Tam Dao Eau de Toilette Diptyque for women and men

Tam Dao Eau de Toilette Diptyque for women and men

main accords
woody
aromatic
powdery
warm spicy

Perfume rating 4.06 out of 5 with 3,777 votes

Tam Dao Eau de Toilette by Diptyque is a Floral Woody Musk fragrance for women and men. Tam Dao Eau de Toilette was launched in 2003. Top notes are Italian Cypress, Myrtle and Rose; middle notes are Sandalwood and Cedar; base notes are Brazilian Rosewood, Spices, Amber and White Musk.

Read about this perfume in other languages: Deutsch, Español, Français, Čeština, Italiano, Русский, Polski, Português, Ελληνικά, 汉语, Nederlands, Srpski, Română, العربية, Українська, Монгол, עברית.

Pros

Pros

47
4
Warm, still and calm
43
3
Intimate and understated
38
4
Nice scent
30
4
Realistic sandalwood scent
16
2
Clear preference for EDT
15
5
Best sandalwood fragrance
7
7
Represents childhood memories
6
17
Outstanding longevity
Cons

Cons

42
4
Not suitable for those who dislike cypress or woody scents
30
11
Linear sandalwood scent with no variation for some wearers
28
15
Poor silage and longevity
10
11
Expensive compared to other sandalwood fragrances
7
6
EDT is too dry or sawdusty on some skin types
7
10
Underwhelming on some skin types
5
13
Cypress note can be overpowering
3
20
EDP may be too sweet or feminine for some

Note: The pros and cons listed on this page have been generated using the artificial intelligence system, which analyzes product reviews submitted by our members. While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, we cannot guarantee the complete accuracy or reliability of the AI-generated pros and cons. Please read the full reviews and consider your own needs and preferences before making a purchasing decision.

Fragram Photos
Perfume Pyramid

Top Notes

Italian Cypress
Myrtle
Rose

Middle Notes

Sandalwood
Cedar

Base Notes

Brazilian Rosewood
Spices
Amber
White Musk

Fragrantica® Trends is a relative value that shows the interest of Fragrantica members in this fragrance over time.

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Perfume longevity:2.87 out of5.

Perfume sillage:2.02 out of4.

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All Reviews By Date

piggy_pigself

Among all wood perfumes I have ever smelled, this is the best!! Wood perfumes are either too sharp or too sweet to me, especially sandalwood. But Tam Dao smells just right, like oriental wooden furniture. Very peaceful, calm, balanced. Like having meditation in a room with all Southeast Asian wooden furniture around you.

The only bad thing is, the smell disappear in 5 mins........I thought my nose has problem until I saw other comments here......maybe i will try EDP instead

adddddac

A very specific image comes to mind whenever I smell Tam Dao: visiting a traditional hanok village in korea while snacking on a paper bag full of toasted hazelnuts. Maybe on a chilly day, when it's still early in the morning and there's not many visitors yet, so you can enjoy the little sounds of nature around you. That kind of zen, dry and slightly dusty woody olfactory experience.
My favorite type of scent. Poetic, meditative, introspetive. Love love love

igorvida87

Definitely not my cup of tea, and I’m not saying it is a bad fragrance but sure too expensive for what it is. The scent is amazing on the bottle’s cap when you first remove it. Opening is a little too alcoholic for my liking and the Italian cypress is overpowering for the first minutes, reminding me of a very famous cypress disinfectant popular in the Brazilian household.

The dry down is good, sharp sandalwood that gave my skin that freshly washed skin scent that went a little bit under the sun. It does remind me of the smell of sophisticated furniture. The rose and the white musk are present but very subtle, I really wish it didn’t have the Italian cypress at all.

Won’t be purchasing a full bottle, but will try layering it with Maison Louis Marie Number 04 (creamy, soft, powdery sandalwood!) to save the 10ml bottle I have at home.

Btskhn01

Dissapears quickly...
140 euro for 30 min longevity with no sillage???
Crapp

anna1987

Didn’t like the initial spray - dry down is nice - reminds me of a warmer version of Gypsy Water

adeymeaza

This scent is a smooth, powdery, aromatic sandalwood, and for an EDT I'm impressed by its longevity and projection. I let my friend wear it to dinner and I could smell it on him all night. To me this is a true unisex fragrance that is so comforting, but I can see where people say it leans more masculine. I'm glad to have this in my collection and unless I find something to replace it with, I would definitely repurchase this.

chuufromloona

tranquil and meditative. smooth, soft, powdery woods. love to wear this to bed

SaadAnwer

The only reason I haven't given this fragrance a hate is because the dry down isn't so bad. The smell you get for the majority of the time is just wood with a side of wood. Glad I got it as part of a free Diptyque cosmetics set because it's not worth paying for at all

kawag

this could very much embody my experience living in oxford - a hint of sticky sweet barely noticeable next to the cypress.. and also a sense of lavender..?

gedlive

Great calming woody fragrance. Woods are very natural, Myrtle is a great herbal touch.
Getting some nice cypress in the open, then more sandalwood, cedar and a bit of rosewood.

Pearlgunn

I gave it a hard try, but it’s just waaaay to soapy. Like a bar of sandalwood soap in the dollar store. Dry, catches in my throat. I can almost feel my eyes stinging… a definite no.

sykcore

smells like the inside of a petco… 🤮

kitkatya

aromatic in the same way aesop fragrances are. initial smokiness excited me but the dry down is kind of boring. not very into it

cafeyleche

I love this fragrance layered with Santal 33. I googled what to layer with it and a bunch of people on Reddit said not to layer the two fragrances because of their unique "dna" that are stand alone and I said, "I do what I want." I am so happy that I did because it is a beautiful work friendly combination. I love both fragrances on their own but this combo is magic, warm and wonderful for crisp Winter weather in Europe.

xiaobreynold

I also got some strong Encre Noire A L’extreme vibe..

gbvfx

Amazing initial smell but literally never had a fragrance disappear so quickly.... I put 6 sprays on and 20 mins later neither me or my wife could smell anything. Weird! Dodgy batch?

Emmetsmom

I tried this for the first time in the summer and didn’t really enjoy it. Gave it another go in the fall (40 degrees) and I think it’s so light and beautiful. Spicy, but not too spicy. Dry but not to dry. Floral but not too sweet. This might have just made my top 10?

xdwward

I love this scent as it is such a milky woody perfume on my skin. However, the longevity and sillage is not that good and not worth a repurchase. It is good to pair with Eau Duelle or as a base perfume, or if you spray it at nighttime before you sleep.

Note: review is based on tropical, humid climate

sexybreakfast

Love this scent. So easy to wear and layers nicely with soft floral scents. On its own, it is a dry woody scent that adapts to the temperature. I find it really very linear in colder weather, but the floral notes shine through during spring and summer.
This is my go-to for a laid back but sophisticated scent. I will definitely be repurchasing when my bottle is empty.

AP Riyadh

Dusty, Dry, Linear, Clear, Woody with soft florals.
It’s a very calming scent profile and creates an aura of sophistication as a skin scent.
Good scent bubble for 1-2 hrs.
Very versatile and an easy grab.
Masculine leaning from my perspective.
Shukran Habibi!

f4iry

this smells soo milky and pretty to me. an easy grab

AsifSultan

Reminds me of Bentley Absolute and Papyrus Oud. Very poor projection.

stenchy

A simplistic fragrance that really grew on me the more I wore it. A creamy, dusty sandalwood with faint touches of aromatics at play. The kind of thing to wear when you want a ‘break’ from fragrances but still want a pleasant aura. Generally really nice. Would work all seasons except summer.

tdsmelbourne

Dry, clean & woody. This is a great Sandalwood fragrance, it shares a lot of similarities to CDG Wonderoud, however I find it a little more refined. Definitely able to be worn in all seasons, however best suited to spring and autumn. Very unisex.

amanitaceae

exactly what i imagine a spa resort for billionaires would smell like. one of my favourite fragrances to smell on a man. the scent is wonderful, but for the 3-4hr longevity the price is ridiculous.

newnature

Sandalwood, yes. It opens up quite woody, but gets sweeter and less masculine by the hour. I got exponentially more disappointed by this. Gave it to my mom, she loves it.

