All about: Van Cleef & Arpels Santal Blanc

The cooler months are for me the ideal time to search out a new fragrance, and a time when slightly headier options are the perfect fit. Lucky for me I was just gifted a bottle of Van Cleef & Arpels’ sublime new fragrance, Santal Blanc and it definitely ticks all the boxes when it comes to an unashamedly sexy yet still super chic scent.

Santal Blanc marks the time when the joys of sandalwood officially join the brand’s Collection Extraordinaire of luxe scents, with the ingredient reinvented by legendary perfumer Michel Almairac. Originating from New Caledonia, sandalwood is a rare variety discovered by Western perfumery during the 19th century. Since then, perfumers have not ceased to tire of its unique, warm and velvety aroma.

Santal Blanc is a creamy milky woody perfume, and a very wearable one at that. It is composed of a precious balsamic sandalwood essence and is the perfect balance between what the brand calls “authenticity and olfactive excellence”. The sandalwood essence is a soothing, relaxing scent, and superbly balanced by the careful addition of a little citrus. Grasse-born Almairac says that he always sought to create “a woody, milky fragrance, more sophisticated than gourmand,” and Santal Blanc is most definitely that. 

The layered, textured fragrance is intended to evoke a type of “white material”, enhancing the most delicate and cottony facets of sandalwood. And for the first time, the iconic Collection Extraordinaire bottle is lacquered in immaculate white to reflect that. “I wanted to recreate the sensation of a soft, soothing wood oil,” says Almairac. “Sandalwood, with its creamy texture, was an obvious choice in my mind because it subconsciously evokes the idea of a pure and tender white. To accentuate this facet as much as possible, I added a note of fig milk and a powdery musk accord.” 

This alchemy is what makes this scent such a winner for me, and one that I have worn pretty much daily since receiving it. I’m such a fan of spicy, woody scents but this has won me over with its stunningly complex yet soft and wearable approach. If you’re looking for your own new signature scent for the season then this comes highly recommended.

Van Cleef & Arpels Santal Blanc is available now at Smith & Caughey’s and Ballantynes department stores, with an RRP of $230.