Hermessence Santal Massoïa Hermès for women and men

To me this smells like a horse stable in winter. In the best way possible! I don’t really know why I should enjoy that smell so much, but it’s kinda whimsical, magical and melancholic. It reminds me of one of my favorite books The Bear and the nightingale- if anyone knows it :) it’s like a child cuddled up to her favorite horse in the barn, it’s warm body steaming in the winter frost. It faintly smells like horse poo, hay, milk and old, damp wood. Wish it lasted longer.. still worth a bottle for me

On a blotter, I didn’t care for this one much but when I decided to wear it I had a different experience. Having smelled massoia before I could instantly recognize it and it played very well with the creamy sandalwood. Like Iris Ukiyoe, Santal Massoia is noticeable around me for about 3 hours. After that, it settles to a subtle skin scent for a couple more hours before it becomes barely detectable. Some may consider its softness and short longevity a weakness but I don’t see it that way. It’s a nice scent to be enjoyed for a few hours without overpowering your own senses nor those around you. I would categorize this perfume as meditative and it worked beautifully when I wore it to a late breakfast on a chilly Saturday morning.

how does this not have some sort of absinthe / artemisia note in it?!?

Hermessence Santal Massoïa is what I expected: a creamy, woody scent. As is the case with the Hermessence line in general, it is polite and subtle, made with high-quality ingredients and deceptively simple. Jean-Claude Ellena is known for his light touch when it comes to his compositions, and that is the case here - SM is lactonic and lightweight, somehow fluffy - with a dominant woody thread throughout. It is a fairly linear composition, but is nicely-balanced and cohesive with several points of interest.

SM is woody from initial spray, smooth and almost leather-like. The sandalwood is prominent initially, and is warm and softly spicy. The milkiness is present from the early stages, adding smooth creaminess throughout to the woody notes. I love a good-quality sandalwood note in perfume, the gold standard being the now-restricted Mysore sandalwood found in vintage perfumes like YSL Opium, Guerlain Samsara and Armani. It is substituted by the harsher Australian sandalwood in modern scents, which needs expert attention to smooth its edges - some perfumes are much more successful in this regard than others! Thankfully, SM is one of them. The sandalwood here is very smooth, made so by the creaminess, subtle sweetness and M. Ellena's masterful light touch.

There is a delicate fruity undertone, adding subtle sweetness to this scent. A pale fig note, green and fresh, emerges initially. It is feather-light and fluffy, complementing the smooth woodiness nicely. It becomes richer and more honeyed as the fig gives way to the dried fruit accord, serving to complement the creamy woodiness to perfection. I get some soft white florals too, adding to the smooth creaminess.

The milky sandalwood accord segues seamlessly to massoia, a wood that is aromatic and lactonic by nature. I get a hint of fresh greenness as it dries down, perhaps the remnants of the fig. It becomes slightly musky as it fades. Sillage is intimate and longevity is moderate.

A unisex creamy, woody scent with a surprisingly prominent fig note, SM is a subtle, effortlessly elegant everyday scent, in keeping with Hermessence in general. Pleasant and high-quality throughout, it features a smooth, non-harsh use of sandalwood. However, it is a little too soft for my liking, and I would have preferred less emphasis on the fig. 3.5/5.

Milky, soft, warm spicy sandalwood. Quite unisex. Elegant, subtle, soft, barely felt. Seems a bit tedious, on the other hand, an easy wear. There seems to be slight tea nuances while drying down.

When I first tried Santal Massoia, by Jean Claude Ellena, I catched: oh, loads of Sandalwood. But it then it surprised me, and I was... huhh? Ohhhhh. Oh my God!!! 😊☀️🏊♂️🍦🍦🍦🍦
The light floral accord dances with the sweet coconuty accord. And it entices me so well, as it always suprises me to also catch a yellow/ pink zesty accord right in the middle of this olfactive dance. It raises me up. Then it calms me down.
This brings me back the child memory of the 80s:
It was another hot summer day in Belém do Pará. I was in the pool, resting on its border, as I would swim and dive for hours, just so the chill water would bring me some relief from the warmth of the Sun. As I rest, I feel the smell of wet, sweet-green grass, that usually brings some dirt from the wet earth. Then, loads of frequent clients start walking around, behind the grass, carrying the most consumed ice cream. Zesty and sweet creamy accords would diffuse from far to my nose, as they enjoyed Guava and dulce de leche ice cream. I heard a citric song, playing on the background: Dayne Taylor Proove your love. Its so funny and amazing how accute accords in a song still raise me up, just like sweet and accute accords in a fragrance does. When it is magically, evenly diffused in a place, where the natural elements marry with us, bringing the gift of joy and energy. It is one unforgetable memory that I also consider as a gift, promoted by my aunt Celeste, as she would take me to Celpa's Sunmer Club every Saturday morning.
I ❤ the 80s as I ❤ JCE's creation SM.

Hermes Santal Massoia (2011) - milky sandalwood - #jeanclaudeellena creates one of my favorite hermessence perfumes. I always comment about focused thought and smooth transitions - this one has those in spades. Sandalwood stewing with Milk, White flowers and dried apricot/ prunes. It has a crystalline sugary accord, yet the perfume still retains its transparency and radiance. Reminds me of whipped cream on top of a chai latte.

My 4ml official sample is quite old so maybe they affects my perception. To my nose Santal Massoia isn't any powerful sandalwood perfume by today's standard. The woody note is more of a watery fig working together with a hint of massoia and a much clearer lactonic note. If you were to approach this expecting a sweet, creamy, thick wheat perfume you'd be greatly disappointed; it's every bit of JCE's signature watercolour style, this time painting beige figs on light blue backgrounds.