ZorbaTheBuddha29

This is a fantastic perfume if you love woody and especially sandalwood perfumes.
This on my skin lasts for a couple of hours, and the sillage is rather intimate. Thus, for the price I think this very expensive. Yes, the sandalwood and cedar notes are predominant but I do smell other notes in the opening which slowly fade away.
I would recommend trying out the edp version of this one assuming that it lasts long.
To sum it up, I would say - A fantastic perfume but unfortunately suffers from longevity and sillage issues.

washudtoj

Sandalwaood sandalwood sandalwood ... with some cedar.

Smells like wooden furniture. I like it, though I'll stick with the cheapie that I have called 'Armored Perfume no. 2 - White Priest.' They smell quite similar in that they both make me smell like a piece of wooden furniture. Very dry yet pleasant scent.

For the price asked, Tam Dao is, unfortunately, overrated. I still like it, but boy are there other cheaper scents out there that smell similar to this one. Burberry Hero (EdT) comes to mind, as well, though Hero isn't as pleasant as Tam Dao.

Whateverwhocares

Nice white 🪵 woody scent. Nothing special. More heart of the woods / soil of the earth type stuff that this house is known for. Objectively good.

PapaTLooch

Lotta money for something that dries down to straight up cedar/sandalwood but it IS a nice, clean, creamy sandalwood.

goldfilm

I agree with those saying this is a subtle masterpiece. Not all the fragrances have to be complex and evolving. Actually sandalwood is my favorite element in fragrances, and I don’t mind at all if a straightforward sandal note is there from beginning to end. I wish Creed Green Irish Tweed stayed there in the fresh forest opening instead of evolving into a niche Cool Water. I wish Pasha Cartier EDP stayed there in the second hour with reminiscences of Ralph Lauren Safari instead of evolving into flowery notes that don’t go very well with my skin. So the fact that Tam Dao EDT is kind of unidimensional is a blessing IMHO.

I don’t get cedar focus notes like many of the reviews mention. For me Tam Dao is a much subtler and approachable Tom Ford Santal Blush or Kilian Sacred Wood. I love sandalwood but not on steroids, when it becomes too creamy or waxy. Tam Dao EDT has the perfect balance, even better than the EDP version which brings other notes, longevity and evolution. Tam Dao EDT is a sandal fragrance I could wear all year and in any occasion, even coming out of the shower, not thinking about it or paying attention or trying to appreciate its dimensions. I get around 4-5 hours on my wrists until it becomes a skin scent, and 6-7 hours on my neck with just one puff. What a beauty.

Manjusaka

Một trong những mùi gỗ xuất sắc nhất mà tôi biết
Độ lưu hương khá ổn tầm 6 tiếng
Đa dụng, dùng quanh năm được, và ăn đứt santal 33, cho santal 33 ra chuồng gà 🤣

Wiktor1a

Most sandalwood fragrances tend to gain a milky quality on my skin, this one stays very dry throughout each wear and that’s why it manages to stand out.

fishburdens

I’ve had this perfume for weeks before I finally worked out what it smells like to me. It’s like taking a deep breath of the inside of an old wooden box, which was once used to store incense and rose potpourri. The hint of sweet floral moves this away from what would otherwise be a very straightforward oriental woody scent. It’s a very comforting, peaceful fragrance that has a little more to it than what meets the eye (nose).

fig&freesia

Super cosy and woody. It's a perfect cold weather scent.

Basically lot of cedar wood and sandal wood with a creamy background. To be honest, I was able to easily replicate the effect by using cedar wood, sandal wood and musk oil blend. It creates a lovely skin scent.

lihsinhsu

I suppose it's pleasant, but I don't want to ever smell like a freshly sharpened pencil so this is not for me.

curiecurie

Pretty light fragrance, I spray this liberally when I'm home over winter break. So cozy and comforting, but also an interesting scent to enjoy on your own.

It's very linear; opens woody/spicy and dries warm. No smokey acrid notes, which is a big plus. Just pure shaved cedar.

tanaC

BATCH 35951061
(July 2021, Straight dip-tube for reference).

I very love Tam Dao EDT - this ship my boat, I own EDP period before got this.
I full wear EDP 2 times and I found it a bit too creamy and focus heavily on Sandalwood.

This is a slight focus on Cedar and feel a tad more ruff (like real wood).
And aromatic component didn't as limey / green like Tam Dao EDP.
Develop of this is linear like most Diptyque and projection / longevity is very lite in Jo Malone manner.
(I feel JML English Oak & Hazelnut is stronger than this.)

This wear around 6 hours before fade significantly,
projection start moderate around 1 hours before becoming skin scent.

This smell closer to my favorite TF Bois Marocain.
I really like it a bit more than EDP for now, may be my nose will change later on.

for now I give this an 9 out of 10

Longevity : 1-2 of projection, becomes linger skin-scent type.
=====
Edit 1 : April 14, 2023

Update : I think Tam Dao EDT is very lite fragrance, It smell like faint wood compare to EDP.

However I think one person above mention that this is good base is spot on.

I layer this with Jo Malone, English oak and Hazelnut and I bring the woody experience to the next level, it smell like Nutty wood delight.

I will reduce this to 8/10 just EDP is a bit superior as scent but it is very useful as base for other fragrance.
=====
Final note; (Jun 28, 2023)

I am bidding my farewell to TAMDAO edt as the scent was to similar to edp.
I keep the edp as it is a true expereince for enjoying TAMDAO.

MatheaR

This starts off very pungent, a masculine leaning amber. I really did not like it at first. As it dried down however, the woods came peaking through, making for a much more nuanced and pleasant scent.
I’m transported to what I only can describe as a clean bathroom in a 70’s wooden cabin, somewhere in Italy. It is very warm, very comforting, and strangely familiar. I like the dry down, but I’d wish the myrtle away in favor of a sharper floral note, as it get’s a bit too cloying when combined with the creamy sandalwood.
There is a perfect touch of sweetness in the air of this scent, yet when I bury my nose in my wrist it hides behind walls of cedar. It’s intimate, yet best experienced at the slightest distance.

eefs

This is....fine. It's a straight forward dry woody scent with some musky undertones. The cedarwood kind of overpowers everything but the dry down is pleasant enough. Performance and projection are poor and it's definitely not worth the price tag.

tedixvitok

A gentle and soft sandalwood. Primarily masculine imo, but could work on the right woman as well. The opening has a slight green touch for a few seconds and then settles into what you'll get basically for the rest of this fragrance's life. The performance is tame to say the least, but I actually prefer the edt as it projects less and the scent is better from up close anyway. I do get a slight similarity to Wonderwood, but tam dao is gentler, sweeter and more dusty. Wonderwood is more rugged, stronger and more bitter and gives me migraines, which tam dao thankfully doesn't

aaronmy

In the opening, this to my nose smells like tree bark. But I read some reviews below and now that I'm thinking about it, I can smell what other reviewers may be meaning. This is more tolerable on the dry down because it smells like a lovely pinecone (my personal best reference), but the opening is rough. And it doesn't perform. This isn't something I'd like to smell like so, I think if you're someone who likes woody fragrances, and something that smells like realistic pinecones then this is for you, but it's not for someone like me.

cait_lynne

This scent is really sophisticated and beautiful. Unisex, high quality and smells deliciously smoky, woody and spicy. It’s a very dry scent, not overly complex and is suitable for most occasions. I do find the performance to be a major letdown though, it disappears very quickly and I probably wouldn’t repurchase for that reason.

