Santal Volcanique is a thoroughly modern take on the spicy, musky fougère genre once populated by the likes of Gucci Envy and By (Dolce Gabbana), but now largely overridden by new tastes in masculine perfumery, which run much more towards sweet and ambery. Santal Volcanique is, however, a glorious return to form for the genre, and if anything is capable of making these rugged, manly woods-and-spice affairs the (old) new standard for masculine perfumery, then it is this.
The crackle of cardamom and ginger against a bristling, sour lime in the opening immediately sets the scent down in barbershop territory, redolent of spicy shaving foam, hot towels, leather seats, and the cleansing aroma of soap. The sandalwood element veers sharply away from creamy, sweet Santalol territory, and allows itself instead to be roughened by a grainy coffee, resulting in an aromatic wood scent that is part soap, part coffee bitterness, and part musky. The complexity of the quasi-fougère structure makes Santal Volcanique a thrillingly rich, 360º experience, elevating it above and beyond what we’ve come to expect santal anything to be. Zero cream, zero sugar – this is for those who take their sandalwood like they take their coffee.
