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Santal Austral 2019 Eau de Parfum

7.6 / 10 389 Ratings
A popular perfume by Matière Première for women and men, released in 2019. The scent is woody-creamy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Woody
Creamy
Sweet
Spicy
Powdery

Fragrance Notes

Australian sandalwoodAustralian sandalwood Almond milkAlmond milk Siam benzoin absoluteSiam benzoin absolute Venezuelan tonka bean absoluteVenezuelan tonka bean absolute Florentine iris absoluteFlorentine iris absolute

Perfumer

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Ratings
Scent
7.6389 Ratings
Longevity
7.9320 Ratings
Sillage
7.2320 Ratings
Bottle
7.7294 Ratings
Value for money
6.8247 Ratings
Submitted by OPomone, last update on 11/12/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Santal Austral (Extrait de Parfum) by Matière Première
Santal Austral Extrait de Parfum
6 Place Saint Sulpice by Yves Saint Laurent
6 Place Saint Sulpice
Lys Sølaberg by Maison Crivelli
Lys Sølaberg
Bois d'Ébène by Matière Première
Bois d'Ébène
Milk by Commodity
Milk
L'Insomnuit by Robert Piguet
L'Insomnuit

Reviews

25 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Mistersiri

7 Reviews
Mistersiri
Mistersiri
8  
Creamy sandalwood signature-worthy scent
This year for my birthday I wanted to get a versatile scent that I could use opposite to my beloved Bleu de Chanel EDP, especially in colder months. Nothing wrong with BdC, it's just that since I approached the world of artistic perfumery I wanted to wear something more unique and that could match more my personality in order, for me, to get recognized with it.

I was mainly interested in a woody sandalwood fragrance, because I love this note and I am not too much into fougere or amber fragrance.
I live in a small town in Tuscany, but after I visited some locale perfumeries I couldn't find something that really convinced me: many sandalwood I tried (Tam Dao, Mojave Ghost, Santal du Pacifique) were too dry, too floral or just something I didn't feel mine. So, I decided to go to Florence to try some offers from brands that I didn't find in my town: I entered a shop to try Santal Calling by Ex Nihilo, and the super nice salesman suggested me to sample it with Santal Austral by Matiere Première on the skin and on paper. Because they seems pretty similar, I took a week to smell them again and to think about what fragrance I'd prefer the most before making the purchase, and in the end I went with Santal Austral.

First, what I loved about this creation by Matiere Première was his opening: not overly sweet, enveloping and soft enough, I can smell iris and almond milk a lot throughout up to the first five minutes after I spray.
However, the main selling point to me was the drydown, in which this creamy sandalwood blends really well with tonka bean: the result is an impressive, warm white wood scent that feels really relaxing and cozy.

The performance is better than I expected on me: very good longevity (up to 12+ hours, I could smell it after a whole day at work) and decent sillage (I received a compliment after almost 4 hours of 5 sprays on the back and side of the neck, chest area and wrists). I find this perfume versatile (even though I'd only wear this on not too hot evenings in summer) and unisex, even though the Iris here tends to lean more masculine in my opinion.

Santal Austral is a signature worthy scent by a very interesting house, and I am looking forward to wear it a lot from now on.
0 Comments
Omnipotato

397 Reviews
Omnipotato
Omnipotato
Helpful Review 4  
Simple smooth sandalwood
If you're looking for a simple sandalwood fragrance without the "pickle" scent of Santal 33 Eau de Parfum, this is the fragrance for you. Just a stunning sandalwood accord flanked by tonka and iris, that just adds to the milky, creamy, powdery feel of the sandalwood. I think that beautiful, simple accords are underrated among fragheads, with folks just saying, "oh it's just sandalwood." But there is definitely something to be said about minimalism and beautiful simplicity in your scent. Performance is good, but sillage is subtle, you'll be getting whiffs of it throughout the day but not consistently. Good for an inoffensive office fragrance you can wear in any weather.
0 Comments
Razvanyke

215 Reviews
Razvanyke
Razvanyke
Helpful Review 4  
Creamy goodness with Tonka
Like it says on the bottle, we talk here about Australian Sandalood which gives a very nice, inoffensive and creamy aspect to the composition.

