Review – Serge Lutens – Santal Majuscule – Festive Woods – 9/10.
Serge Lutens has three perfumes dedicated to sandalwood. They are Santal Blanc, a featherlight skin scent that combines musk and iris, the curried spice of Santal de Mysore, and my favourite, Santal Majuscule. They’re all sufficiently different from each other that you could own them all without overlap. However, I find Santal Majuscule the most approachable of the trio. Indeed, I think it’s an underappreciated scent from the brand. If I asked ten hardcore fans of the house to name their top 3 fragrances from the brand, how many of them would name Santal Majuscule in their top 3, let alone have it as their top dog? Perhaps a couple, but most would nominate Ambre Sultan, Iris Silver Mist, Feminité du Bois, Sarrasins, or Chergui as their choice.
Santal Majuscule has more in common with Jeux de Peau than any of its sandalwood stablemates. If you’re a fan of that scent, you may like Santal Majuscule. I consider them sister scents. Sheldrake uses the same sandalwood material as the foundation for both. However, where Jeux de Peau fully embraces an edible gourmand direction, Santal Majuscule only partially explores this theme.
There are only three official notes in Santal Majuscule: sandalwood, cacao, and rose. However, in typical Lutens fashion, this fragrance includes more complexity than one might expect. Sheldrake supplements the sandalwood note with a variety of festive spices. I will attempt to identify the additional notes that contribute to the scent later in this review. I find the spicy aspect to be quite prominent, to the extent that I included Santal Majuscule on my list of top 10 festive fragrances. Here’s a link to my post from last year. Top 10 Festive Fragrances
I wonder why this fragrance doesn’t get the overwhelming plaudits of Ambre Sultan and Feminité du Bois? To be sure, it doesn’t use the highest quality sandalwood material. However, I never find it scratchy or harsh, unlike Guerlain’s much hyped Santal Royal. Initially, it presents as dry arid wood, but as it develops, the fragrance turns buttery, smooth, velvety, and creamy, doing a competent job of mimicking the expensive variety from India. However, this evolution might be due to some of its accompanying components, rather than the sandalwood itself. Indeed, one could argue it doesn’t quite live up to the name. Sandalwood writ large or with a capital S might be a slight exaggeration. It might as well have been called Rose Majuscule or Cacao Majuscule. Still, there’s enough sandalwood in the fragrance to satisfy a sandalwood snob such as myself.
I perceive the rose in Santal Majuscule as dusky red and warming. Occasionally, I imagine it as a Turkish delight – sugary and powdery. Other times, I picture the sandalwood covered in rose petals, with the rose note coming through more gently, as a soft union of rosewater and musk. Cacao enhances the warmth. But, even with the prominent cacao facet, Santal Majuscule never crosses into becoming a gourmand. For the most part, I never consider the perfume edible. It’s too bitter and parched, as the dry sandalwood note consistently pulls it back from the brink of bakery.
Now let’s discuss the phantom notes. Surely there’s some immortelle introducing its honey and caramel aspects. Certainly, tonka brings in its creamy, nutty facets. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel create a festive flavour. Perhaps even some dry tobacco to complement the woody theme. Maybe I’m wrong on all of these, and possibly I’m wrong about Santal Majuscule’s popularity. I have no scientific evidence to support my claims, nor have I conducted a survey. However, I trust my instincts/nose, and I’ve read enough blog posts and comments about the brand over the years to conclude that other fragrances hold a more cherished place in the hearts of the community.
Santal Majuscule is one of my favorite sandalwood scents. If you’re looking for a more aromatic option, you might enjoy Diptyque’s Tam Dao. That fragrance transports me to the great outdoors. In contrast, Santal Majuscule evokes cosy images of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, brandy in hand, while snow falls outside a frosted window.
Of course, I live in a part of the world where Christmas occurs in summer, it never snows, and the only thing roasting is my skin in the high humidity. But a guy can dream! I wore Santal Majuscule frequently during the past three cooler months. As today marks the last day of meteorological winter, I thought it would be a good time to write about this fragrance before I pack it away for the spring-summer season.
Thoughts on Santal Majuscule? Do you think it should be called Rose Majuscule? Do you have it as one of your top Serge selections?
Quick Notes:
Launch Year: 2012.
Perfumer: Christopher Sheldrake.
Notes: Sandalwood, rose, cacao.
Longevity: 8-10 hours.
Projection: 2 hours, medium.
Alternatives: Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau is the closest SL to Santal Majuscule. For cacao/tobacco, consider Dunhill Egyptian Smoke or YSL Sleek Suede. For rose and sandalwood, consider Chanel Egoiste, and for straight-up sandalwood, opt for Kilian Sacred Wood or Diptyque Tam Dao.
Season: Autumn or winter.
Here are some more photos of the fragrance.
Note: The Bottle is mine, and all photos are mine.