Messidor

Not much to do with Mahayana temples in East Asia. Here, if incense is used, the scent is more gunpowdery than sandalwood-y or woody or incensy. Sandalwood is connected with Buddhism here NOT via the use of incense, BUT via literary works.
Probably resembles more those temples in southeast Asia. Honestly I can't verify this hypothesis. (btw, the Occidental imaginations of oriental scents or ambiance often fail to satisfy oriental tastes. E.g. tea notes. The alleged tea notes in most of the perfumes are NOT AT ALL authentic smell of pure tea.)
Nevertheless, it's a nice woody scent that focuses on cypress, sandalwood and cedar and that is not pungent. The price is not budget friendly.

endlic

不討厭的味道,檀香的味道非常強烈,甚至有點刺鼻。但因為周遭有人使用,太有記憶點,只能打入冷宮先...悲傷。

Shaven

This just reminds me so much of the Buddhist temples in the mountains where I had visited as a young girl. When you pass under the entrance and stand near the old wooden structure where the burning incense is placed, you will undoubtedly smell something very Tam Dao-ish. I stumbled upon certain perfume review site of my native country to confirm my conviction. Yes, a lot of people there mentioned "temple smell".

Tam Dao is very dry cedar-sandalwood scent, not the floral/creamy one I find so attractive. It is by no means complex smell, just simple woody aroma subtly dressed with spices and greens. I feel comfortable and serene wearing this.

Shui-Xian

Amazing opening! Aromatic, spicy, fresh. Itslian cypress smells to me like conifer, beautifuly green in snowy landscape, full of sap and resin.

Then comes a dry woodiness, straight sandalwood with hint of cedar. Rose and rosewood adds nobility to the compositon and turns a bit masculine scent into more gentle, unisex fragrance.

I am dissapointed by base. Comes with sweetness and the musk I found buttery, cumbersome. Not unpleasant but it is not so airy and bright as the opening aroma. Maybe it just didn't go well with my personal chemistry.

Tam Dao is high-class scent, serene, sophisticated. Just not safe blind buy. Let yourself be ...amazed?... first. :-)

CobraRose

Tam Dao is basically about sandalwood. The opening is raw and rough, almost splintery–probably the cypress. There’s almost a rosy tinge to it, too. I don’t know how rosewood smells, but I can imagine it smelling like this. The fragrance quickly settles down to a beautiful creamy sandalwood, smooth and soothing. There isn’t much more I can say about it, but nothing more needs to be said.

QuincesI

So on me, it holds up really well.

It's a perfume I've worn a lot (after one bottle of the EDP, I had made a mistake and ordered the EDT, so I kept it), and I liked it a lot too, even if it is indeed simple and shallow.

To tell the truth, my nose doesn't really pick up all the notes displayed on the pyramid, mostly a rough and dry cypress, as if turned into incense. And there's also that little artificial side of Diptyque that, now that I smell it everywhere, I can't get my nose out of the way when I smell the brand's perfumes.

But it's still a very emotional perfume - even if I know much better ones in this type of agreement now.

kaiaoh

不刺激的男性溫和開頭
持香不久 味道沒有坦博喜歡

AoiUsagi

I'm basically just getting peanuts. Maybe a little woody or even plasticy, but definitely peanuts. It's a very dry, unsweet scent. Not unpleasant, but not nice, either. I can't imagine actually spraying this on myself and smelling like it. Luckily the sillage is also quite light, so the little dot I put on my wrist isn't a bother.

fwuity

just want to point out the glossed-over orientalism in these kinds of perfumes... diptyque sells Tam Dao as an 'homage to the founder's childhood in Indochina,' "Indochina" being the name of the region under French imperialism, which lasted until the 1950s. so this would've been a childhood spent during French occupation, enabled by violence towards and exploitation of the Vietnamese people... also, why not call it Vietnam? what's so nostalgic about colonization??

Anyways, thoughts on the scent itself: smells like a walk in sparse woods to a temple where the incense is no longer burning. It's a chilly morning, no warmth is felt from the embers. the cold air hangs thinly and is gentle to the touch. pretty, but not special, and personally I wish for a warmer and more intimate feeling smell...

Speed of Life

All the fun of putting on perfume without that annoying fragrance. Starts woody, then becomes a kind of synthetic lime furniture polish which isn't unpleasant. Zero sillage, completely gone in 20 minutes (but it was never really there to begin with).

Panos Serras

This is a fragrance only mature noses will appreciate. For me it’s a masterpiece of a fragrance, for those who say all these negative things you are still noobies to fragrance game sorry..

Tshahb

Smells like food. I'm even getting garlic. Very bizarre

honestreviewer2612

literally just smells like a joystick. after draining a sample and being familiar with this scent months ago, sometimes i light a joystick in a temple now and am hit with the thought "oh, i'm smelling tam dao". sillage is pretty much nonexistent which defeats the whole purpose of wearing a fragrance IMO, but longevity is decent. versatile scent that can be worn all year around for any occasion anywhere.

kwisdommeister

First I tried the EDT sample, which I quite liked then I ended up ordering the EDP.
I too smell incense in this, not a suffocating Indian type of heavy incense smell that makes your eyes water, but the less intruding Japanese type of subtle incense scent.
I will say though, this is very close to Byredo Mojave Ghost, except that that one smells like pee and sweat, and Tam Dao smells like a delicious dry incense scent.
I like that despite all the wood, this does not smell too masculine. I like perfumes where I feel like I am taking a breath of fresh air, and this as well as Philosykos are exactly that for me. A breath of fresh air in a dry forest in this case. On me this pulls somewhat sweet, I love how it becomes a tad bit sweet sandal scent. I love it, it is not overpowering, it is elegant and delicate.

Pampelmousse

I'm getting stir-fried chicken with peanuts at first spray followed by an orange chicken and veggies dry down. Odd, and an unexpected gourmand for me! The spiciness in this gets me hungry every time. The sandalwood is what I'm here for and it emerges in spirit around the one hour mark. Very well blended but longevity could be a bit better.

Klowe58

Cedar-y (iso-e-super) piney opening, dries down to a gorgeous, off-dry, full bodied sandalwood. I don’t get any rose. Could easily wear this as a base scent. It is interesting that some find that this smells like Byredo Gypsy Water. On me, Gypsy water goes lemon, vanilla, hint of incense, with almost no woods.… Perhaps I should put them together…

Ali-smellsnice

This is beautiful in the cooler months.

wondervalley666

It’s nice-woody, spicy, aromatic, fresh, and slightly leans more masculine. It smells expensive and complex. The performance could be better-it’s too short-lived IMO. It feels like it’s better suited for winter+holidays. Initially it smelled like Radio Bombay by DS&Durga, before morphing into a big spicy Christmas tree, then quickly dries down to a gentler woody spicy aromatic skin scent. The performance is unfortunately not strong and long enough for me. After an hour I couldn’t detect it on my skin at all. I live in a dry warm climate with “thin air” in Southern California that doesn’t suffocate you with scent molecules like a humid climate would, and after the initial dry down, silage is nonexistent. My climate isn’t kind to these gentle modern whisper soft perfumes at all. Radio Bombay smells close to this but performs a lot better. Jhags Sunny Side Up is a weak soft little scent in the same family as well, but what it lacks in silage it makes up for in 12+hr longevity, and the actual note combination is my favorite, warmer, summery, and more feminine, plus it’s cheaper, and I would much rather respray that one every hour if given the choice. I would buy a bottle of this though if it lasted 4+ hrs, but I only get 1 hr from Tam Dao EDT and that’s ridiculously short given the price point. I own many very expensive scents and this is the shortest and poorest performance I’ve come across out of any scent I’ve tried in recent memory. I’m very surprised it’s so popular, but also understand why I’ve never smelled it on anyone-it probably vanished from their skin before I encountered them.

iszzieanna

Woody, dry temple.