It reminds me a bit of Sily Woods from Goldfield and Banks and to be honest they are both extremely high quality and natural smelling. The beautiful sandalwood note which Santal 33 has is not to be found here, maybe it is mixed so well with the other ingredients and it does not pop up like in Le Labo.

Sweet, romantic, shy and close to the skin sandalwood is not the summary which I would like for my perfume and unfortunately Santal Austral is matching the profile exactly. I like Silky Woods more, with its stronger projection and character.

But of course, smelling the Matiere Premiere from a paper will not offer the full spectrum of the scent as spraying it on the skin will .. so this review will be edited, in case things change.
0 Comments
Philyrae

21 Reviews
Philyrae
Philyrae
4  
An Alternative Sandalwood
Damning with praise, my highest compliments for this is what it is *not*. This is not anything like Santal 33 or any of its imitators. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Santal 33 but many of its detractors find it dusty, dirty, and screechy. Well, the wood here in Santal Austral is instead highly polished, cleanly cut, glossy, lacquered, and sings with sweetness all the way through.

And boy, is it sweet. Everything from this house turns super sweet on my skin, but YMMV. What some people have mentioned as cotton candy sweetness and/or rubber in the opening of Matiere Premier fragrances I get as a bubblegum & medical machine plastic.

I get the iris, benzoin and tonka notes in this but only a hint of nuttiness rather than almond milk per se. This is a unique sandalwood worth checking out but unfortunately the level of sweetness is overwhelming on me.
0 Comments
Kurai

388 Reviews
Kurai
Kurai
4  
A rare occurrence
What you see is what you get. By reading the name or the note list, you will get a pretty clear image of what to expect. A sandalwood theme with just a few notes to enhance its softer aspects. Simple but effective.

This is not purely a sandalwood scent. There is a lot of benzoin and tonka going on. For me this is a rare occurrence where I find the amount of benzoin too high for my tolerance normally, but here I sort of "get it" and I actually enjoy it. Tonka beans, idem ditto. They both pair surprisingly well with the sandal and emphasize its creamy, milky sensation without overdoing it. The effect is slightly vanillic sometimes, but not so sweet or gourmand.

For a "pure sandalwood" scent, this is a bit too diluted with other notes. On the other hand, for it to be a full-blown perfume, maybe it is lacking some florals. Overdressed or underdressed? Either way it is delicious.
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Statements

90 short views on the fragrance
5
Beautiful creamy milky sandalwood with astonishing blending. Tonka is supporting the woodiness well in here. Need a large bottle asap
0 Comments
3
Sweetened wood drowned in a glass of milk
0 Comments
3
The most sensual milky sandalwood with spices and an almondy feeling. Simple, yet charming. Longevity is great on skin, projection is low.
0 Comments
2
Subtle iris and sandalwood concoction with smooth milky and amber facets. Feels more airy and lighter compared to extrait. Designer-esque.
0 Comments
2 years ago
2
Milky sweet Iris. I was surprised, the sandalwood was quiet here.
0 Comments
2
A straight forward sandalwood with benzoin and vanilla. Smooth and creamy. Good for all occassions and seasons
0 Comments
1
Starts off aromatic-warm spicy, but quickly falls into a slightly powdery sandalwood-iris profile w/ poor projection. Unisex, spring-summer.
0 Comments
1
Don't go in expecting Tam Dao or Santal 33 - this is a milky, velvety soft approach to sandalwood that nuzzles the skin gently.
0 Comments
2 months ago
1
good not great. Pleasant but forgettable sandalwood. Could be nice for layering but this doesn't justify the price
0 Comments
7 months ago
Nice creamy woody fragrance, but a bit basic for me. I would try BDK Gris Charnel before buying this.
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