Sandalwood Question

[jasonb8736]

Hello Everyone,

I recently came into some samples of Dyptyque's Tam Dao EDP and EDT. I really like the sandalwood scent and after a couple of tests, I've determined that the EDP works better for me. It seems masculine and powerful, yet smooth. I'm also told that Dyptyque uses real sandalwood in their products.

My question...I also really like the smell of the AOS Sandalwood ASB (which I ran out of) and wonder if their EDT also uses real sandalwood. It seems rather cheap (not that I'm complaining) for a bottle of the AOS Sandalwood EDT considering the global prices of genuine sandalwood EO.

In any event, I prefer more masculine scents (I consider sandalwood to be generally a masculine scent, no offence intended towards the better gender).

I would appreciate any input from you folks to help me work out my decision. I've read through a bunch of sandalwood threads and apologize if this is redundant.

Best Regards,

Jason

 

[buckeye_pi]

Hello Everyone,

I recently came into some samples of Dyptyque's Tam Dao EDP and EDT. I really like the sandalwood scent and after a couple of tests, I've determined that the EDP works better for me. It seems masculine and powerful, yet smooth. I'm also told that Dyptyque uses real sandalwood in their products.

My question...I also really like the smell of the AOS Sandalwood ASB (which I ran out of) and wonder if their EDT also uses real sandalwood. It seems rather cheap (not that I'm complaining) for a bottle of the AOS Sandalwood EDT considering the global prices of genuine sandalwood EO.

In any event, I prefer more masculine scents (I consider sandalwood to be generally a masculine scent, no offence intended towards the better gender).

I would appreciate any input from you folks to help me work out my decision. I've read through a bunch of sandalwood threads and apologize if this is redundant.

Best Regards,

Jason

I never knew they made BOTH EDP and EDT. I like Tam Dao but I much prefer Floris & GFT Sandalwood.

 

[jasonb8736]

I never knew they made BOTH EDP and EDT. I like Tam Dao but I much prefer Floris & GFT Sandalwood.

I looked at the GFT but from reading the reviews, it may be a bit floral for me and not prominent enough in the sandalwood department. A matter of taste as with many other things.

 

[bemiller]

IMO Tam Dao is very cedar-centric.. although the sandalwood definitely shines through it is not predominant. I just heard recently that they released an EDP I'm curious to hear if it is more sandalwood-centric. Sandalwood scents tend to be pricer if 1. they are a niche perfumer and 2. they use Mysore sandalwood. I have a fantastic sandalwood EDT from St. Charles Shave that was $20 and I have Tam Dao which was a bit pricer. Both use natural sandalwood but a lot of the cost it is name-dependent. I know that didn't answer your question but I love sandalwood and wanted to say something.

 

[jasonb8736]

IMO Tam Dao is very cedar-centric.. although the sandalwood definitely shines through it is not predominant. I just heard recently that they released an EDP I'm curious to hear if it is more sandalwood-centric. Sandalwood scents tend to be pricer if 1. they are a niche perfumer and 2. they use Mysore sandalwood. I have a fantastic sandalwood EDT from St. Charles Shave that was $20 and I have Tam Dao which was a bit pricer. Both use natural sandalwood but a lot of the cost it is name-dependent. I know that didn't answer your question but I love sandalwood and wanted to say something.

Thanks, Ben. The Tam Dao EDP was almost pure sandalwood. I think the cedar is gone in the EDP and it's smoothed out with lime and coconut. The Tam Dao is about $200+ so I may look into the St. Charles Shave. I really want to smell the AOS Sandalwood EDT so I'll have to pop into one of their stores.

 

[sarimento1]

The AOS sandalwood EDT is awesome, perhaps their 'signature' item.

 

[jasonb8736]

That's a nice looking collection!

 

[Evbo]

Hello Everyone,

I recently came into some samples of Dyptyque's Tam Dao EDP and EDT. I really like the sandalwood scent and after a couple of tests, I've determined that the EDP works better for me. It seems masculine and powerful, yet smooth. I'm also told that Dyptyque uses real sandalwood in their products.

My question...I also really like the smell of the AOS Sandalwood ASB (which I ran out of) and wonder if their EDT also uses real sandalwood. It seems rather cheap (not that I'm complaining) for a bottle of the AOS Sandalwood EDT considering the global prices of genuine sandalwood EO.

