This is a discontinued fragrance that I was lucky enough to buy before it disappeared forever (Note: Basenotes lists it as still in production. Where?!), most likely discontinued due to supply problems. Sandalwood from India is now so rare & expensive it probably became cost-prohibitive to have a line of mere toiletries based upon it. Sandalwood from Mysore, India in particular is now extremely rare, overharvested, poached, and is now threatened. There's sandalwood from Australia, but it smells differently, a little more astringent and lacking the fruity undercurrent that Mysore sandalwood has. There are unrelated trees called "sandalwood" whose oil is marketed as "sandalwood oil" but the scent only bears a passing resemblance to sandalwood. Also, one if the ingredients listed on the bottle is diethyl phthalate, used to denature the alcohol (no making cocktails out of your cologne!). Due to the current hysteria concerns about phthalates lately, I suppose they couldn't bring that back, either.
Yes, Crabtree & Evelyn have a Sandalwood toilet water in production, but it's not the same thing, believe me. The current C&E sandalwood scent is a wan, pale pretender to the throne of this magnificent original, it might even have a bit of real sandalwood (from Australia?) in it, but it's so damn weak it's unidentifiable. Hell, any scent in it is pretty much undetectable! I've sampled it twice and neither time did anything blossom from this Void of Nothingness, like it did from Kenzoair. They're probably using some artificial sandalwood scent in the mix to save $$$$, which isn't working. The artificial "sandalwood" scents always lack the depth of the real thing. Each chemical may capture one facet of the scent perfectly, but it's only one facet, and very lackluster. Combine several and you may get a better approximation, but still the soul, the quintessence is missing.
But the original's sandalwood scent is deep, mellow, and rich, and surprisingly sweet. That heavy hippie-deodorant spicy astringency sandalwood can fall into is expertly rounded with ylang-ylang and a touch of cedar and vetiver. When first applied, the top notes are a very sweet ylang-ylang, a bit of cedar, and the sandalwood slowly follows behind, blooming in about 20 minutes as the ylang wears off, then it's smooth, polished sandalwood all the rest of the day. When my bottle was new, the sandalwood would leap out at you, pleasant and civilized, but insistently there. Now that it's older, it's mellowed like wine does, and makes a graceful appearance instead of announcing itself loudly. As much as I love this scent, I shouldn't wear it on my skin, for some reason it goes sour and a little rotten on me in a few hours (perhaps the ylang aging like a gardenia?), if I apply it to my clothes it's glorious all day.
I wore this as a teenager and into college. At the time, Giorgio, Polo, Drakkar Noir, and Aspen was all the rage, and though I have a special place in my heart for Giorgio & Drakkar (the snotty girls wore Aspen & Polo), this C&E scent is what really evokes my teenage years.
It's now had it's day in the limelight, (or been eulogized). Time to be tucked back into its bubblewrap and put back to bed...
6 comments:
Do you know of any place where i can still buy this version of Crabtree and Evelyn's Sandalwood? (the one pictured on your page). I LOVED it...and then they changed it. Please advise if you do. I know several people who prefer the old version. Thanks! mary
Sorry, Mary, your best bet to find it is eBay or maybe very foreign clearance outlets.
I love this scent so... and was heartbroken to find out it has been discontinued. The replacement sandalwood product is not adequate. I could smell the difference immediately.. Watered down, chemical and unappealing.
What is wrong with Crabtree and Evelyn, have they lost their senses? To deny us one of life's greatest small pleasures is a sin!
I have keep an old empty.bottle of this hauntingly satisfying fragrance. Could not bring myself to throw it out. Periodically I pick it up and smell the natural cork of the bottle. Talk about timelessness in a bottle. I've always said that there needs to be a word created in the English language that imparts the meaning, as close as possible, of a fragrance and/or smell that evokes memories of the past and perhaps of a past we do not even remember ourselves, but that our DNA does. This fragrance certainly did it for m, as time only tells.
I also enjoyed your writing style until I found out it was a tease, not intentionally, but I really thought you were going to say you has enough stash for the rest of us really die-hard devotees of same.
Not sure where to go from here as fine scents mark among my last earthly attachments. Back to goggle i suppose.
also brokenhearted- Candice
Oh, my heart aches! My mother wore this for years, and I came across it in my early twenties. I'd been telling myself for the past couple of years to go buy some more and keep it stocked! :(
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