Sandalwood in Oak

This has been my favorite scent. Conveying strength without being overpowering. I have tried a lot of other sandalwood scents since getting it (Bois des Iles, Paper +, Santal 33, Tam Dao, among others) and while those are worthwhile, this one still stands out for me. Perfect for fall, and also quite wearable in winter into early spring. Wonderfully woody. Some other reviewers have said it's boozy. I don't find it boozy per se, but more that the oak barrel they age this in comes through and gives it the same oakiness you'd get in bourbon, without the other bourbon ingredients. I love how the sage gives it a bit of a spiritual incense vibe too. It's warm but has some spaciousness to it. It's not very dense and the scent doesn't hit your nose all at once. TBH I do tend to overspray this one because it is a bit light. Edit: Came back to say I love this one so dang much! We are having a "sweater weather" day here in southern California and I wore this two days in a row, which is just unusual for me. I have a few FBs including this one, and 50 or so samples, so I usually wear something different all the time. But yesterday when I put this on again, I thought to myself "why bother with all that stuff? I have everything I need right here."

Norwegian floating sauna, or the inside of a beautiful old wood chest. Soft, creamy, woody, slightly sweet, oaky, delicious and airily rich. So comforting. There is a cedar-like element although the note isn't listed. I gasped the first time I smelled this on my skin and could not stop sniffing my arm for the entire day. ... I agree with the reviewers who said this is a good sandalwood to try if you aren’t into the pickle vibe that some sandalwood’s give. I actually like a lot of those but I find Sandalwood in Oak to be so gorgeously soft and wood-shop like. The “in oak” means it was actually aged (?) in oak wood which is very cool and absolutely smells like it. The sugar note isn’t overly sweet by any means, but adds to the soft, slight sandalwood creaminess. Overall it’s a dry woody scent with the pink pepper sitting faintly in the background. This smells like a clean wood drawer in the best way possible. I also have Liis Bo, and agree that the vibe is similar (likely due to the palo santo), however I much prefer Sandalwood in Oak most days. Both remind me of saunas in Norway. I highly recommend you try this soft, calm and sensual fragrance if you get the chance.

Scents of Wood Sandalwood in Oak is an appropriately more woods-focused blend that nonetheless has a boozy aspect from the aging process in barrels that inspires the scent and many others in the house’s now-rather-extensive catalogue. Sandalwood mixes with guaiacwood, sage, burnt sugar, pepper, and vanilla. It’s a bit resinous, slightly sweet/smoky/spicy, all while having the blend of woods as its main centering characteristic. There’s a vaguely syrupy, peppery gourmand quality to it even though it’s far more a woody/smoky/resinous blend. As with the rest of the house’s creations here, the quality is very high and the performance above average, even at this price point and for a generally cool-weather-leaning scent. Like the rest of the line, the current full bottle 75ml pricing is $240. The 10ml size that I bought is now priced at $55, formerly $38, so a sizable increase, albeit now with a nice box, but I still quite prefer the option of buying the smaller size as a form of both an extended test as well as travel size, particularly if the only other option is a bottle that’s $200+. 8 out of 10

This is the sandalwood I have been searching for! Simply gorgeous. It is smooth and super creamy, just a hint sweet. SO COZY. All woodiness — not forest — yet the slightly sweet hint (sometimes leans vanilla, sometimes burnt sugar) means that, on me, there isn't a hint of wood shop, despite it being ALL WOOD. Occasional wafts of smoky sage and prickly pepper, although both are quite mellow on me. Slightly mystical and witchy, but in a super subtle way — kinda smells like an ancient temple in my imagination. I like to re-up this perfume mid-day, as I just love the smell and it gets to a largely skin scent by mid-afternoon on me. That said, it stays as a skin scent all day. Also extremely long lasting on clothes & hair. Unisex to leans slightly feminine — as a female who tends to prefer unisex perfumes, this is PERFECT for me.

Ugh, I LOVE Scents of Wood. It's like they never miss. This is just going to be another delicious creamy sandalwood I'll have to get my hands on one day. It's dry, resinous, the tiniest bit spicy/smoky from the guaiac and pink pepper, yet also creamy and comforting. It has just the teeniest bit of pencil shavings vibe, but imagine the pencil doesn't have any graphite in it to ruin the smell of the soft wood. I could just bathe in this stuff. Inviting, quiet, soft, calm. It's quite reminiscent to Liis Bo if you love this kind of a thing and want more scents to check out in this realm. Bo is one of my beloveds, so Sandalwood in Oak will have to make its way onto my shelf sooner rather than later. 10/10!

