CARTIER
Santos EDT

1981

PERFUMER
Daniel Moliere

juniper
lavender
basil
lemon vervain
bergamot

rosemary
nutmeg
pepper
geranium
vetiver

cedarwood
patchouli
sandalwood
amber
coconut
vanilla

This is a first impression of a old, perhaps vintage (?) batch of Santos EDT. You can see the sample I’ve used below. I don’t know Santos well enough to compare to currently available batches.

This is a archetypal masculine leaning scent. Not as green or aromatic as I was expecting based on the note breakdown, but more so leaning into the spices.

While it opens with more of the aromatics, they fade quickly on my skin. Instead, nutmeg and clove were the main players for me here for most of the wear, but what I enjoyed was the sweetness that comes through as it dries down.

Not quite the vanilla of Must de Cartier, which I wore alongside it, but definitely a similar vanilla-woody nod that turns this scent profile that otherwise wasn’t really for me, into something extremely likable. More so warm, than sweet.

Despite being an older sample, it retained some good sharpness in the spices. It has that crisp, clarity from juniper. That being said, I think my sample has lost some freshness for sure and I don’t get a particular ‘soapy’ vibe that Santos is often praised for. It was very much a spicy scent for me, but a good one.