Strong rosewood and sandalwood in this one. A drier, less aromatic version of Gypsy Water.

A simplistic woody fragrance from Diptyque.

adahn

A whisper of sandalwood, some iso-e cedar and cypress for those who want to smell like a luxury candle. Super basic.

gedlive

It's been a while since I wore this. It feels great in the cool Fall weather.
The woods are beautifully composed. There is a great sandalwood, and rosewood. The Cypress is the distinct woody note for me. Love the green conifers.

I think the Myrtle makes this special. It is a naturally sweet smelling herbaceous wild flower. It gives the woods a soft aromatic balance.
A indistinct touch of warm spicy vanilla in the background, great fragrance.

Enrium

Tam Dao is, in a nutshell, a woody scent. Simple, but nicely put-together with high-quality ingredients, the woody accord is beautifully rendered.

TD opens with a nice, aromatic pine accord, reminiscent of needles falling from a Christmas tree. This makes for a nice opening, paving the way to the rich woodiness that this scent is known for. It smells realistic and freshly-hewn, like wood shavings. The sandalwood is soft and smooth, not harsh at all (a feat in this day and age, when the Mysore of old has been restricted, replaced with its harsh Australian counterpart). It is complemented beautifully by the cedar, which becomes the dominant woody note.

Whether it is the rose or rosewood, there is a beautiful, subtle hint of rose present in the later stages. Unusually, the wood is at the heart instead of the rose - this is a refreshing, counterintuitive take on the classic woody-rose accord.

It becomes slightly musky as it dries down, with a hint of balsamic amber in the base. Thankfully, this is kept to a minimum and the beautiful woody accord is front and centre. Sillage is reasonably intimate, while longevity is moderate.

One of the best woody scents I've tried, this is better than Santal 33 and perhaps on a par with the bargain gem that is SJP Stash. The woody-rose here reminds me a little of Stories 02 also. While it is not an unusual perfume, it is beautifully composed. Utterly unisex too. However, in my opinion it feels like more like a home scent than a perfume I'd wear. Regardless, a great woody scent. 4/5.

Vitodito

This brand along with L’Artisan Parfumeur has something that just makes it float a step above the majority of other niche brands.

Tam Dao is another example. It smells very very woody, clean, dry, soft, smooth. A cloud of very clean and clear wood flakes with subtle things around.

It doesn’t smell strong at all, nor intense, it’s very gentle and elegant, very likeable and very very refined and clean.

The overall idea is the smell of a finnish dry wood sauna, not the humid one, the dry one. That woody clean smell.
I didn’t see a major difference between edt and edp, that justifies the huge price difference (1,3€/ml vs 2€/ml).

I need a bottle.

Tartt

There’s definitely a temple vibe to it, a little bit more classy tough, you are thinking about that temple in the middle of the mountain in Asia but you are inside a boutique in Paris. It’s feels woody and spiced, very oriental. I was able to pick the forest note but only after hearing about it,

Starlight_moon

Agree with the reviewer below. It leans very masculine and it is NOT a cozy woody scent, but rather sharp and unpleasant. Would smell better on a man than a woman. Not a safe blind buy.
The longevity and projection are so-so, since it's EDT, but can be detected for at least 5 hours.

CR95

It is a rather masculine scent. Definitely very woody and incense like. Passed it to my husband.

soso.sofia

As a non-fan of heavy vanillas, I always felt like I was missing a comforting scent in my collection, until the day I tried Tam Dao and I understood this is THE comfort scent for me. Tam Dao makes me feel like calm inside a wooden temple hidden away in a an aromatic green forest, with incense burning somewhere in the background. I find it very woody, aromatic and comforting warm in a powdery way.

I tested both the edt and edp versions of Tam Dao intensively before deciding on buying the edt. Both are beautiful. I find that the edp is more rounded and mellow. People say the edp is longer lasting but I didn't find that to be so on my skin when tested one version on each arm. My impression is that the edt was a little more sparkling, which is why I chose it. Sillage is good enough for me to enjoy it on myself, and while its performance could be a bit longer lasting, its beauty and comfort more than make up for that.

Caldrumr

There is just something about the sandalwood in Tam Dao that I can't get over.
I have smelled a lot of different fragrances, and the sandalwood accord in this one (for me) is just done to perfection. And it takes center stage.
Classy, powdery, smooth and woodsy.
It isn't super strong, but I think a scent like this isn't meant to be.
I love it.

livelovelaugh0810

i'm too unprofessional to decipher nad go over each note in the perfume, but here is what i smell.

it smells like wet cement or a cold, dark parkinglot on a rainy day, but add soft florals and a bit of spice like just like the most tiny little micro speck of spice and then take that scent in your hands and rub it between some soft sandalwood powder.

it's so beautiful.

I can't get over it and it just.
ugh it's so good.
at first i hated it, but i just i - omg why it's crazy how people's nose changes and it's also very crazy how the drydowns can be so different from the nozzle/initial spray.

but nowadays even the intitial spray is phenomenal.

this is strictly just my personal opinion, so please test it out!

OH and this is edt not edp.

I don't like edp heh.
it smells like spice and wood and dirt and sauna-y.

diaaa

Tam Dao captures the melancholy of the seasons turning. Here, it happens just around this time in September, when, after some rain, the air gets a little crisper. It feels like returning home from a late afternoon walk because it got chilly and you didn't yet bother to bring a jacket. As a woman wearing this, I find Tam Dao is quite an androgynous, introspective, aromatic sandalwood. The bright opening notes invoke crushing lemon balm leaves in your palms.

errinberry

umm.. i just bought the sample of this and for me i agree it's smells like buddist temple.
also it smells citrusy.

i put it on my lil sis she said it smells like urine lol💀
i kinda agree. it does smells like sandalwoods but i cannot get over the urine smells lol🗿
its a nice fragrance but i don't think it is for me.

edit :
since i just received this today i mean rn. i immediately spray on my wrist. yeah at first the opening smells citrusy, urine💀 followed by sandalwoods etc. i didn't like it at first.
but now after like 5-10 minutes . it starts to smell deliciously ,soft, sandalwoods, etc. it actually smells nice but i just didn't like the opening.

it's a longlasting fragrance ⛩🏯🐉👘🏮🎋

inflorescing

Totally agree with @e s s e n n s e n below! I also own and love Byredo Gypsy Water, and to me this is really very similar to that. To me the only discernible differences are that it is without GW's citrusy opening, and with slightly less incense and more wood in the dry down. But really, the overall effect and calm, cozy, comforting feel of the scent is the same. If you like GW dry down but not the opening, this is definitely for you!

Dvntex_

@Scissorslizardspock very beautiful review. And I agree with you absolutely about the description.

In my opinion it is modern woody Iso E super based formulation with very elegant dry and smoky interpretation of sandalwood. In many oriental and gourmand formulas sandalwood accords owns sweet warm and creamy aspects. Very smoky and dry interpretation od sandalwood here in Tam Dao. Maybe Cedar, Cashmeran raw materials or Terpenoid compounds help to build that smoky dry facet. Very elegant fragrance. I like it very much.

frangiris

The initial whiff of it smells like roasted peanuts to me. After that, it gets better as the dry creamy woodiness takes over. I hope my nose will adapt and somehow get over smelling the peanuts at the beginning.