Wow. This is gorgeous. From my samples, this was the one that caught my attention. It blew me away. It doesn’t have that dill/spice vibe that Santal 33 has. This is why I put it off until the very end of my sampling experience. I was stalling smelling dill again. But instead, I was introduced to a gorgeous smooth creamy sandalwood that smells like a newly done/clean cabin on the lake. This is pure quality and an 8.5/10 from me. Also... I will find any excuse to collect these gorgeous bottles. 2 for 2 for me with Scents of Wood!

Oak in sandalwood is a love for me. At first it reminded me of Le Labo Santal 33 but only for a second in the top notes. I do not care for Santal 33 as I find it to be sharp and headache inducing. Oak in Sandalwood has a similar scent profile but it’s smooth and crisp. I smell fresh wood, a bit of pink pepper to spice it up, very faint burnt sugar and vanilla like a whisper in the background. Unisex, office friendly ( honestly can’t see this offending anyone) and an easy reach for any occasion.

Amazing olfactory experience. Unique. Powerful. Deep. Everyone I had smell this sniffed, pulled back, and said, "Let me smell it again." All ages, all genders, they all want to experience it again immediately. I'm surprised by the notes listed. I was under the impression this was simply a very high concentration of only sandalwood and oak and they somehow brought out their natural qualities. This fragrance is genderless and unlike anything I've sampled before. Beautiful work of art.

A slightly sweet opening (think 10-15% of BR540 kinda sweet) but I found that doesn't last long, maybe 10 minutes or so. After that, to my nose, it becomes in the vein of a cold weather version of AdP's Sandolo. Very woody while not being heavy handed. Seems to stay somewhat linear but with some like this, I'm more than happy for it to stay where it is. I can see how some might love Sandalwood In Oak, but for me, it's exactly that. A big love.

Perfect smooth sandalwood fragrance. All other notes simply support and elevate all the facets of the wood. I can’t imagine any sandalwood lover not enjoying this beauty. I don’t typical wear minimal scents but this is definitely an exception. Lastly, it’s not listed but I distinctly detect a pear note which contributes to the wood’s subtle fruitiness.

Son of a bitch, this house has some fantastic scents. This is a straight up realistic wood fragrance, it’s a creamy, spicy, sandwood sitting on an oak tree stump. My fav from the house is plum in cognac, but this one is safe. This one makes me happy. This one gave me wood 🪵

Okay, I'm obsessed with this. The burnt sugar and sage are a magnificent addition to a warm concoction of resin, vanilla, and creamy sandalwood, and not a pickle in sight! It's bringing all my dreams of smelling like expensive wooden furniture into the here and now.

I cannot stop smelling this. Sandalwood, but warm, creamy. Just enough powder to be smooth, not so dry it turns to dust. The musk keeps it balanced and a little sheer. A little spicy, but not bitingly so. My new sandalwood for the next year.

Gorgeous, smooth, ever-so-slightly sweet woody fragrance. Love it, but it just doesn't last very long on me. I have to douse myself to get any enjoyment from it. I find most Scents of Wood fragrances are on the light-wearing side.

This smells woody, soapy, clean, and light on me. To call it lovely is an understatement. I want to be wrapped up in this. It smells casual but still high end but is very relaxing. I need this. It's getting added to the wish list.

Never liked Sandalwood as an ingredient, however upon the first smell I was genuinely surprised. The dryness and softness of sandalwood got perfectly balanced by the grounded smells (wherever they come from)

Long lasting, creamy, slight smokiness from the guiac, mysterious. My go to calming/meditative scent, but also a dumb reach if you like creamy wood scents . 9/10

The sexiest sandalwood I've ever smelled. Just used up my travel size sprayer and I'm lamenting the loss of an easy, androgynous date-night scent.

Sandalwood, creamy goodness (slight vanilla not sweet), unisex!

Such a beautifully unique scent. I love it. Top shelf stuff

Currently wearing a sample from Lucky Scent. The opening is intensely woody to my untrained nose. Not offensive, but a unique smell that I wasn’t expecting, as I have not smelled a fragrance like this before. As it dries down, the intense woodiness dies down into a very pleasant amber smooth vanilla-like scent. I’m quite happy with how it smells but full bottles are very expensive! I’ll stick with my sample for now. EDIT: After continuing to wear this fragrance and looking through the notes, I realized the intense scent I was picking up wasn’t the wood, it was the pepper! I’m growing to appreciate it more and more. If I have the chance to pick up a bottle for cheap, I’d take it.

A variation of CDG Wonderoud, with a bit more vanilla in the base. I love WO, and can thus only love this one. That said, I could really not justify spending that amount of money given that WO retails for less than half the price of SiO, and is.... as good. Like for WO, SiO's performance is moderate (at best). Great, but overpriced and totally lacks creativity. In a nutshell: a bit disappointing, coming from a promising perfumer like Mackenzie Reilly. Just a like for me because of that bitter feeling.