I'm happy to wear through my sample but this won't be my be all end all sandalwood perfume.

The perfumer created such a fantastic scent
Although his creations are not always on my good side but this one was really good
The milky somehow fig like sandalwood was definitely tremendous
The opening is okay although the magic happens in the dry down it’s smooth and lactonic
Yes it does remind me of Philosykos but this one is fluffier in a sense compliments to the overdose of sandalwood
I think it’s one of this lines best creations along with the like of
Vetiver tonka
Amber nerguile
Cuir dange
So I’d say it’s in the top 5 of this line
Performance was moderate a little weak no projection and no sillage
A must try

This is the sandalwood fragrance to beat, even beats out Sandalwood Temple in terms of creaminess. It's also not fatiguing to my nose since I'm able to pickup something slightly salty that reminds me of licorice. So it's not all creamy sweet to my nose. Holds quite closely to the skin, not a projecting powerhouse, but that's how I prefer my sandalwood fragrances to be anyways.

Sweetly milky sandalwood that is never cloying. Everything I love about sandalwood without the bitter dill note that sits on my back molars with, for instance S33. A gorgeous, relaxing scent that lasts, to my surprise, overnight. Gratitude to the deft hand of JC Ellena for this poetic wonder.

I have to say this, Philosykos feels 3D, while this feels 2D, if that makes any sense. I like this but it doesn't really excite me like the Diptyque does. Still high quality and worth checking out tho.

Fragrance as a "second skin": it seems defiant against the virtues extolled by the results-driven fragrance enthusiast. Let's face it, any one of us here is seeking some form of external validation, whether it be through the perfume we wear or our musings on perfume. To be shared is to be noticed. What do we begin to notice though when we begin to move more slowly, lean into our surroundings with our senses? For some of us, it may shape our way of observing the world around us.

This bottle of Santal Massoia was not purchased at full retail price. I wouldn't have done so. I found it for a deep discount (along with the others in my collection) and I am happy to have a quantity that I can seal myself with. Exorbitant Hermes pricing structures aside, there is poise and ambience to Jean Claude Ellena's watercolors that captivate me because they ask the audience to pay attention. If you spray and forget here, you may not notice the may chang and petitgrain that opens it, the bitter green pale wood sigh, reading like a Zen koan. 'You want attention? You want to be noticed? Do you want perpetual joy and happiness? Well, what you have is already here, and when it disappears, you know the truth as to why it was all invaluable in the first place."

Massoia Bark comes from Cryptocarya massoy. The Massoia tree yields an oil that is sweet, coconut-like, buttery, and woody. The oil is highly restricted due to its potential to be a serious skin irritant. A number of years ago, I learned this the hard way as a foolish beginner and was left with a red, burning rash that lasted a good 24 hours. It is now prohibited by IFRA, but lactones and other materials are used to recreate its scent profile. In Santal Massoia, the accord envelops and softens the opening, milky and full of body. A soothing caress, the cello to the sandalwood's bassoon. This sonata is like the breeze ever so slightly moving leaves and branches, no crescendos, no swelling of the orchestra, and it is perfect for this reason. This "second skin" lingers for hours, with a romantic and tender cadence.

In music, the ambient genre is an acquired taste, especially for those who may want much action, counterpoint, and volume. It is, however, a much respected music form, ever since it was coined by Brian Eno for his Ambient series of albums in the 1970s. The music does not command your attention. You can tune in, tune out, work to it, read to it, sleep to it, dream to it. What about ambient perfume? I often consider Jean Claude Ellena to be the Brian Eno of perfume, and Santal Massoia the magnum opus of his intimate approach.

Slightly sweet sandalwood with Hermes DNA. It's alright.

Such a wonder full resinous sandalwood opening. Then I get hints of green, citric and dry fruits, dancing on sandalwood. I get litsea cubeba and lime, blended on a holy juice only Hermes perfumers know how to master. Waw. After at least 5 hours I get a reminescent trail of Hermessence Agar Ebene. What a glorious artisan JC Ellena is.

On my skin, Hermessence Santal Massoïa is like a more refined, upscale Santal 33. But also, the scent wisps I kept getting all day were close enough to the creamy-woodiness of Philosykos EDP to make me think I couldn't really justify adding this as well to my collection.

You have to smell this because it’s unique but not extravagant, memorable but not obnoxious.

I get all the notes, this is all about the massoïa. Never smelled this wood IRL and if you haven’t either, don’t worry. This is so organic and natural smelling, you will easily pick up that note.
The opening is cloudy-woody, how is that even possible?
While the perfume was working with my skin chemistry in the first 5 minutes, I start to get resinous dry fruits for a bit, and then the milk! It gets more and more realistic, like a splash of milk. The type of lactonic here is cashmeran, sweet, very well balanced with the sandalwood note. On and off I get some green notes, more like flower stems.

I keep smelling and It keeps me intrigued and interested. I don’t want to spoil this for you, give it a try.
This is grown, distinguished, UPSCALE.

_____

Projection, sillage, longevity : 8.5/10
Originality, presentation : 10/10
Quality, value : 9/10

9/10

This is one of the best perfumes of all times. Ellena is a master and here he really shines and shows what mastery is. This is surreally beautiful, ethereal, transparent and yet so full of body and flavour. I cannot imagine any sandalwood perfume better than this any time soon. Stunning and sexy while at the same time being casual and wearable and yet magic. All year round, for sure. Pure magic. So sexy, so classy, so beautiful. Compliment getter. Trust me.