Scissorslizardspock

Smelling this on my husband is a siren song to my senses. I can not ignore it, I’m immediately drawn in. Tam Dao is sensual - but also calming, soothing, and spiritual. Woody but airy - like a Buddhist temple with its ancient wooden floors warmed by the sunshine flooding in. The sandalwood instantly feels grounding. Sacred. There’s no drama here - no challenging notes or punchy citrus - just a smell that evokes all the characteristics of the man who wears it - steady, calming, smooth. A spiritual anchor. I couldn’t love it more. Or him.

Boo1974

If you want to smell like an educated, well dressed, well travelled classic woman, this is the fragrance for you. I’ve had a couple of boss women friends over the years who have worn this perfume, and it’s speaks to their chicness and class that they chose this. It’s not for a younger woman, the creamy sandalwood mixed with the slightly sharp woodiness of the cypress and aromatic myrtle makes this both mysterious and classic at the same time. A little too powdery in the dry down for me but I really appreciate the quality and perfect balance of the perfume.

jarno1208

I like it. Scent is masculine leaning. Very much a woody scent that is a collection of different woods.

e s s e n n s e n

So this is kinda crazy, but on me Tam Dao smells identical to Gypsy Water. Now I absolutely adore GW and have received many compliments when I wear it, but I wouldn't buy another perfume that smells so similar.

That said Tam Dao is very nice. Admittedly I don't know much at all about fragrance and the sciences behind it, but it is not the first fragrance to smell so similar to GW on me. Bond No. 9 Governor's Island is another that on me is so similar to GW that it would be a senseless purchase.

I looked at each scent profile page to see what they have in common, but the only thing that really stands out is they all contain a woody element - not even the same woods. Perhaps it's just that my sense of scent is far from sophisticated, but that's my experience and I'll stick with my Gypsy.

tatianad45

I prefer the EDT on my skin. Crisp mountain air and the smoothest creamiest sandalwood. The myrtle adds brightness. The opening is my favorite part. I get some incense, too. It smells like the inside of a Buddhist temple. It's just beautiful.

jbsherry

This is an elegant, unisex but slightly masculine leaning, sandalwood scent. It’s woody through and through, but its formulation gives it a transparency and keeps it from being overly dense a la Santal 33. I get the Italian cypress in the opening but do not pick up on the florals. I smell the amber in the dry down.

I really enjoy this one and find it to be suitable for day or night. This is not a traditionally feminine sent, so look elsewhere if that’s what you’re after. I imagine a very chic individual (male/female) with a slightly edgy style wearing this. The scent asserts confidence without pomp.

This does sadly have some performance issues (doesn’t project/last as long as I would like) so I bought a travel spray for touch ups on the go.

alphabr35

Bought this perfume because of EXO DO and Enhypen Jay. Leans towards masculine. It smells like walking around a temple or in a grassy field

S.kekkonen

Smells lovely on paper, morphs in to something sour on my skin the same way Piano Santal and Vétiver et Santal de Cuir does... I have a assumed that has something to do with the kind of milk note used in those two fragrances but Tam Dao doesn't share that quality so now I'm stumped.

I have read some reviews comparing this to the smell of a sauna and I definitely get the resemblance. I grew up bathing in saunas and thought this would be a nice scent to bring out some olfactory memories so I'm bummed it doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

Nocciola23

Very generic woody smell. Nice enough but nothing incredible. I find it a little more masculine leaning and sillage and longevity are low.
I expected more from the hype. It's nice enough but nothing groundbreaking.

FMilan

This is one hell of an Iso E Super bomb.

Like Creed’s Royal Oud, the name is very misleading. Both Tam Dao and Royal Oud have the wood on the label buried under a thick layer of cedar (Iso E Super).

Is it bad? Not at all, but surely misleading.

Not a safe blind buy if you’re after some sandalwood forward scent (the Australian variety, if any, but probably only aromachemicals emulating the sandalwood)

BestOfTim

Love the smell but has some projection issues.

nemanjaand

Am I the only one who can't smell this perfume?
I've tried several times, and the only thing I get is a weak smoky vibe.

mrshnchnkm

This is a more masculine version of Tom Ford's Santal Blush. I can smell sandalwood and cedar, dry down opens more rose and spicy notes, but sandalwood and cedar still dominate. For me, it is too heavy and masculine.

clairesque

I think I'd recommend the EDP over this version. Tam Dao EDT is a light, airy sandalwood and crisp cedar, mingling with some aromatic notes, a hint of spice, and the faintest whiff of sweetness. It makes me think of being in a remote cabin in the mountains on a foggy morning just as the sun is starting to rise. Very nice scent but I prefer the EDP as it is less aromatic and more sweet, which makes it less masculine-leaning. Unfortunately both versions suffer from abysmal lasting power, disappearing off my skin faster than any scent I've ever tried.

bb101011

The opening is pretty woody but the drydown is basically the same a Encre Noire A L’extreme.

Honkymagoo

I have around 40 bottles of fragrance and this is the one I want to wear almost every day lately while others collect dust. Absolutely gorgeous scent. If you're having "issues" with performance try spraying on clothes or away from your neck because you're probably going noseblind. I thought it was weak the first time I wore it and then realized it actually lasts 8-12 hours with arm's length projection. 2 sprays in the morning is sufficient but wouldn't hurt to spray one more after about 6 hours.

chrisk252

Reminds me of walking through a Maine island on a sunny day. Dry, creamy, smooth but rustic sandalwood. A bit of birch. Not a mass appealing universal scent, but versatile and inoffensive. Think I love it.

Scent: 8.5 / Sillage: 7 / Longevity: 7
======================================
UPDATE: Comparing this to the EDP, EDP is smokier, more dense, stronger and more noticeable. EDP is less versatile, more of a fall/winter and night frag vs the all weather every day versatility of the EDT which is creamier and lighter wearing.

Think I prefer the EDT, but have others to fit that role and might get the EDP instead.
======================================
UPDATE (8/3/2022): Comparing the EDT to Fragonard Santal, 2 dry, pure, woody, all season Sandalwood scents. Tam Dao EDT feels more like I've got my nose right up against a freshly cut chips of sandalwood. It's got that fresh fresh cut sandalwood I get when I'm chopping wood. Super high quality.

The Fragonard Santal EDT is similarly dry and realistic sandalwood but doesn't have that fresh cut wood vibe. It's more of a fragrance than actual fresh sandalwood chip vibes that Tam Dao has...but that's only in direct comparison. Compared to most other sandalwood scents, it is much more of the real thing, rather than a perfume composition which is obvious in Egoiste, GFT Sandalwood, etc.

Both are lovely and probably my favorites Sandalwood scents. Fragonard might be better for summers (which it's perfectly suited for), Tam Dao a bit better for fall. Really hard to choose between the two. Based on price, I'd more liberally spray Fragonard Santal ($75 for 200ml), but I'd definitely want both in my collection.

thewildrosebud

I love this one. It is not really a safe "blind buy" if you are considering a full bottle. But as a sample, it is a great one to try. Woody, floral, musky. It is soft and inoffensive but still unique and noticeable. Starts very masculine but dries down to a soft ambery musk that is much more feminine. Overall, it is totally unisex. I got this for my March scent with ScentBox but I will definitely be saving it for the Fall.

ptrva

It would have been great if it lasted more than 30 minutes. It just vanishes. During sport—nothing! I was super disappointed.

I have tested the EDP which is supposed to last longer but I wasn't convinced either, it is definitely not a strong lasting perfume. Maybe lasted like an hour, two as a skin scent. Not worth the money, both of them :(

scentarchitect

A recently refinished cedar chest, the surface wiped clean with lemon oil, drying in the warmth of the sun.

