Best Black Cashmere by Donna Karan Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Santal takes its inspiration from a Sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s which has then been given a distinctive contemporary edge.

A celebration of great British eccentricity and all-round mischievous behaviour. This unique fragrance is an ode to the Mad Squire, his legacy of a life lived knowing no bounds and his fiendish love for outlandish stunts. This composition contains broad lashings of velvety woody opulence, finished with the earthy undertones of society’s eventual condemnation.

Squire Jack is an aromatic, oriental and woody perfume created for the rule breaker; this is a scent above all that captivates that free spirit of those that can’t just help but dare.

White is a bright and lively fragrance built around the friction between hot spices and suave florals. The cinnamon, clove and cardamom opening suggests candied red hots, which makes it all the more surprising when the melange of rose de Mai and lily of the valley softly asserts itself. The undertone of tagete, with its bitter herbalness, keeps White from getting too “pretty-pretty”.

A fresh herbaceous blend with a sunny grapefruit at the center of the composition.

Bon Parfumeur open olfactive dimensions and invite you to add your own story. Try 701 if you like cool spices such as cardamom, sunny citrus nuances and refreshing greenness  of eucalyptus. 

Perfumer: Benoist Lapouza.

“Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Le Mat explodes with sweet earth, heaven-sent patchouli anchoring a sensual chypré homage of rosa centifolia from Grasse, the strange complexities of immortelle, cloves, black pepper and Egyptian geranium.  A talisman of balsamic blessed absolution that will boldly defend mind and body.

A perfume of divination and tarotology. Le Mat, the Fool, Jester and Journeyman, also a symbol of chance, enigma and propulsion, end and beginning. It’s a card of 0 and XXII, a powerful icon of the Major Arcana, cards of symbols and numbers that portend future and fate.  We must turn over cards and accept fate, walk forward into new futures, lives and loves. We may not have all the tools for survival, but we have hope and defiance.

The colors of the day are melting. In the shadows, feelings take surprising shapes. The night is calling. Softness is in the air. Silent connections form. The alchemy is real. Two shadows. One.

Sombra is a dirty shadow of tough rose and oud, spiced with saffron and nutmeg. Tolu balsam bathes the composition in a twilight effect of almost-sweet tobacco and leather, for an animalic result that purrs.

A woody choir with sandalwood singing lead. Vetiver, oud and incense lift their voices in a grounding blend that highlights the coziness of sandalwood. Pepper adds percussion and punctuation, adding liveliness to the friendliness.

A voluptuous amber built around the formidable floral trio of magnolia, peony and Bulgarian rose. Adding spice to the headiness is nutmeg and cardamom, and the lusciousness is heightened by a custardy vanilla, with a playful wink of tangerine. Tender orange blossom further encourages the decadence. Laetitia features millesimé notes: like in fine wines and liqueurs, these are the extracts obtained from the best years of production.

January 1618 A Japanese Galleon, the Pacific Ocean

Following a diplomatic mission to the West, a galleon carrying a delegation of samurai charges through dark ocean currents. Loaded with a rare and precious cargo, the ship’s hull is redolent of sweet-smelling tropical woods, heady Spanish leather, frankincense, fine black pepper and other exotic ground spices—the intoxicating spirit of a singular, extraordinary voyage of discovery.

A good perfume to visit if your are in a search for perfect true sandalwood,  smoky and a touch dirty. Arquiste carefully selected the companions for its sandal in this formula: tea and osmanthus, coffee, myrrh and stryrax and others to give it a dark, sensual depth.

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GQ US on Nanban:

"This is my signature scent. I wear it all the time. And let me tell you: I’ve never worn something that has gotten so many compliments—no sunglasses, no sneakers, no full-body rubber suit. People actually turn their heads and ask me what I'm wearing. And then they jot down the product name. Arquiste’s masterpiece introduces itself with Malabar black pepper and Persian saffron, gives way to coffee, sandalwood, myrrh, and Spanish leather, and embraces you all day with a blanket of frankincense, balsam, and cade juniper."

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Financial Times' resident perfume writer Victoria Frolova on Nanban:

"... approach coffee notes creatively. Instead of mimicking nature, a perfumer instead might fashion a blend that hints at coffee’s pleasing bitterness and heady richness. Such is Arquiste’s Nanban (£160 for 100ml EDP). The composition uses a plush backdrop of woods to frame the smoky, spicy notes of myrrh and incense, with an accent of coffee to lend the composition a dark, delicious twist. It teases with its smoky, nutty warmth, but keeps its presence mellow behind layers of sandalwood and leather."

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Tiger Rouge summons the mythical Red Tiger, embodying the soul of the Indian wilderness. Fierce black pepper, pimento and paprika contrast with blood orange and lemon myrtle, with cinnamon and cloves weaving through the landscape. Muscular Hainan oud and Indian vetiver put meat on the bones, while rose, cherry and pomegranate add bright, voluptuous beauty.