Milky and airy cloud of pure happiness. Truly an ethereal composition, what I imagine a forest fairy to smell like.

A gorgeous sweet-ish creamy woody scent, not strong but lasts on me a good while, could be a great signature. Has a slight green coconut vibe, but you could miss the coconut if you don't think about it. Classy as hell tho. Definitely worth a try

**Not related to the fragrance..
Everytime I come here Holliebobollie's comment cracks me up!!! I need to bookmark this and read it if I'm having a bad day! The funniest part is I keep coming back scrolling down, forgetting its there, then boom I'm LOL! I could see a brand using that for a motto, or commercial.

A beautiful warm scent. I wore it this evening for the first time. Just one spray, and my 6 year old son, who never comments on any perfume before said “mommy you must have had a good shower today, you smell delicious!” It is delicious. I’m so extremely picky when it comes to scents especially since recovering from Covid and losing my smell for 2 months. I keep coming back to Hermes and Ellena.

Oh goodness this is so gorgeous and I wish I’d never tried it as it is so soft. Saying that, it is such an elegant, creamy, smooth, figgy scent - one of the best sandalwoods I’ve tried, and it is a favourite note of mine.

I may end up needing this!

Calming, meditative, yet a little sweet, so very huggable and comforting. This is so elegant!

I love this! Totally agree with others . . .this is a creamy soft figgy coconuty walk in the woods. How did Ellena manage to get this to be so very ethereal!? Very lovely.

A gorgeous creamy sandalwood with fig-like nuances. Very subtle but lasts about 8 hours on my skin. Great safe and non-offensive offering in line with most of Ellena’s works

Just got a big bottle in a swap and it is understated, meditative and sublime. Very much in agreement with most of the comments around notes, I think the milk note is misleading, to me it’s the creaminess of coconut and perhaps the way it mingles with the sandalwood, sort of round and chewy. Yes, it takes more sprays than I would like, but the sprayer is quite strong and I have found that if you stack the sprays on top of each other, not unlike Caron Pour Un Homme, it performs much better. I can’t imagine paying retail for it as I am sure I will tear through this bottle. I think heat is key for this fragrance as well and I’m looking forward to wearing this all summer. The sun was streaming in the car while I was driving and it just lit it up with all the heat. It’s like when someone is wearing something almost sheer and the sun backlights the fabric and you can see their naked skin underneath. Visible and hidden at the same time...

-Clean, watery scent, reminiscent of freshly cut lilies.
-I dont get the lactonic notes in this.
-Longevity and projection is a tad low for my liking. (-)

This fragrance wraps me up like a cashmere blanket. So rich, so warm, so comforting. Woody powder mixed with figgy sweetness. It smells like a woody cabin in winter, you sit in there covered in your blanket adding some dried fig in your warm porridge.

Masterpiece. Those who know, know.

Tampered cellophane wrapped around a luxury coffee table book & milky sandalwood fig? A little plastic smelling on me but I surprisingly like this as it’s quite unique.

Update: tried this in the colder weather, sprayed on my coat and skin ,lasts a sold 6hours (days if sprayed on clothing) with lots and puffs of whiffs that my nose catches. Instant compliment getter, people will recognise your presence. Truly an underrated masterpiece (I hope it stays this way), especially for an edt. I now feel the pricing is justified because of how stunning this scent is.

If you’re having problems with projection, try spraying this on clothing. Problems with longevity, I spray into a little almond oil and apply to skin.

I love this stuff. Absolutely love. Ellena is truly an artist.

I hate how expensive it is. It has basically no projection.

It's milky and figgy and creamy and sandalwoody. It's a little bit sweet, but not cloying at all.

It's very understated. Very calm. Very sophisticated.

Conclusion: "If you are looking for sweet-ish milky sandalwood (like I was), look elsewhere, this is not it."
"If you are looking to get a sandalwood punch this is not it"
Sandalwood's presence is very mild here. It's not sweet. Not mature and rounded like the wood for incense, it's rather green, like freshly cut wood.

For the most of its life, this is a unisex, neutral, nonsexual fragrance.

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In the first few minutes I thought: "This is Buddha's perfume". xD

Classy. To me it evokes the word "sufficiency". A color would be dusty light green.

Green (aromatic?) cirtusy in the beginning, very natural smelling (at first) yet not bright, not dry either. A bit dewy. I wouldn't say sweet (at all). Becomes slightly creamy within 30 mins.

In the opening it reminded me of the aroma diffusers corner in the department store. Natural green woody vibes. Becomes more powdery towards the middle.

Like other reviews stress. It is very discreet. sillage is less than moderate.

After about one hour of wearing I get this subtle metallic note. A sharp note that penetrates the natural airy cloud. A little bit annoying, but then it goes away.

In the drydown, finally some sweetness appears, some of the sexiness some were talking about shows its face, along with the synthetic aspect of this perfume. Then you know the "naturalness" was very fake, however the fakeness is very well done that it is far from being cheap.

It is a very highly calculated synthetic fragrance that appears almost genuinely natural. I guess that's what makes it modern and refined.

this smells as if u break a twig and then smell it... fresh, the whitish pole of the twig gives away a lactonic smell but not quite milky. looking at the notes one wud think this will be too sweet but its a nice surprise to smell how airy and light this scent is. the massoia wood gives a lil depth but it still feels lightweight. another killer from hermessence. beautiful and non-chalantly elegant (super dacob this is for u lol)

This is a pleasant and beautiful fig laced sandalwood. There’s no vanilla but a milkiness from the coconut that drives me crazy. Fruits have never been my thing in perfume, but here they’re dried and more hidden so it comes out pretty. I don’t mind how light and airy this is because the projection is amazing, and it’s also lovely layered with plain vanilla. I do think it’s overpriced though.