Fragaddict123

Smooth
The first thing that popped in my mind when I smelled it
Definitely the sandalwood doing it’s thing
I enjoyed the scent but a fragrance without performance is like a car without wheels it doesn’t get very far
I believe wonderwood is the superior fragrance if both where compared

Ksj_

Wonderwood accomplished doing this scent profile better. IMO.


It’s still nice though.

safaincy

Another favourite daily wear after JM's velvet rose & oud. Forest. Tam Dao reminds me of a cosy, inviting & welcoming forest. Doesn't really remind me of autumn, but specifically cold forest. Hints of roses, not apparent but it's there- complimenting the sandalwood. Sits perfectly on my skin. The longevity could be considered pretty weak compared to my other EDTs. Sillage on the other hand is strong during the first few hours but drastically drop by the time you know it

Noolie

〰✴ A Dark Academia chypre/ woody fragrance that makes me emotional ✴〰

I have a strong emotional connection to this scent because it is the one my best friend uses. He now lives on the other side of the world and we haven't seen each other in years because of the pandemic, so every time I smell Tam Dao I get emotional and I feel like the distance disappears and he is with me. I was the one who introduced him to niche perfumery, and that makes me feel even more connected to him. 

Sorry for being so romantic, now to the core of my review!


Like all of Diptyque's fragrances, it didn't convince me at first sniff: felt kind of dry wood, old and heavy. As always, I had to change my mind. Tam Dao smells mystical, almost meditative (but there's no incense!), it’s unique and versatile. Mainly a woody and spicy fragrance, a bit powdery. I find it slightly animalic, but it's mostly soft sandalwood. Very mature, sophisticated, deep and sensual. It makes me think of an old, mysterious library, and this is the reason why Tam Dao suits the Dark Academia aesthetic to me (don't expect a scent like Bibliotèque by Byredo, because it’s a completely different experience.). Also, if you’re a Nintendo gamer I need to tell you that this fragrance it makes me think of the musics and atmospheres of the Professor Layton saga and Ace Attorney Chronicles, please let me know if you agree!

If you like layering, this fragrance is an amazing base that will allow you to give a twist to all of your scents. It goes great with everything: floral notes (such as rose, jasmine, lavender), sweet or gourmand notes (like honey or vanilla), spices (pepper is my fav), but also musks, leather, citruses... it really goes well with everything, trust me! If we stay in the Diptyque house, my favorite combo is Tam Dao + Eau Duelle but I'd love to experiment with other scents.
The EDP is a bit more lingering, creamy and ambery, but to me the EDT is very good too. Lasts quite long on clothes. Absolutely unisex, maybe works better for autumn/ winter and for the evening -but I'd love to use it daily. Not a safe blind buy at all. I don't think it can satisfy everyone's taste, so beware: don't overspray!

Setting & feelings: I'm visiting my best friend at the place where he works: an old library, not too big but very peculiar. Shelves, floor, ceiling and furniture are completely made of dark brown wood. It’s a mysterious place where I feel safe. I silently watch my friend piling up some books, making the hardwood floors creak just a little when he walks. I could watch him work like this forever, feeling in peace. I capture this imaginary moment in my heart.

Overall: 8.5/10

N✴〰

ausi

Tam Dao is a beautiful blend of light, creamy woods. If you have smelled pure sandalwood incense this has an almost identical profile. When people describe things as "woody" they can be talking about completely different things, this one certainly falls under the creamy sandalwood category. In my opinion it is not forest like at all, but much more like a peaceful temple.

When I close my eyes and breath in the dry down of Tam Dao I see an off white color with a slightly yellow hue. This fragrance has a therapeutic quality for me, it stays close and provides a warm blanket to live within. It seems to last on skin for most of the day, but after the first hour or two people around you will most likely not pick up on it. Its' beauty lies in subtlety, a fragrance you wear for yourself or for those in close proximity.

looraw

How beautiful! Tam Dao to me primarily has a familiar, home-like wooden floorboard smell. At other times, Tam Dao evokes the image of a stark gallery space featuring oddly placed wooden sculptures, or of a freshly built sauna! So many fragrance-scapes. I love all these images, and I love Tam Dao.

EgliteDazzo

This is absolutely beautiful. Gives you that cool girl vibe without even trying.

lorenzo_yann_morelli

Daily, mellow woody fragrance

Tam Dao is about a cedarwood note lasting for the whole fragrance, it has an undertone of myrtle which gives it brightness without any camphorous side. The type of cedarwood note resembles virginian cedarwood (pencil sharpening waste) and has a green facet of cypress too. I think the sandalwood is actually minimal and for me the drydown is powdery although rounded too. In some ways it dries down similarly to how Jasmagonda 23.1 by PG does.

LeNomParumes

Timber!!! Wood Bomb. I’m not getting any subtleties others have mentioned, but mainly a cedar/cypress/rosewood essential oils melange. Not being Paul Bunyan, this one, unfortunately, is not suiting my tastes.

datle1402

Overrated. Smells like dry woods. Not a fan

Shasta Dawn

This seems utterly perfect for me in every way but I’m completely anosmic to it from first spray. Sad faces all around.

WendyMH

Decadently rich wood, lacquer and resins. I lived in Hong Kong for 8 years and this scent takes me back to visiting rosewood furniture shops on Queen's Road in Wan Chai. It is too strong and syrupy for my tastes, but I like to keep a little vial around to, every so often, transport me back in time.

chlorodream

Pure, pure unisex.
Just wow.

This is the first time I’ve ever smelled a perfume where I can pick out every single note listed. It’s so complex, so layered, so gorgeous, so universal. Any wood-lover could wear this. It is the closest thing I’ve ever found to a “true wood” smell, it’s like being in a workshop that has a little floral bouquet somewhere in the room.

The cypress is the only note keeping this from being “sexy”, but it is a refined kind of sexy. Sexy in a scarf. I just love it.

shiningyuzu

This fragrance really grew on me! Tam Dao starts off strong, like logs of damp wood from deep in the forest, put into a concentrate mixed with some green aromatic spa fragrance oils, and I didn't like it at first, but the more I wore it, the more I kept sniffing my wrist. It gets more well-rounded and softer like a cloud after a couple of minutes, it's so addicting!

To me, it also smells like the image of someone who always wears suits, is in their mid-30s, has 4+ business meetings per day, is wealthy but never has time to enjoy it, kind of person, which I am not, so I don't think it suits me that well lol 😅 Nonetheless, I really like this fragrance, so I might buy the shower balm of this! Highly recommend this for woody scent lovers! Projection is moderate but not too light, longevity is really good, and unisex (leaning a little masculine).

Scent: 8/10

Longevity: 8/10

Sillage: 6.5/10

Price: 7/10

School and Work Friendly!

Would recommend a blind buy!

Age: 23-70

Yours Truly,
Yuzu 🍊

lantpls

i think i am slowly becoming a diptyque fangirl but like.... wow. i've had a sample of this for a while and it is right up my alley; even though this is unisex, it is rather masculine leaning which makes sense because i tend to like stuff like that more- i do love a woody note. i think tam dao is really beautiful, it has a sort of freshness (almost cold if that makes sense?) underlying sensation when it hits the nose. it's quite a unique wood fragrance too, usually when i smell perfume i think 'hm... i've smelled something like that before' but that genuinely didn't happen with this one, and i think with the fragrances i've smelled from diptyque thus far they manage to keep things pretty unique which i totally love. but yeah, i really love it!! go smell it or whatever!!

daizeee

It kinda reminds me of jazz club by maison margiela; just slightly. It's creamy. this is a very soft woody perfume.

current93

yasss i love smelling like the forest

mlleghoul

Tam Dao from Diptyque is a perfect poem of a scent that I love wholeheartedly and which others have most assuredly spoken of more eloquently than I could ever hope to. A dry, woody composition with notes of cedar and cypress, sandalwood, rosewood, and musk, it’s an understated and Introspective fragrance, evoking the meditative shifting light of the afternoon sun as it deepens into the melancholic shadows of evening as daylight dwindles.
It recalls for me the oft-quoted line from beloved poet Mary Oliver’s The Uses of Sorrow:
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.”

