GOLDFIELD & BANKS
WHITE SANDALWOOD

2016

PERFUMER
Francois Merle-Baudoin

White Sandalwood
Thyme
Amber
Turkish rose
Pepper
Saffron

‘A sophisticated scent that is at once both exotic and richly enveloping. White sandalwood and amber provide a comforting base, while saffron, pepper and thyme cast an exotic dry heat, tempered by a heart of sweet powdery Turkish rose. Delightful, comforting and elegant.‘ – Goldfield & Banks

I finally wore White Sandalwood on skin. After trying it multiple times in stores, I always felt that this was a style of fragrance that was impossible to value off a brief moment on a test strip. I didn’t really get an idea of it, and now that I do, this is up there with my favorites from this brand.

White Sandalwood has a really interesting tinge to its woodiness. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, or what notes cause it, but I get a sweet, fruity facet in White Sandalwood that reminds me (quite a lot) of banana.

It is at the same time sweet and cozy, but also has a fresher air surrounding it from the aromatic and spicy notes. Like a mix of candied and herbal that sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does.

This is not a dense and heavy scent; I wore it alongside Island Lush and in comparison, White Sandalwood feels very transparent and also gets rather lactonic. The creamy, lactonic nature makes for a beautiful wear that warms up a little bit along the ride.

I keep getting a banana tinge, which is surprising and pleasant. I’m curious to hear if others encounter this as well, or if its a weird quirk in my head. In general, aside from the woodiness, this is quite an abstract scent. I don’t get a pronounced rose and even the spices and aromatics feel nondescript. It’s not overly heavy on the saffron and after a couple of hours, I don’t get a leather vibe from the saffron so far.

In general, I find it one of the lightest and more skin-scent type of wears in the Goldfield line-up, making it a bit harder to hone in on the scent. I feel like it has a bit of the texture, but also the scent of a white musky late drydown. But all of it is nice. A stunning release in my opinion.