I'm pleasantly suprised by this scent. With notes of burnt sugar and smoked sage, I was expecting something like a challenging fall fragrance. But it is far from challenging. This is a unisex, everyday wear fragrance. It is soft and calming, probably safe for almost all work environments. It dries to a mysterious vanilla, there is nothing gourmand happening. I have a preference for Australian sandalwood over the Mysore type, but this doesn't read as either to me. It isn't creamy, it isn't pickley.

It's mainly a sandalwood scent. But there's also this sweet touch of vanilla in there. It's not too sweet or overpowering, just a nice little hint that adds a bit of warmth to the whole thing. Plus, there's this surprising buttery note underneath it all. It's not like food-buttery, but more like a cozy, comforting feeling, like being wrapped up in a warm blanket. All together, it's a really elegant and cozy scent, not loud or in-your-face, just really nice and soothing to wear..

This fragrance got me by surprise it definitely reminds me of Le Labo Bergamotte 22 mixed with Maison Martin Margiela 'Replica By the Fireplace. It is definitely a nature smelling perfume. It is warm and spicy. It reminds me of a walk in the forest, it brings a nostalgic smell of when you go camping and you stop and smell the beautiful leaves and trees. A true down to earth fragrance. Highly recommend if you have never tried a earth perfume I would definitely start here.

My favourite from this line (although it has a black bottle not white). To me, there’s Comme Des Garçon DNA in this, as it shares that similar peppery spices, fluffy musk and almost stationary/paper style of perfumery. The smooth, smoky sandalwood here reminds me of 24 rue de l'Université by YSL. This isn’t a gherkin/pickley kind of sandalwood, as it’s peppery, woody, gently smoky, smooth and zen.

I am ashamed to admit that my first impression of this was “drug store vanilla body spray.” At the time it was STRIKING to me. About a week later though, I guess it had opened up a bit because it became something really lovely. It’s a truly unisex woody spicy vanilla. I love it for winter. I will say though, for its lack of staying power, projection, and originality, it is very overpriced.

#1692 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this decant from scentsplit.com. Sandalwood, incense and orris as expected. This reminds me of Amouage “Meander.” It’s not as green, but it’s close. It’s a moderate performer, not as potent as Meander. But very nice. Suitable for any use or environment. But since they’re priced roughly the same, I’d say go for the Meander. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

I love sandalwood, and had hoped I had found my ONE, but alas not. I like sandalwood in oak, but wearing it tonight, something has struck me as too perfumey and sweet, almost tasting it in my mouth from a chest spray. I will finish my decant eventually, but will keep searching for my perfect sandalwood.

Soft sillage and minimal projection. Creamy sandalwood. Very calming and relaxing but also a bit boring. There's not a lot of nuances or development of the fragrance. I like it but it's not a love. At the price, I would expect a bit more by way of performance but it is a pleasant scent.

Pencil shavings, graphite and all, with a packet of sugar. Lovely smell but I feel like it lacks the depth needed for me to buy a full bottle. I agree with ReflectionMan48 - like but not a love.

This is what I would see an ideal modern man wearing, but I can also see this as a unisex scent. It's soft and creamy, but also very woody. Soft and bold!

Similar vibes to By the Fireplace by MMM but deeper and darker with less smoke. Feels high quality.

I thought this was going to be a love at first sniff, full bottle worthy scent within the fist hour...and then...I kept getting headache inducing whiffs of nail polish remover. I dismissed it as coming from something else around me but then upon sniffing my arm where I had sprayed this, NOPE, it was ME. Not sure if its the boozy quality that creates that effect with my skin chemistry in the dry down, but it is unpleasant to say the least. I am sure if you like that other overpriced borntostandout fragrance that includes a nail polish note intentionally you would love this. The other notes are still present but that acentoney smell is just so dominant I can not get past it to enjoy it the way I did with the top and middle notes.

I absolutely love this. It’s divine. Sweet wood with a subtle sage note that’s elegantly suggested intertwined with the sugary notes. DIVINE. If you’ve ever been to tulum in the resorts where they burn white copal it smells like that but with burnt sugar. Unbelievable. I saw a review where the perfumer mentioned the alcohol is aged in wood barrels, you can definitely smell that as well. My problem is that there little to no sillage. You can only smell it if you give me a hug or a kiss on the cheek. It’s that small, the range. And it lasts no more than 3hours. It’s tragic for such a pleasant fragrance. Wore it again today and it seems it’s better to spray on clothes now directly to skin if you want some longevity

The sandalwood in this comes across a bit papery/synthetic to me, similar to the sandalwood accord in Le Labo Santal 33. This opens with a decent amount of sage, which gives it an aromatic aspect. I also get something floral (white florals) in this, even though no florals are listed. There is a hint of vanilla that comes out as it dries down. I see this being compared to Liis Bo...I personally think Bo is MUCH better. I guess they are similar in that they are both sandalwood fragrances, but think that's where the similarity ends. Sandalwood in Oak is okay, but I think there are better sandalwood scents out there, and this is not one I'd add to my collection.

