10 Best Smelling Sandalwood Perfumes for Ladies

Sandalwood is an extremely popular note in both men’s and women’s fragrances. It’s also huge in soaps and body washes. There’s just something about this particular wood note that just draws people in. Most of the time, it’s merely a piece of the composition, and not the overall star.

However, since people love it so much, perfumers have met the demand and created scents built around sandalwood. In this post, I want to explore some of the best options for women, who are looking for a great perfume that is highlighted by sandalwood.

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What are the Best Sandalwood Fragrances for Her?

Before getting into the list, I want to state, that these aren’t presented in any sort of ranked order. Each of these scents, offers something different, while using the sandalwood note and still being the best to do it. There should be something here for just about every taste or style.

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Sandalwood & Spice

Tom Ford Santal Blush Eau De Parfum, 1.7 Ounce– Santal Blush is smooth and low key. This is a sandalwood scent that is paired with exotic spices, that don’t overpower the composition. It’s woody, floral, spicy, and beautiful.

It opens with a full array of interesting spices, such as caraway and pepper. Then, it takes on its floral phase, with ylang-ylang. Yet, the peppery spice remains throughout and sits on top of the ever-present sandalwood…which is a bit sweet itself.

Santal Blush is pretty simple and straightforward, but a great fragrance nonetheless, to serve as a main wear or to serve as a base to pair with another perfume. Really gorgeous entry from Tom Ford.

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Warm, Sweet, and Milky

Santal Massoia by Hermes– Resinous, milky, smooth, with hints of dried fruits keeping it all together. This Hermes perfume combines our sandalwood note with a similar wood, massoia.

The combination of the two along with dulce de leche, help to create a delicious creaminess to the unique woody aroma. The floral notes are there, but not distinct, more like an impression of the whole bouquet. Soft touches, not a garden.

It’s like a fresh, milky sandalwood fig aroma. The dried fruits adding some sweetness underneath. This Hermes is on the upper end of the price spectrum, though, well worth giving a try if you’re a sandalwood fan.

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Blended Sandalwood

Samsara by Guerlain for Women – 3.3 oz EDP Spray– Feminine floral with sandalwood. Intoxicating jasmine and iris create that familiar powdery aroma with a creamy finish. It’s been around for decades, so, there are different formulations at this point…which yield slightly different results.

Samsara still opens with it’s fruity notes of peach and citrus, leading the way, and its light floral ingredients just beginning to come through. That phase is short-lived and the flowers really take on a stronger role, with ylang-ylang, iris, rose, and jasmine being the major players.

Finally, the rest of the wear becomes sweeter and warmer, with tonka bean, vanilla, and our sandalwood note. Powdery, fresh, warm, creamy, and sweet. Beyond that, a fantastic performer, that will last for many hours.

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Sandalwood and Iris

Santal Austral by Matiere Premiere– Creamy, powdery, and with a kick of benzoin in the base. Santal Austral starts things off with its velvety iris note sitting on top of the sandalwood along with almond milk…or at least that the aroma it gives off.

The base stars a tonka bean which adds to the effect, with the benzoin coming through in the latter stages.

It opens with a bit of sweetness. Then, the warmth and dryness of the remaining notes really start to come in, while it retains that iris powder. Though, that’s not an overwhelming aspect, since Santal Austral has a solid balance.

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Santal and Woods

Diptyque Tam Dao Eau de Toilette-1.7 oz– Another more of a pure bred sandalwood scent. This one is definitely a woodsy/forest type of fragrance with other notes such as cedar and cypress. Has a very dry and soft aroma.

Unisex, but leans more toward the masculine end of things. Tam Dao features a light rose, in the opening, before moving to its woody rest of the wear.

The sandalwood comes off as fresh, probably due to the strong cedar and cypress combo. Plus, there is a nice amber note, which helps to warm and soothe.

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Warm and Smoky 

Sensuous by Estee Lauder for Women – 3.4 Ounce EDP Spray- A sweeter take on sandalwood with a honey notes and a warm sort of smoky profile. Sensuous is one for the colder months of the year, as it really stands out in the freezing weather.

As its name suggests, Sensuous is sexier and more alluring perfume than the previous entries. It is still not a heavy scent, but one that is quite intriguing to experience with its notes of amber, black pepper, sandalwood, magnolia, and ghost lily.

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Smooth Creed Sandalwood

Creed Santal Eau De Parfum Spray for Unisex, 4 Ounce– Usually thought of as a men’s fragrance but Original Santal is definitely one that falls in the unisex category. This is a scent that really grew on me, the more that I wore it.

It is sandalwood that is paired well with a slightly spicy cinnamon and smooth vanilla and tonka bean notes.  A very nice scent to wear in the wintertime, not very loud, but sweet and inviting.

I don’t really want to call it a gourmand, but the vanilla/cinnamon, do make it feel somewhat edible at times. Ultimately, the sandalwood is what this one is all about.  Read my full Review of Creed Original Santal.

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Beautiful Serge Lutens Fragrance

Serge Lutens Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, Santal Majuscule, 1.7 Ounce– Simple and rather straightforward affair. Santal Majuscule has a certain darkness to it, underneath the rich sandalwood, with the bitter sweetness of unprocessed cacao.

Not for everyone, but a very interesting scent, indeed. The cacao isn’t too prevalent, after the start, and it’s more about the rose note flanking the sandalwood.

Santal Majuscule is an all-day wear, with moments of being powdered, then it feels sweeter and creamy. Very nice and popular perfume from Serge Lutens.

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Greenish & Leather

Le Labo ‘Santal 33’ Eau de Parfum 0.025 oz Sample– A great performing fragrance that has a unique ‘greenish’ woodsy smell and a nice leather note to go along with it. There is a bit of spice to it, but Santal 33 can also come across as sour on some folks.

This is a fragrance that really depends on your body chemistry and the batch to see how well it turns out. The leather note gives it some uniqueness from many other sandalwood perfume options for women. It is a unisex scent.

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Tropical Sandalwood Vibes

Pacifica Beauty Sandalwood Spray Perfume, 1 Ounce– Sandalwood perfume that is blended with tropical citrus fruit. The orange and tangerine are most prevalent in the early stages, but the sandalwood comes out, during the dry down period.

Gives you some sweetness (especially up front), in that familiar citrus way, before coming across with a cleaner and classic fragrance vibe. A nice and affordable sandalwood option. You can usually find bottles in the $10-20 range.