For me this serves as a functional scent to elevate my mood. It is truly lovely: fresh, slightly creamy, a touch of fig. Soothing and uplifting, it gives a wonderful sense of well-being. However, with almost zero silage and projection, that's all it does. There is a sense of evaporating *into* the skin-- nobody else notices it or comments; it does not linger on clothes, I dig my nose into my arm to sniff it. It is fleeting, effectively undoing that initial sense of calm and giving way to a haunting. Currently I do 6 sprays per use (normally 3 with other EDTs) and contemplating going higher. Hard to imagine overdoing it with this one; it is so ultra ultra-light. I am careful to use unscented lotion for fear of overpowering it. Recommend getting the 15ml as part of the travel set and spritz throughout the day whenever you need a boost. Beautiful but elusive.

A young child at the woody window sill, gazing out at early spring. I can picure this image and remember the smell, indeed.

I love this stuff. It smells off-white, like a baby in its blanket while mommy sings a lullaby. I'd wear it to work, to sleep, to cuddle and whenever I need to feel that no matter what, someone loves me. It's a skin scent, so the reassuring feeling is just for the ones who get close enough ;)

10/10

Whispery-light, creamy-gentle, upscale and classy sandalwood with faint coconut undertones. Don't be put off by the mention of milk, it's not remotely cheesy-dairy, although the overall texture is really creamy and reassuring. It tends almost-savoury rather than sweet - to my nose it's on the greenish-fresh-ish more unisex side of sandalwood rather than the sweet/spicy/rosy end. Tiny tinge of very delicate figgy green (like reeeeally far-off mown grass?) for me later on. It's not cloying or overly sweet either. Overall it is so very very smooth and discreet that I wanted it much bigger and louder, but then I'm a noisy vulgarian.

Perfectly put together, then - but really a bit too understated for comfort at Hermessence prices, which are anything but shy and retiring. I'm absolutely delighted to have a 4ml mini of this, which I'll use to the last drop, but also rather relieved that I didn't succumb to my sandalwood addiction and buy a full bottle of this blind, as I'd have been pretty irked by the performance issues. So: if you are looking for the ultimate gossamer-sheer, barely-there sandalwood without even a whiff of spicy dirty hippiedom, fit for wearing with an all-white couture dress to a Parisian diplomatic party, this might be the one. It's a very beautiful and clean take on the form. But nothing nearly so impressive as the upscale sandalwood heaven I thought this might be.

mix between hermessence vetiver tonka and osmanthe yunnan on the dry-down.
did i say light?
VERY light.
but nice.

A pleasant milky sandalwood with wafts of fig. Airy, sweetish, lightish, smooth. No sharp edges, no heft. Not a ton of sillage or lasting power either. The color that comes to mind is straight-up beige. But an expensive beige, like your rich aunt's camel coat.

Overall: it's a very polite, well-bred fragrance that does not wish to bother you. Very, very office-safe. It's nice, but I need more... something.

A very "sandalwood for beginners" vibe. Or - good for someone who wants to occasionally catch a whiff of themselves, but wants their fragrance to always be unobtrusive to others.

I get lots of milky fig, especially in the opening. I guess that figgy milkyness was meant to compliment the sandalwood accord, but really it feels discordinant. This fragrance seems to be yet another of Jean Claude Ellena’s creative indulgences - seamlessly structured, intriguing, but ultimately unwearable.

I like this very much, but it is nothing like Blasted Bloom which is listed at the top as a smell-alike; I think that's misleading. I wear Blasted Bloom often. It is a cool, fresh, oceanic, sea cliff kind of scent, with hints of woodland berries and wildflowers. Santal Massoia is lovely but completely different: woody, milky, a bit resinous, a bit figgy (must be the dried fruits). Two very different fragrances.

The Hermessence line is really a beautiful collection of fragrances and a real tour de force from the man, the myth, the legend; Jean-Claude Ellena. Santal Massoia is no exception. This fragrance takes a while to wrap ones head around, but once you do the effect is a beautiful olfactory experience. I owned this scent for at least a few days before it was hijacked by my wife (with good reason). Now this scent is one I am very familiar with because it is worn by my wife often and it is lovely.

The opening is a literal milky sandalwood. One almost gets the impression they are smelling a body cream or lotion or some type of makeup/foundation. In the opening The milk and wood play off each other creating this beautiful restrained richness (sounds strange I know but stay with me). After the opening settles down we start to get that coconut essence of the massoia as well as a bit of the sugar, making the scent even creamier and a bit warmer. finally the floral notes and dried fruit peak up and round out this scent with a bit of sweet freshness. Sadly, Santal Massoia is a victim of its' soft beauty. The restraint and faint beauty of this scent limits its longevity and its sillage. Even though SM lacks in those two areas it is still a classy scent for a woman in her late twenties to early thirties and up. A man could wear this as well, it is unisex, but after my wife began wearing it regularly, it was clear SM is feminine elegance, with zero rough edges.