I wanted to like this scent more because the note breakdown looks so interesting. However, not long after I applied it, I got a heaping helping of pickle juice, similar to my experience with Boy Smells’ Marble Fruit. Unlike Marble Fruit, though, there is no watery watermelon or rancid soap to further throw me off. Every now and then, I get a faint sugary smell or a more typical sandalwood note but the pickle juice dominates for at least five hours. Do not blind buy this if your skin tends to turn sandalwood into pickle juice!

A consumer could safely buy the 10 ml offer; this is an inoffensive, sweeter wood frag. I would classify this as a 'younger' person's scent, specifically a young artistic type. This has a playfulness to it and would work well if you need to be creative. In reading the below reviews it seems everyone's experience is all over the map, and this might come down to the age and oxidation of your sample.

Sandalwood in Oak—not very woody—more fruity and quite sweet. Reminds me of candy raspberries—the black and red kind with gel inside and hard little sugar nuggets outside. There is something off putting too that I can't put my finger on, later in the dry down. All the notes listed here would normally be fine with me but the "recipe" evidently is not a winner--I would not buy this.

Got a large sample through a decanter. I love sandalwood so I am trying more sandalwood forward scents currently to find a more linear or more prominent sandalwood for my collection. When I got this, I really enjoyed it. It is definitely sandalwood forward and linear. Maybe too much? It reads as too masculine on me. I gave it to my son. He enjoys wearing it occasionally.

None of the dill Sandalwood, all of the warm comfort. As others have noted, it is a moderate performer somewhere between a skin scent and medium projection, loses steam before your day is through. It's nice and comfy, but not full bottle worthy for me.

Can't say it's catchy, but it's a gentle, decent sandalwood. Reminds me of Genetic Bliss 27 87, which is flatter and heavier. Maybe it shines in winter or fall, but it's simple in summer

started out clean, light, slightly sensual. i bought a 10ml after finishing my sample and all of a sudden its cloying. smells like it sits on my skin rather than mixing with it.

A straightforward, pleasant scent that reminds me of a cabinetry shop. But this is a very short-lived thrill. Disappears from both skin and paper within an hour.

This scent is incomplete. It is a base that should be layered with a gourmand or floral. I appreciate the sillage, but I can’t do it by itself.

Fluffy Version of Whispered Myths+Slow Explosions by Imaginary Authors📚 It's a light whipped vanilla with a hint of woodiness🌲As much as it's warm and fluffy☁️it fades so quickly on my skin and I would want at least some greater projection for that price😬 I can't smell any orris,sage or pink pepper! I do feel like I would've expected more from this perfume but it's still pretty, just not unique. I would rather someone try Imaginary Author Collection for a fraction of the price. However if you would like something more intimate, feminine and airy, this is for you. Zodiac Trio ⬆️Aquarius ☀️Taurus🌜Libra

I'm going to be honest. I do not like this fragrance. Don't get me wrong, I love woody and spicy scents, but this one is too much. The woodiness of this fragrance overpowers every other note in my opinion. I'm glad I just got this as a tester because for the price of a full bottle of this, I would have been upset, so the tester was a smart option for me with this one. Also, it doesn't last long for me and the silage is little to none, although I can smell it on my skin. This is not for me...It's just not.

This smells nothing like Liis Bo to my nose, which I love and own. Unfortunately for me, this smells exactly like what I imagine burnt dill would smell like, the sandalwood note plus the burnt sage note creates this odor. Sandalwood in Oak is definitely not a safe blind buy.

TLDR: The taste in your mouth the morning after you got obliterated on Jack, boring I don't like this. I thought I would, but the opening smells almost like how dark liquor tastes to me, in a bad way—nothing but alcoholic wood, and it makes me sick to my stomach. It gets better later on, but it still doesn't smell great, I would not spend money on a full bottle of this. On my skin, I experience almost none of this alleged sugar and vanilla sweetness that is supposedly in here—only a mildly sweet(I suppose), warm spice once it dries down and becomes tolerable. In short, it smells icky at worst, and as the day wears on, it becomes boring as all hell. As a positive note, if it works well for you, it lasts really well throughout the day.

Wow, I don't know what's wrong with my nose but some perfumes with sandalwood smell to me like a jar of pickles, and fermented kale. I have exactly the same issue with this one as with Fuego Futuro by Thomas de Monaco, and the only common note they have is sandalwood. At the same time there are other perfumes with it which I enjoy, so I think it's an effect triggered by some specific combinations. As a rule, I love perfumes Scents of Wood do but this one is a big no for me. In my opinion, Oak in Oak is 10 times better. Read the reviews below and I see I am not the only one who senses pickles, good to know it can happen with sandalwood.