AREEJ LE DORE
SANTAL GALORE

2020

PERFUMER
Russian Adam

Malaysian Musang King Durian
Indonesian sandalwood co-absolute

Turkish Rose Water
Vintage Rose Accord (1925)
Jasmine
Osmanthus
Vintage Indonesian Sandalwood Root Smoke

Deer Musk Pod
Oakmoss
Tonka Bean
Vintage Cassia Accord
Clove
Vintage Mysore Sandalwood

The first time I wore Santal Galore, I went with three sprays, which is about the maximum that I would suggest (these sample vials also screw open, so you can dab instead).

Straight from the opening you get a strong musky scent, with some fruitiness and quite a few spices. There’s durian fruit listed, which I have never smelled, but I can assure you that there’s not an unpleasant smell here for which Durian fruits are notoriously known.

The spices are in the ‘Christmas’ category for me and I like them better after about an hour, because they are very prominent at first. Two things that became clear for me is that the musk scent is more dominant than the sandalwood in the name, but also that it’s incredibly smooth. Which is surprising considering how spicy and musky it is. It feels like there’s a transparent ‘scent-layer’, with a sandalwood ‘texture-layer’ underneath.

The oakmoss gives this a classical feeling (it’s described as a classical fruity chypre), but it’s on the animalic side due to the deer musk and not really green at all. It’s relatively dark, but not overly so and if you dose it right, it’s quite versatile.

Maybe part of it is in the expectation, but you get a feeling of grandeur, of smelling something extraordinary and serious. It’s very wearable; unless you’re opposed to the whole idea of deer musk, this shouldn’t pose too big of a challenge.