Sandalwood as devotion — a 1989 meditation on Mysore sandalwood so lavish it could never be made again at the same scale.
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Sensory Profile
Composition
Concentration Eau de Parfum
Style Classical
Notable Ingredients
ylang-ylang jasmine narcissus sandalwood tonka bean vanilla iris
Olfactory Structure
Family Oriental
Evolution Moderate
Sillage 7/10
Character
Moods
meditative sensual opulent
Season
Autumn Winter
Occasion
EveningThematic Territory
A Buddhist temple at dawn — sandalwood incense curling through golden light, jasmine petals on cool stone. Spiritual devotion expressed through luxurious materials.
Era & Context
Classical
Jean-Paul Guerlain's most personal creation, named after the Sanskrit concept of the cycle of rebirth. Built around Mysore sandalwood — the most expensive variety — in quantities that would be financially impossible today. A monument to sandalwood that Le Labo Santal 33 would later reinterpret through a minimalist lens.
Spiritual Links
Influences
Influenced
Le Labo Santal 33 Sandalwood as the central protagonist of a fragrance — Samsara's baroque approach stripped to minimalist essentials
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