When to wear? Well, my wife wears it for almost any occasion; work, nights out (colder weather is a must), but SM's quiet nature has relegated it to another rotation. The post shower sleep scent. She gives SM a few sprays after a shower just before bedtime and the effect is blissful, cozy and even a bit sexy. Now price point considered there are other options to use as a sleep scent, but this one just works better for her that way and with a close proximity everyone can smell it and appreciate it. Give SM a try, it is one of Jean-Claude Ellena's works and needs to be smelt to be appreciated. No matter how you use this scent you will not regret being enveloped in its' beauty and class like a comfy blanket.

In The Woods by Paul Cezanne 1896
++++

Santal Massoïa is the first Hermessence I've tried, and I like it very much, which is just as I expected seeing how many Hermès perfumes I already love (and many of them created by Jean-Claude Ellena too). What isn't as I was expecting, on the other hand, is how it actually smells during most of its life span: on paper this looks pretty heavy and sweet, almost sticky even, with both milk and sugar included in the list of notes, and that's not true at all.
In fact it's light and airy almost to a fault, even for Ellena: it's so subtle that I have to remind myself to spray two or three times my usual amount if I really want to experience the development, instead of just having it linger as a barely detectable skin scent for a couple of hours. And that's hardly ideal at this price! Of course, if money isn't a factor, this very lightness can just as easily be seen as a positive point as well: it's so discreet that it can be worn at any occasion without being conspicuous, which is quite a feat with that list of notes. It also makes it perfectly unisex, and a good choice for just about any season, especially on moderate days. But unfortunately, money is still a factor for me and will probably always be one, so I better just enjoy my decant for the couple of days of good wear it still has in it, be glad of the experience, and move on. At least that's what my brain says, and I don't think I love this quite enough for my heart to overrule it in this case.

The scent itself is wonderful, though, with the milky sandalwood at its heart all the way through, taking on different shapes all through the day. This core woodiness comes out quite green and fresh at the start, and I really understand where the fig references so many reviewers are mentioning are coming from. In the heart the green vibe fades away to leave dryer woods, and then slowly the borderline gourmand quality that I was expecting does come out: at the end of the day, the woodiness becomes so creamy and warm and soft that it's just about good enough to eat. Although even then, it's still very light, and not especially sweet at all - like I said, if it is a gourmand at all, it's certainly one of the most restrained, wearable ones I've tried.

Initial spray is quity citrusy, reminding me a bit of cypress or pine like a reviewer below. It very quickly disappears and the fragrance becomes sweeter. I find the overall impression of this perfume is that it's very aquatic and a bit salty. As it dries down almost like violets or a faint licorice. It also has a woody thing going on. I find it much more cedar like than sandalwood, though I agree there is a creamy feel in the background. Perfectly unisex. It's certainly not as milky as I expected, and as I'm a gourmand nut I prefer Ambre Narguile from this same line.

Pleasant, definitely unisex. There's also a note that reminds me of ambergris - slightly animalic, it's subtle though.

It's very soft, as you'd expect, the texture is dusty/velvety and yes, slightly milky but not as gourmand as, say Jeux de peux by Lutens, it's definitely not sweet if compared to most mainstream female perfumes, such as Narciso Poudre (also a sweet, milky perfume).

So I'd say it's comfortably unisex, easy for anyone to wear, very gentle, but for me the milky and slightly animalic quality is just a little, I don't know - babyfood-esque?!

It's just a matter of personal taste, I probably prefer something with a little more bite. But this is classy, smooth and well-blended as you'd expect from an Hermes by JC Elena

I love sandalwood scents and you could say i'm an addict so at first spray, i thought immediately, there are better ones. Wasting my time. But I'm patient. Some of my best perfumes, I hate the opening but then run around smelling my wrist for the duration. The beginning is on the sweet side for my liking….it's like a floral sweet vs. the coconut that others are getting. You could call it a jasmine coconut, though jasmine is not listed, there is a white floral in there in the beginning. Midway through starts to get interesting…the "figlicious" starts to emerge…i love fig, green crunch fig with fig leaves. Cant stand phylosikos b/c its so synthetic but take the dry down of premier figure extreme and lighten it up (a ton) and you have something close here. I may even like this fig better than fig perfumes…haha b/c it's not listed anywhere as having fig. Maybe i can smell the milk…maybe it's the milk of a green fig? But not creamy sandalwood so much. The sandalwood is obvious throughout but disappears more on the dry down which for me is the best part. I can see the pine reference but i think that's green fig. Feminine in the beginning from the florals, but if you can stand to give it time, it man up a bit with woods and fig, which is perfect for this femme. :)

Upon applying Hermès Santal Massoïa, a woody, slightly coconut-y fig bursts out on my skin. Its woody aspect being initially reminiscent of cypress, the fig note is not dissimilar from the one in Un Jardin en Méditerranée, although it feels a bit more dry and less sweet in Santal Massoïa.

Soon, the fragrance is suffused with a sweet milky note. Interestingly, it didn't turn the fig into gooey molasses. Instead, a pale yet nutty sandalwood underscores the fig, rendering it more like dried figs, and holding them like a woody ark over milky waves. The contrast between dry, nutty woodiness and suave milkiness is certainly intriguing, yet the fragrance as a whole is a harmony, as the different notes are intertwined altogether thanks to their innate milky aspects.

However, this dynamic interplay between actual milkiness and nutty sandalwood does not last more than 1 hour. Afterwards, Santal Massoïa simmers down into a slightly peppery, abstract woody scent with a fraction of milky sweetness. Like previous reviewer carlosrafael, I, too, am reminded of Poivre Samarcande and Paprika Brasil. It's like Ellena replaced the cumin and the iris in the aforementioned fragrances' drydown respectively, by the milky sweetness in Santal Massoïa, to pair with this peppery, mineral 'woodiness', which I assume is the Iso-E-Super.

