Santal 33 vs 33 (Smel)

Side-by-Side Notes

How 33 (Smel) Compares to Santal 33

7 of Santal 33's 9 notes show up again in 33 (Smel) — a 78% overlap on paper. Cardamom, Iris, Violet and Papyrus appear in both compositions and do most of the heavy lifting for similarity.

Where they diverge: 33 (Smel) skips Ambrox and Cedarwood and leans on Amber instead. Remember that identical note lists can smell different in practice; concentration and raw materials matter, and that's factored into the similarity score.

33 (Smel) Scores vs Santal 33

How We Score

AI Verdict

Copycat's 33 captures Santal 33's iconic smoky-woody-leather DNA convincingly, nailing the cardamom-violet opening and dry papyrus heart. The primary weakness is the absence of Ambrox, which gives Le Labo's original its distinctive skin-melding, almost radioactive sillage. The clone substitutes generic amber, producing a slightly sweeter, flatter drydown lacking Santal 33's edgy creaminess. Longevity sits around 5–6 hours versus the original's 8–10. At £25–£45 against Santal 33's £200+, the value proposition is exceptional. A solid daily-wear substitute that fools casually but won't satisfy purists who know the original intimately.

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