Lemonysocks

Smelled this on a whim when the sales person in Diptyque recommended it to me and I immediately bought a small bottle! I knew that I would absolutely love it and true enough I did. I'm quite surprised as I'm not so inclined to sandalwood at all. It doesn't smell too religious to me thankfully, instead it reminds me of home and being enveloped in a warm hug. Maybe it's because my dad wears Santal 33 a lot at home and I smell a whiff of it in this perfume, but it's so homey and beautiful to me. Sometimes I even give myself a tiny spritz on my arm before bed.

ibrahiemo

الارض يكسوها الثلج
..
هذا العطر جمع في اعماقه
اجمل اخشاب العالم
..
غاباتٌ بيضاء و باردة
تملؤها اشجار الصندل
و الصنوبر
..
تام داوّ
من روائع الصندل
و أخصّ بذلك نسخة التواليت

sharonckh

This perfume is blended very well. But it's so religious that it's very strange to wear it. I feel I'm in a small Buddha room that some people have in their home here in Taiwan. I love the smell of sandalwood. My aromatheraphy teacher once showed us her sandalwood essential oil collection. One of them was from India. It was so pure, which drove my mind immediately to a very ancient and peaceful place. But not as a perfume. I feel I'm like a nun.

kyohaine

Nice, soft, and light wood with some creamy, but also nuanced floral notes. Very approachable fragrance. The complexities are subtle with this one.

Rosebanks

Completely unisex and extremely versatile. Tam Dao shines as an understated modern classic in the fragrance wardrobe. The woods, pronounced in all their glory cast an enchanting, meditative state as others have mentioned below. While beautiful on its own, Tam Dao's strength lies in its ability to compliment when utilized in layering. I myself, have discovered some mind blowing combinations!

The edt longevity is approx. 5hr while it's silage is noticeable although intimate after the initial 30min burst.

Tam Dao smells of quality,. It's complexity draws from it's simplicity.

Rosymomma

I tried a decant of this since it is supposed to be one of the better sandalwoods. Nearly every fragrance that I love (or even just wear) has a strong sandalwood note. So, I was surprised when I found that I really didn’t like this one, either on a blotter or on me. Somehow the floral and cypress notes over powered all the woody notes. Could just be my chemistry, but the sandalwood was not mysore—something else with a bit of sour bite to it. Glad I didn’t blind purchase this one like I do so many fragrances with sandalwood.

julheart

Woodsy woody wood. If you don't like wood, you won't like this.
The initial spray is a screeching piney cyprus and rose, which I only mention because at first I wanted to just run away. But things settle quickly into a mix of wood scents - I get some of that sandalwood but it's overpowered by something deeper with some sweetness in it, perhaps the rosewood. Hints of a powdery spice. Some warmth with amber.
I generally love wood scents - this reminds of Stash and Ormonde Jayne.
My only complaint is Tam Dao doesn't last for nuthin on me. Within a few minutes it settles on me and in under 2 hrs is barely a skin scent - literally took about 10 sprays to get to even writing this review. Notably that doesn't seem to be the case for everyone.

dieu17

The fact that it is a niche perfume, from the house of Diptyque, with a Vietnamese location name stamped on it led me to splurge a bit and purchased this as my very first niche bottle about several years ago. Tamdao is a region famous for its misty, mythical, pine-shade forest scenery in Northern Vietnam, and I can understand why a lot of comments here depict its scent as a "temple". To me, this bottle is all about that whole picturesque scenery, just wood, wood, and wood. I love to spray this on cold days - when you want to feel that warm woody spiciness waffles around your body as you walk.

Some were even surprised to see me own this bottle as this leans towards the masculine side more. But I feel like women can totally pull this off.

Comrade Zagoryanskaya

I do like this fragrance because it’s like my two personal favourites - Wonderwood and Santal de Mysore meet and blend very nicely. This produces a very pleasant and realistic yet delicate South East Asian vibe which I miss so much due to all the travel restrictions. However as it had been pointed out here - the projection and longevity are rather disappointing. Will try edp.
UPD: Husband’s (knows-nothing-about-perfume intellectual introvert) verdict: pleasant, bit exotic, but not too sweet.

everybodyhateschris

Has anyone noticed a difference between older and new batches? I first smelt Tam Dao around 2006/2007 and it changed my world & got me into niche fragrances. From then on it’s always been a signature scent for me. But the newer bottles I’ve bought in the last few years smell different to what I remember getting hooked on.. There seems to be more of the cypress / Myrtle top notes and less of an overall dry spicy / woody feel?

nettoyant

Pencil shavings, nothing more, nothing less. Completely over priced for pencil shavings and weak longevity.

purepure0

I feel that I'm in an east Asian temple.

Lmuradian

To my nose this scent is a powdery version of Encre Noir from Lalique

Farytalewoods

Amazing fresh light wood. It really remains you a walk in a Scandinavian woods. Very good starter to dry perfumes , I would recommend a small bottle. It’s definitely a autumn’s unisex minimalist and extremely well done perfume

ibrahiemo

الصندل هنا مع نجيل الهند
الذي لم يذكر
..
مع بعضهما البعض يشبهان
رائحة الفول السوداني .. لكن
بطريقة جميلة
..
العطر به نسمة باردة في البداية
ثم انه لا ينتهي بطابع خشمي بحت
..
وهذا مالا افضله بهذا النوع من عطور الصندل
..
تقييمي الشخصي
٧/١٠

Gildedlilly

Gorgeous.. the elegant and distinguished older brother to santal 33. I will not buy only because I live in LA and I smell santal 33 every 4 minutes.
I may revisit this later.

hydriotaphia

this sandalwood, to me, smells like lacquered wood and old, smokey air of a buddhist temple. reminds me of the childhood summers I spent in southern china. scent tapers off into something a bit more medicinal, stoic. i like it but it's marred by disappointing longevity and sillage, like a lot of the diptyque perfumes i've sampled.

Erica.Cass

Too woody for me. Woods, woods, and more woods!! Reminds me of Santal 33 which was also a "no" for me.

Leolia

Smells like fresh cut ginger and cedar wood.

panagiotis.soutsas

Most of the times I don’t believe in the fragnatica comments until I test my self ... I don’t want to say any other comment for tam dao edt except that I couldn’t believe that a niche perfume with such a bad longevity exist in the market ... 15 minutes that it ... water ! Nice for the first minutes that you can smell it though! This is the current formulation

Pacifica_

I really, really enjoy this perfume. It’s a little too weak sillage-wise for me to justify its price tag, so maybe I need to try the EDP. Starts out with a lovely cypress opening. I also get kind of a plum note almost? Upon the dry down you get a sweet amber and sandalwood combo. I don’t get many of the other notes people list, except maybe a touch of rose. It’s also not a very creamy sandalwood. It’s a little peppery almost? But the Amber adds a bit of sweetness. I wish this were stronger, I would buy the full bottle in a heartbeat. Guess I gotta try the EDP.

botany28

I prefer this to the Eau de Parfum version, as it is sweeter and less masculine (though both are unisex). This is warm, soothing, and inviting. A delicately spiced, sweet, soft, and slightly creamy sandalwood.