The sillage of Santal Massoïa is relatively soft, and the longevity is around 8 hours.

I find Santal Massoïa very enjoyable throughout its development, especially during its opening phase. However, I'm left cold by the sleek, vague 'woodiness' in the drydown. I appreciated how it smoothened the rough spices in both Poivre Samarcande and Paprika Brasil, but in Santal Massoïa, I find it actually does a disservice to the sandalwood by downplaying its rich aroma. But it's only due to my personal preferences after all, and Santal Massoïa certainly reflects perfectly the transparent aesthetic of the entire Hermessence line. If you're interested in a high-end, versatile, cozy milky woody fragrance without excessive sweetness, I think it's worth a try.

'Santal Massoïa' opens with a sweet white floral accord with nuances of coconut milk. I smell hints of lily and osmanthus, their subtle facets of stone fruit noticeable. The lactonic coconut essence seems to bathe the floral top notes with a luscious, milky tone. There are nuances of dried fruit which decorate the saccharine qualities of the opening, most notably fig and apricot. Both harmonize well with the aforementioned introductory accord. Fig's coconut-laden scent mirroring the milky accord, while apricot reminds one of osmanthus blossom's sweet floralcy. Rounded woody notes of both sandalwood and massoïa develop in the heart of the fragrance. Like a soft cashmere blanket, both woods envelop their wearer in a cocoon of warmth. Their sensual depths are expounded upon by the inclusion of the proceeding milky, lactonic accord. The overall effect is chenille-like; velvety and warm without being suffocating.

As an "eau de toilette", 'Santal Massoïa' is a contained scent which seems to float gently above one's skin. Therefore, sillage and projection are modest to light. This is not much unlike the rest of the Hermessence collection from Hermès, which all seem to be personal "guilty pleasures" to wear. The effect is warm and caressing, as if pulling on a cozy wool sweater. Both men and women can easily seek refuge in wearing this unisex scent. Neither the feminine opening floral notes nor the masculine woody base seem to predominate, causing the composition to hover somewhere in perfect harmony. I love wearing this fragrance in the depths of winter's melancholy. For me the fragrance uplifts my spirit and provides me an inner warmth and certainty, driving one to get closer to others in order to share in its comforting gifts. Take solace in 'Santal Massoïa' and its warm embrace.

Read my complete review at my personal blog

Whenever I want to feel innocent but strong and elegant in the same time, I always select Hermessence Santal Massoïa for my using fragrance.

The gem Hermessence does not make me feel like neither eating dessert nor being a little child, but it reveals my deep other self, which is not worldly-minded. I mean an enthusiastic person who wants to learn new surroundings or experiences all the time.

In my mind, Hermessence Santal Massoïa is a high-quality perfume with well-mixed notes between sandalwood (symbol of adultness, elegance and sophistication) and milk (symbol of childishness, naïveness and purity).

Longevity: for me, it is 7-9 hours.
Sillage: moderate within 1-2 hours and skin scent later :)
Score: 10/10, five stars !!!

I blind bought an official Hermes "Santal Massoia" 4 ml spray atomizer online judging from the notes and since i love massoia wood smell. It's a lightly bugs'spray scented water. No sillage, no lasting power. I threw away the money and will no more buy something from Hermes. Even products from mass markets brand such as "L' Acquolina" are MUCH better than this. How can Hermes sell these shoddy perfumes at such prices remains a mistery to me.

This is one of the best sandalwood scents I have come across. I get a very creamy smooth sandalwood with a hint of milky coconut sweetness, softly musky, fresh, elegant, and it has an almost chewy quality to it on me (like those ginger chews wrapped in rice paper although this doesn't smell like ginger). I find it overall well-blended and has a luxurious, silky, comforting scrumptious feeling to it. I have some aged sandalwood vanatu oil that shares similarities with the sandalwood scent in here.

I only have two major problems with it: the price and how soft and demure it is. There's hardly any sillage or longevity on me.

Woody, sweet, deep and comforting. Like a log cabin in a wintery wood or a bowl of creamy wheat porridge on a cold day. There's a slight sharpness to it, especially at the beginning, that makes it slightly more masculine than feminine. But it can be worn by either sex as it's very discreet and soft.

Too discreet and soft for the price, for my lifestyle. But I leave the ultimate judgment on that up to the individual's discretion. If you have the cash and you're in the market for a classy sandalwood, here's a lovely option.

A perfectly nice milky figgy sandalwood, quite relaxed. Smells exactly like a Hollister shop - which isn't a bad thing. More masculine to me, it even has a mildly leathery undertone to it. Really, quite a good scent for a man (not to exclude it for women ofc)but I just feel like this line is priced outrageously. Especially when I'm pretty sure you can probably actually buy the fragrance they use in the Hollister shop in store. More than anything, to me this was disappointing because it was simply a non-descript woody scent, rather than being an impressive sandalwood.

The title of this review should be:
"You can't judge a book by its cover and you can't judge a fragrance by the listed notes."

Sometimes one has to live dangerously, - throw caution to the wind - and just try a fragrance. There was nothing in the description of, or notes of Santal Massoia, that would ever entice me too voluntarily try it. (This frag came to me as a random sample from Hermes, with a few other samples I had requested.)

The first note I picked up was dill, followed by other greens and herbs. Then came a quite spicy pepper-iness, reminiscent of chrysanthemum flowers or nasturtium leaves. That peppery note stayed for a long time.

