing. Not the most interesting or unique scent but it’s well done and high quality. IMO Montale has more exciting offerings. Opening: 8.3/10 Dry down: 8.5/10 Uniqueness: 4/10 Versatility: 9/10 Presentation: 7/10 Sillage: 7.7/10 Longevity: 7.7/10 Sprays: 3-6 Season: Summer, spring Occasion: Casual, sporty, all around Overall Rating: 8/10

So to me this smells like very strong aftershave, very masculine, but I do love the drydown by far not so much the opening. I'll be honest when I first tested it I wasn't sure what to make of Santal Wood, I am drawn to masculine scents anyway so trying this one was inevitable. But I have to say this one, stuck out like a sore thumb because I remember opening up my latest little treasure box and well Santal Wood slapped me right in the face. I do believe women can pull this one off too although it leans mostly to the male crowd. This one is like a diamond in the rough I first thought I wasn't too keen on it, but I think Santal Wood is very comforting in its own little way. And I enjoy it for that reason and weirdly while wearing it I feel strangely confident so that's a bonus. Sorry for my rambling this was just my raw thoughts on this fragrance.

Man!! Why all the hate for this one?! I actually enjoy it quite a bit. Are there other fragrances that smell similar? Absolutely. However, this is a very fitting fragrance for casual occcasions in warm weather. Great as an outdoors fragrance too. What I like about it is that it doesn’t possess the strange synthetic Montale DNA that some of their fragrances have. I was sorely disappointed by Greyland and Dark Aoud. This has got some marine freshness which isn’t as strong as some fragrances (Millesime Imperial, DG Light Blue) It also has a nice soft dry sandalwood to it which is nice. It’s very wearable. Safe for work. Safe for almost all casual occasions and I quite enjoy it, and it’s a deviation from my standard dry-woody-spicy fragrances that I so often gravitate towards. A+ for me, I put a bottle on my want list :)

Bright yet smooth, with noticeable citrus over sandalwood. I wish I had a better way to describe this -- I was overjoyed when the first waft hit my nose -- but I just don't have the words. A beautiful summer or daytime scent. Happy yet smooth and sexy. Edit: I'm shocked to see the listed notes! I'm allergic to the "ocean" scents I've tried in the past, and there's no citrus. Well, I smell what I smell. Once Santal Wood has dried down to a skin scent, it's remarkably similar to the drydown in Nina. (My favorite drydown since 2007.) It has the same faintly fruity enhanced skin warmth. It has to be applied lightly though. There's a "freshly sweaty skin" saltiness that works best in small doses.

This is one of the few Montale's that is a general crowd pleaser that smells very familiar ( I see 212 in the list but, I've never smelled it to know ) While it is woody and spicy, it's also fresh enough to be worn on nice cool, warm days. You can wear this pretty much anytime, anywhere and it will fit. If I had to suggest 1 time not to though, it would be in hot weather. I feel it can be a little too much for it. But for Spring,Fall, Winter, you're good to go. Worthy of checking out... It's a big like for me right now, still not fulling loving it enough, only because I feel like I'm going to get bored of it eventually.

I got a sample of this and immediately found it quite pleasant. Bought a full bottle. The juniper and sea note in the beginning is odd and depending on body chemistry, can be quite harsh. Once it dries down, the sandalwood comes out and it projects admirably. The oakmoss isn't very pronounced, so you'll have to settle with a linear sandalwood scent from the mid on. Like I said earlier, it's pleasant. Not the best sandalwood-based scent by any means, but you could do worse.

I bought it because of comparision to vintage Carolina Herrera 212 Men but IT'S NOTHING LIKE CH 212 god damn it ! Its more like Kenzo Pour Homme meets CH 212.... Juniper and sea notes indeed resembles the old CH212 but where the fuck are green notes which are the essence of CH212 ? THERE ARE NO GREEN NOTES... Therefore Santal Wood is very ordinary, generic sea/juniper/woody frag... 3/10

The opening is like 95% identical to Chic, just gorgeous. The dry down is very different though. But still beautiful, soft, warm and gentle. I just wish it had some Musk to make it sexy. But the accord quality is a top notch. I have had it for a few days and I already started to love it.

I'm not sure why the longevity on this is rated so low, I sprayed this on a shirt and 4 days later I can still smell it. Nice fresh warm weather fragrance. Might buy a full bottle if I find a good deal on it

I just dont see why people dont see that the juniper is the note that makes this unique. I will say it's Good but not for everyone. More for the 35 & over crowd. Unisex? sure why not. I give it a solid 8/10