In any event, I prefer more masculine scents (I consider sandalwood to be generally a masculine scent, no offence intended towards the better gender).

I would appreciate any input from you folks to help me work out my decision. I've read through a bunch of sandalwood threads and apologize if this is redundant.

Best Regards,

Jason

Hi Jason --

Not really sure what your question is. Are you wondering if AoS uses "real" sandalwood in their EdT? The answer is: I have no idea. However, based on the fact that P&G now owns AoS, if I had to guess I'd say that they probably use as little "real" sandalwood oil as they have to in order to be able to make that claim on their label & then buff out the rest of the frag w/aromachemicals. Too, I'm sure they're not using Santalum Album. They're probably using a cheaper species of sandalwood like Santalum Spicatum.

Hope this helps.

 

[jasonb8736]

Hi Jason --

Not really sure what your question is. Are you wondering if AoS uses "real" sandalwood in their EdT? The answer is: I have no idea. However, based on the fact that P&G now owns AoS, if I had to guess I'd say that they probably use as little "real" sandalwood oil as they have to in order to be able to make that claim on their label & then buff out the rest of the frag w/aromachemicals. Too, I'm sure they're not using Santalum Album. They're probably using a cheaper species of sandalwood like Santalum Spicatum.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Evan. You are right to have trouble understanding my question. It was more of a ramble than a coherent question and I appreciate your input. I read (somewhere...) that synthetic sandalwood has a chemical smell when it dries down. With the Tam Dao EDP, I only detected smooth woodiness. I really like the smell of AOS shaving products, but I was basically curious if the AOS EDT would hold that scent (without a chemical scent) during the drydown.

 

[Evbo]

Thanks, Evan. You are right to have trouble understanding my question. It was more of a ramble than a coherent question and I appreciate your input. I read (somewhere...) that synthetic sandalwood has a chemical smell when it dries down. With the Tam Dao EDP, I only detected smooth woodiness. I really like the smell of AOS shaving products, but I was basically curious if the AOS EDT would hold that scent (without a chemical scent) during the drydown.

Gotcha. Yeah, I don't own AoS's EdT so unfortunately I can't answer your question. However, re the "chemical" drydown of synthetic sandalwood, well...it would depend very much upon which aromachemicals are being used & whoever is doing the blending. That said, I'm a bit of a purist. To my mind, NOTHING will ever come close to the scent of actual Santalum Album.​

 

[The Chandos]

Hi Jason --

Not really sure what your question is. Are you wondering if AoS uses "real" sandalwood in their EdT? The answer is: I have no idea. However, based on the fact that P&G now owns AoS, if I had to guess I'd say that they probably use as little "real" sandalwood oil as they have to in order to be able to make that claim on their label & then buff out the rest of the frag w/aromachemicals. Too, I'm sure they're not using Santalum Album. They're probably using a cheaper species of sandalwood like Santalum Spicatum.

Hope this helps.

This is what I was going to say. First, it's a matter of what "real" sandalwood is being used, S. spicatum (very rare and endangered, ie, more expensive) or S. album (much more common and less expensive). Second, it's a matter of how much is being used - a little or a lot. If I use 1% real sandalwood and 25% amyris (a common natural substitute for sandalwood), then I am still using real sandalwood. The price is a fair way of gauging how much and what type of "real" sandalwood is being used.

 

[Evbo]

S. spicatum (very rare and endangered, ie, more expensive) or S. album (much more common and less expensive).

Hey Chris -- I always thought it was the other way round. Isn't spicatum the cheaper of the 2?

 

[jasonb8736]

This is what I was going to say. First, it's a matter of what "real" sandalwood is being used, S. spicatum (very rare and endangered, ie, more expensive) or S. album (much more common and less expensive). Second, it's a matter of how much is being used - a little or a lot. If I use 1% real sandalwood and 25% amyris (a common natural substitute for sandalwood), then I am still using real sandalwood. The price is a fair way of gauging how much and what type of "real" sandalwood is being used.

Perhaps that explains the price of Dyptyque Tam Dao EDP. I think it was about $220 or so at Nordstrom. Smells nice though. I found it smelled smoother (more pure, maybe...) than the Tam Dao EDT. I snagged a sample of the EDP and really like it. I'll have to try the AOS EDT next time I'm in Michigan. AOS won't ship their cologne to Canada. I'd also like to try the St.Charles Shave Sandalwood EDT. I'll have to work something out.