This is a really intriguing one for me. I cannot think of a single logical reason why I like this frag, but I do. There is nothing floral going on, it's mostly herbal. Oh and I usually run a mile from sandalwood, so I don't know how I can like this. Maybe massioa wood resins appeal to me unlike other woods?

While I might not pay for a bottle of this myself, I would not be displeased if it ever showed up as a gift.

love santal massoia so good , woods woods and more woods clean, fresh, awesome , i want to get my hands on a full bottle as soon as possible

I love it: I'm a fan of milky scents anyway and I would like anything with good quality ingredients smelling like "woody nut milk". Musc Nomade has this same vibe: beige, soft, comforting. Straight off I get sandalwood and milk, then it settles to an exquisite woody floral, quite persistent if close to the skin. I'm looking for a tall glass of "woody nut milk" whenever I smell it. Very foody. And I definitely get a good quality sandalwood note in this. Lovely stuff :)

Straight up fig. A milky, creamy fig. No sandalwood, no other woods, just fig. Not my cup of figgy tea.

WHAT!? €185 FOR AN EAU DU TOILETTE!!!!????

Pathetic. I pity the fool who is gullible enough to fall for this ridiculously over-priced line!

This literally smells like minty fig water. Nothing else. It disappears in to a whisper after barely 30 mins on the skin.

How can Hermés justify this? There are no ingredients in here worth that kind of money. The bottle is simple, clear glass. The longevity and projection are awful...

This is honestly for people who have more money then sense.

*EDIT* Oh and for people comparing it to "Coco Blanc", they are really nothing alike. "Coco Blanc" is denser, creamier and more vanillic. The only thing they have in common is sillage and longevity.

The first time I tried this I was in the worst possible scenario, a hotdog place, full of those sickening smells of fried potatoes and over-the-top seasoning. I opened my brand new box (believe me this is one of the most luxurious and high end packagings I've met) while having hot sausages all around (being a vegetarian that's far from paradise).

Still, the moment this touched my skin I felt transported to another world, a very refined one and my heart went pum pee tee boom pee tee boom, I thought it was so elegant, so well blended and definitely what I had in mind when getting a(n)Hermessence. The first thoughts were "this is soooo figgy, amazing use of it... but wait... where is fig in the notes?" Then I felt it leant towards gourmand territory and again... how come a gourmand from the notes? never quite crossing the line though... very velvety and chic. So indeed I had an instant crush on this and I still think this is a gorgeous scent... but not for me.

In this case, softly foody again as the other hermessences I've sampled, my caveat is related to its gender. I wear happily all sorts of unisex scents and this could well work well on some men... but you wouldn't believe how it works on women... wonderful!!!! I winded up giving this to a friend and as soon as she passed by having this on her scarf I knew it always belonged to her (to them). It is a soft scent that lingers for a long time and all the things I've read here are accurate, milky, figgy, slightly green, woody... the style is very Jean Claude Ellena indeed. So don't expect a parfum de sillage.

Don't miss this scent if you like his style and the VERY discreet charm he weaves.

Milk & Woods...

Santal Massoïa is a milky, fig-like interpretation of creamy sandalwood. It is a sweet, very playful scent which blends with the skin beautifully giving a translucent, "beige" like impression of warm, musky skin.

I find that Jean Claud-Ellena's description of "milky woods" sums this up pretty well. Sandalwood itself is known for it's milky, creamy quality (notes of real Milk are also featured in the composition) and the note of Massoïa adds another special quality... a cinnamon-like vibe juxtaposed with real Coconut notes. The Fig note here is both green, and slightly mineral-like in the top (Ellena's trademark use of Iso-E-Super), but dried fruit-like and resinous in the background too.

A pretty enjoyable fragrance, I find it very nice and approachable. Be warned though, it is a skin scent throughout. It stays very close and blends with warm skin, staying there until the drydown.

Soft, milky, slightly spicy. Lovely smell, too bad it's so soft that if you don't take it all in within the first 2 hours, poof! It's gone. If it were 5times stronger, it might be worth buying, but not at this strength.

Beautiful!

Otherwise the real fragrance composition is:

Top notes: star anise
Middle notes: coconut, hedione (freshness booster coming from tea or jasmine), green notes and peach
Ground notes: santal, woody amber, cedar, heliotrope and licorice

Longevity and sillage are medium but it's normal for eau de toilette. Any way that is the pleasure to add the fragrance at the beginning of the afternoon!

This is gorgeous! Sweet and woody and creamy...absolutely beautiful. One of my coworkers commented that I've always got new stuff, but this was his favorite of my scents. Unfortunately, even wearing it on a cold day when fragrances normally wouldn't evaporate off my skin very quickly, I only got about four hours out of it. I would have liked for it to wear longer, but as generous a sample as Hermes sends, I can afford to reapply.

Very much a subtle and underwhelming sandalwood scent with a creamy milk glaze.I dont detect the dried fruits but pick up a slight coconut vibe as well as subtle fig note (I think).
Interesting but hardly memorable.There is something slightly askew for me.I feel there are better Hermessence and sandalwood perfumes available.

