Carner Barcelona Palo Santo – Smell of Contemporary Mysticism (Shyamala Maisondieu, 2015)

Scentrack

Keith Mansfield - Je Reviens

Palo Santo (Sacred wood) is another name for Guaiac wood, one of my favorite perfume notes. Palo santo is used in holy rituals of South American mystics, and allegedly when lit burns only in the hands of person that holds it. I’m not sure about latter information, but sounds very interesting.

Palo Santo is 2015 unisex release from the Spanish niche house Carner Barcelona. The perfumer behind is Givaudan’s Shyamala Maisondieu.  

Photo by T.D.

As expected the note of Guaiac wood is really pronounced in this fragrance. Dark and burnt Guaiac wood coated in vanilla sugar and milky sweetness with just a few drops of rum and a touch of delicious Tonka bean. The smell of sweet ashes. Boiling sweetened milk is inside of every Guaiac wood pore. A real caramelized wood after pyrolysis of vanilla-sugary Guaiac.

On my skin Palo Santo is almost completely linear, and sometimes even extremely sweet. After around 6 hours the woody symphony slowly fades away, and hidden, silky vetiver emerges from the base. A distinctive feature of this fragrance that sometimes smells too female on man (too sweet), and too masculine on woman (too woody). A gender chameleon.

The sacred Guaiac wood is successfully translocated to urban landscape. The smell of eternity compressed in present. I enjoy wearing during city walks in winter or relaxing in bars with wooden interiors. Also, Palo Santo is perfect for winter chilling at home, by the fireside if possible.

To find the contemporary mystic inside yourselves.

Photo by T.D

Longevity/ Projection

Very good (6-10 hours) / Average

Suggested Wearing

Autumn or winter evening (by the fireside).

Alternatives

Frapin – Caravelle Epicee (great spiced Guaiac)

Comme des Garcons – Wonderwood (mixture of fresh woods, Guaiac included)

Costume National – 21 (milky semigourmand)

Pros

Very nice woody gourmand for autumn and winter

Great Guaiac wood for Guaiac lovers

Nice heavy bottle with huge wooden top

Cons

Too challenging for someone (Guaiac – milk combo)

Too sweet

Limited use

Price

Rating

8 / 10