 

[bemiller]

St. Charles Shave has 2 different sandalwoods; their Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Extract which is pretty much a pure extract and is, imo awesome and lasts about 8 hours for me. They also have their Sandalwood from Wood EDT (under Limited items) which is made in their shop from shredded Sandalwood tree. Prices are $18 and $29 respectively. I have not tried this one.

 

[BillC]

Thanks, Evan. You are right to have trouble understanding my question. It was more of a ramble than a coherent question and I appreciate your input. I read (somewhere...) that synthetic sandalwood has a chemical smell when it dries down. With the Tam Dao EDP, I only detected smooth woodiness. I really like the smell of AOS shaving products, but I was basically curious if the AOS EDT would hold that scent (without a chemical scent) during the drydown.

I think the AoS stays more 'natural' during the drydown than Tam Dao (though I've only smelled the EDT). Tam Dao has a huge dose of ISO E Super in it - that dominates the dry down for me. Try Encre Noire and Terre d'Hermes and you'll get the same shimmering, woody dry down as all three are ISO E super bombs. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that, BTW.

 

[The Knize]

Hey Chris -- I always thought it was the other way round. Isn't spicatum the cheaper of the 2?

That's right, E, as I understand it. S. spicatum is "Australian" sandalwood. S. album is the species of the fabled Mysore sandalwood. S album also grows in other parts of India other than Mysore and in Sri Lanka. It is my recollection that that grow in Mysore is considered special above even s. album from other places. True Mysore sandalwood oil being a very rare thing. Two different species. Similar in smell, but not the same. S. album, or at least Mysore, being creamy, and I think s. spicatum being sharper.

I love, love, love sandalwood, but I do not trust my nose to distinguish among the types and as to what is synthetic and not. For instance, I really like the discontinued Floris Sandalwood, but Luca Turin says that it is highly synthetic. I had some vintage MPG Santal Noble that was very creamy and seemed a rather pure sandalwood. I assume it my have had actual s. album in it. I think I actually like the current version more, which Luca Turin says is clearly s. spicatum, but more because of the other notes and the increased complexity of the current version.

I cannot find a refernce now, but I had a recollection that AOS Sandalwood was said to be a good example of a very pure s. spicatum. It has been a while since I have had any, but I remember liking it a lot and it seeming very much a pure sandalwood.

Tam Dao to me, FWIW, is much more a cedar than a sandalwood. Luca Turin thinks it smells like new furniture, but says he recalls that when it first came out it was much more a creamy sandalwood.

Both versions of St. Charles Shaving sandalwoods are very nice and pure. I would say the limited addition seems the creamier one to me.

Whatever Creed put into its now long discontinued Bois de Santal was truly wonderful, in my opinon, and that scent is a long way from a pure sandalwood.

And, no, nothing at all inherently wrong with ISO E Super!

 

[StylinLA]

I don't know if AOS uses real sandalwood or not.

But I know the Tam Dao I've tried has very prominent cedar. The AOS sandalwood goes on a bit medicinal with some eucalyptus. It was nice and long lasting, but it smelled more like a scented oil to me than an EdT (that may make sense only to me). That medicinal note may smell "synthetic" to you.

I'd advise sampling first if you can, because my memory of Tam Dao is that the cedar was prominent throughout. The AOS will be quite different.

 

[jasonb8736]

I don't know if AOS uses real sandalwood or not.

But I know the Tam Dao I've tried has very prominent cedar. The AOS sandalwood goes on a bit medicinal with some eucalyptus. It was nice and long lasting, but it smelled more like a scented oil to me than an EdT (that may make sense only to me). That medicinal note may smell "synthetic" to you.

I'd advise sampling first if you can, because my memory of Tam Dao is that the cedar was prominent throughout. The AOS will be quite different.

I found the Tam Dao EDT to have a prominent cedar smell. The cedar seemed more subdued in the EDP with more sandalwood smell, to my nose. I'll have to smell the AOS again when I have the opportunity. I used to have the AOS sandalwood AS balm and loved it.

 

[The Knize]

I should have said that I have not had the edp Tam Dao.

 

[jasonb8736]

I should have said that I have not had the edp Tam Dao.

If you happen to be in a Nordstrom store, smell the Tam Dao EDT and EDP side-by-side and you will note a significant difference. I do like both of them though.