Like a soft chenille blanket, Santal Massoia envelopes its wearer in a velvety warm embrace. It is sandalwood's richly sweet, creamy texture which Jean-Claude Ellena elaborates upon in this sensual Hermessence offering. Paired beautifully with massoia wood's lactonic odor, the two create an overall milky accord. Dulce de leche offers a gentle caramelized sweetness while dried fruit (most noticeably apricot and possibly fig) lend a gourmand tone. The said included floral notes (albeit subtle) are most likely indolic white florals such as tuberose and jasmine, having their creamy facets amplified by the massoia wood's coconut-like scent. I feel this is a unique take on a sandalwood based fragrance, as it is usually pared with pungent incense or noisy spices (see Creed's 'Original Santal'). Here's a fragrance which is equally masculine as it is feminine, and one in which both sexes can agree is carnal in nature. (102)

The issue with notes is that you can guess but you never truly know what they combine into! Case in point- this perfume. It smells nothing like expected from reading the notes. I don't get any fruits, there is nothing milky here and it is just barely sweet.... if at all. Imagine dry woods impregnated with dusty iris and you have a better idea of what this actually smells like. It is very masculine even though it is listed as unisex. I hate to say this but it smells like shoe polish. Iris has a tendency to do this to a composition.

Great fragrance, it has the same DNA as a couple of other Hermes fragrances. It reminds me a little bit of Poivre Sarmancande and Paprika Brazil. I don't smell much Sandalwood though. And the milk, who came up with that? None whatsoever. Nice fragrance nonetheless.

This one is great, very pleasant and smooth.

What a peculiar fragrance! It smells quite milky to me, like a can of condensed milk or a baby that has just been breastfed.
It is a comforting scent, suited for a cold weather, longevity is pretty good...yet...I don't know...I sort of like it but also do not like it. I think it's the sweet milky note I am not keen on.

I've been wearing some verious kind of santal fragrances but all of them were for long term to strong - smelling like a barique wine barrel for all day definitely isn't what I want. Santal Massoia was love for the first sniff as all components are well balanced and it isn't overpowering either. Even again a typical JCE fragrance with its airy attribute.

I don't get much of sandalwood, neither milk. The first notes remind me of squeezed suculents like aloe vera or crassula, then the perfume becomes slightly sweeter, it's not the milky sweetness that would make me sick but rather dried fruits sweetness combined with wood.
The sandalwood and massoia are there, furtherly present, distant, such an ideal that the perfume would like to reach but it... I cannot say fails: no, the lasting power is incredible on me, but it's still just a concept of the 'idea of sandalwood', not sandalwood itself - but what else is a perfume: an idea of something material :)

To me, this smells like a sweeter version of Bois Blonds by Atelier Cologne. It's woody and I get the hint of something sweet, almost like vanilla. I didn't smell the coconut note. This fragrance is very light and the staying power is poor.

Hermès Hermessence SANTAL MASSOIA is definitely the nicest sandalwood-centric perfume I've smelled in recent history, and there have been many since sweet sandalwood somehow became designated as "the juice" from which to start many a designer launch. Although the sweetness in this case appears not to be due to vanilla, there's enough sugar in this composition to make it closer to an oriental than a woody perfume. Some gents therefore may find SANTAL MASSOIA too feminine. In the drydown, I detect an emergent (pseudo-)woody fig quality which may or may not appeal to some wearers.

The quasi-coconut milk note (apparently constructed from massoia and "milk") adds creaminess but not the scent of coconut, which will be good news for those who eschew suntan lotion and monoi facsimiles. SANTAL MASSOIA is a very simple perfume. If you like natural-smelling sweet creamy sandalwood, then you'll like this scent, but it's not a complex or provocative perfume. Nonetheless, it wears well, and I would not mind in the least having a bottle of this!

Name :
Santal Massoia (10th Hermessence 2011)

Created by JEAN -Claude Ellena for
Hermessence Collection


Supple
Instinctive
Sensual


The magnetic union of two milky woods,sandalwood and massoia.A foray into the unexpected,a fragrance that is both sweet and pungent,combining the skin-like supplensess of these woods with the warmth of resin and the delicious element of dried fruits and dulce de leche.Strange and familiar in one bottle!!!

Price:180€ -100ml Edt.
290€ - 200ml Edt.
And Nomad Set 4x15ml - 108€ or 12x15ml -312€

Santal Massoia is a nice milky sandalwood scent. Classy, elegant, understated. Hugely overpriced. Absurdly fleeting.

On paper and clothes, SM is honey sweet with a distinct peppery alcohol accord that is only mildly off-putting. On my skin, it is buttery sweet wood and cotton rag, an old cigar box full of postcards. There is something here like a hint of wood glue that keeps SM from becoming cloying or powdery.

None of that matters, though, because like all of the Hermessence line (save Ambre Narguile), thirty minutes after I spray this on, I can't smell it even if I clear my palate and sniff nose to skin.

A nice mild sandlewood/floral scent but at 170 euros it's way, WAY over-priced for what it is. Obviously Hermes set out to make an exclusive line that all the riff-raff couldn't afford when it created the Hermessence Collection.

Also, it has the potency of a cologne, rather than an EDT or EDP.

This smells like Fig to me even though it's not listed, and I see that I am not alone in that thought.
It's soft subtle, and gets a little more creamy and woodsy as it mellows, but to me it's not as fab as many of the other scents in this line.
Has good lasting power and moderate sillage.

After a fresh start, it turns very sweet and milky, but... smells more like a fig milk than a sandalwood. I was waiting for a beautiful milky and natural sandalwood, and Ellena brings us a fig fragrance quite similar to Diptyque's Philosykos. Very disappointing, I can't say if I like it or not.

I' ve tried it today in the Hernes Boutique, one day before it will be in the shelves. Those of you that expecting something smooth and creamy, will probably be a bit disappointed. It is nice, very woody, and as it dries down, it has a hint of a pine smell, a bit like a fresh green christmas tree. I will defenitely go for it!