I don't think I'd purchase a full bottle, but it's definitely pleasing, like a warm chai on a crisp day.

----

I wanted to compare Tam Dao EDT with Eau Duelle EDP, because this reminded me of the sweetness from Eau Duelle. When smelling both side by side, Eau Duelle is like baking sugar cookies in a warm, heated home, whereas Tam Dao is after you stepped outside in the cold for some fresh air and sunlight, surrounded by snow and trees, the baking spices lingering behind you. Though Tam Dao is by itself a warm scent, it's interesting that its temperature drops and its sharpness increases when compared to Eau Duelle.

mikecch

Tam Dao is a lighter, fragrant, very approachable sandalwood.

Is opens with sandalwood anchored by softer woods. The sharpness of cedar and the pungency of cypress, approximation of real timber.

The sandalwood persists, and is floated by subtle, creamy florals in the heart - more nuanced and approachable.

The dry down is rounded and woody, clean and warm.

Performance is average. This scent stays close, and does last a few hours.

Overall, a nicely executed, well blended sandalwood scent that is remarkable easy to wear. A must have for sandalwood fans - woody without being heavy or flat. Recommended.

gymnopedie

EDT version: I have cypress bushes outside my house and this perfume smells exactly like that. Votes place woods first but no, cypress is undeniably in front, softened by the woodsy notes and and made more indulgent by the spices and amber, almost as if there were vanilla present. This makes it like a more intense version of Byredos Gypsy water imo, and I prefer this one as it dries down better on my skin. Very good perfume, and very glad I found it as I always wished Gypsy water would sit better on my skin.

Birnam_Wood

-

This perfume is a trio of three notes:

Nutty peanuts,

crisp bean sprouts,

salty black peppers.


I've smelt quite a few real Indian sandalwood oil (Santalum album), its scent is nothing like what's presented in most of the perfumes —— nothing like this one, either.

In fact, although being called a "wood", Indian sandalwood oil smells not very woody. If I have to find a everyday simulacra for sandalwood oil, I'd say, raw peanut shell, and maybe sometimes, raw coconut flesh (NOT creamy coconut-y lactones. Nothing creamy here).

Not sure if the perfumer share same opinion of sandalwood oil with me, but my first impression of Tam Dao is : Peanut ! Not the sandalwood oil peanut, but "peanut" peanut. To be more specific, it smells like peanut candy without candy.

I admit the fresher components in the top are also present. To me, it's a mix of freshly cleaved wood with its sharp, almost camphorous edge, and a specific "crisp" "squeaky" note, I call it "bean sprout tone" (豆芽) (you can find it in your local Vietnamese pho restaurant). This note is more clearly represented in another Diptyque’s work—— Eau de Lierre. Later, another companion of peanut shows up: pepper, a salty black pepper.

So this perfume is basically an interplay between peanut-woody, fresh bean sprout, and salty black pepper.

First in, first out, peanut is removed from equation quickly, the crisp bean sprout somehow is integrated into a slightly sour woody accord, and salty black pepper tinted it with spicy color.

NoseE

the mix of woods giving Sandalwood an upper hand at opening.

cocofluff

- I think I may enjoy the EDT more than the EDP. The EDP is very woody. The EDT has a little cypress present but blended in a way that's woody.

The EDT is bright and more refreshing and uplifting. Perhaps it contains lots of the citrusy myrtle and less woody notes. Therefore it doesn't last as long as the EDP.

They smell like different fragrances in the same family. Very nice. fbw for me.

Ahntu

If you want to smell like a walking, living temple, them this is the one. Very realistic sandalwood smell that is a bit too woody for me.

discardedandroid

In my mind this smells like a very clean, healthy, somewhat damp log that's cut open, and you've got your nose right up against the freshly exposed wood. Probably the most "realistic" sandalwood note I've smelled. The wood has a calm depth to it that makes me think of a Buddhist Temple. A scent that makes me think of the sound of two smooth wooden rods "clapping" together. Recommend.

Alanitoo

A sandalwood forward fragrance for sure. Some similarities to Santal 33, in terms of dryness, powdery-ness and spiciness. But Tam Dao has a green note that comes off quite fresh. A very interesting fragrance!

Edit: I've purchased a bottle and I absolutely love it, it's very versatile without being boring.

tauburn

Love the scent, but the sillage is very weak for me. I have tried the EDP as well and honestly notice virtually no difference. A lot of people say to go for the EDP, I would probably advise the same thing, but even the EDP is quite weak. I originally purchased this because I lost my bottle of Wonderwood and decided to try something new. It's kind of a shame. I think I like the scent of this better as an actual realistic wood scent, but the performance and complexity of Wonderwood is much better overall. I would say to get this if you want to smell like wood. Get Wonderwood if you want to smell like the idea of wood.

alphairone

Tam Dao is sort of representative of the curve of meditation. We start in a sympathetic state, just seated and heightened: sharp, dry, freshly cut cedar, stimulating and bracing, but following this opening, it settles, evolves into a grounding single-pointed hum of voluptuous sandalwood, warm, still, and calm.

This is not showy or flashy, it is intimate and understated, but you will likely get noticed, if that matters to you. What should matter is that it feels good to you, pleases you, and makes you content. That should always be the ultimate objective in whatever you wear. Your happiness matters.

PRO TIP: Layer this on Nemat Sandalwood oil or Australian Sandalwood essential oil to anchor it and increase its longevity.

Martaine

You enter a temple. There is a buddhist there, he is a teacher. You think that you will learn about a higher spiritual being. Then you remember that you are in a class for Tai Chi in a Community centre, which you enrolled for. The teacher is just a guy with a shaved head. It all comes flooding back...Yes pupil, you remember you sprayed yourself with this scent. Such is the power of evocation with this one. It is the smell of warmth, creamy clean and wood. Warm, soft, cleansing and a little mystic. For me this is a perfect Autumn fragrance. I rate 8/10, would rate higher if longevity on skin better.

ultrasilence

It reminds me Concrete by CdG. But the sandal is more quiet and somewhat "greeny". Still I feel it and it makes me feel very cozy.

Laughinglad

I want to love this. Initially it has that creamy woody scent most reviewers mention, however, this turns really odd. Whenever I wear it, it starts off fine then as it dries down I get whiffs of pickle throughout the day.

This has happened on two occasions of me wearing it all day.

Perhaps the 3rd test will be the charm?

Also, perhaps the other version will NOT have that pickle note.

Bonus: Oddly enough, despite me thinking I smelled like a pickle, I received abnormal amounts of male attention the two test wears. Had random guys literally standing on me in line at the store and male coworkers kept getting too close or entering my workspace for no reason. As this isn't normal for me, my conclusion was this fragrance was the cause LOL.

davidzev

One of the only sandalwood fragrances I’ve smelled that actually smells like real sandalwood. There are different kinds of sandalwood of course, and this one smells to me more like the red heartwood that has that dry almost spicy quality. And real sandalwood does not actually smell strong; it’s more of an exalting material and base for other notes. For reference, I have a few different kinds of real oil, including Mysore, Indian, and Australian and a couple from Ensar Oud. Yes there are some synthetic notes here at play too, but this fragrance is not meant to be loud at all. So I think it succeeds in what it’s trying to be.

rmf1112

Quick review from a sample-

Definitely reminiscent of CdG Wonderwood, but more natural. However, in this instance, It doesn’t mean more interesting. Wonderwood is much better, it has an airiness to the notes that help it carry and feel less like you’re wearing furniture, like in the Tam Dao. CdG also performs much better.

No brainer Imo, Wonderwood wins out all the way.

Jole_pinoy

Diptyque has a lot of fantastic and amazing perfumes that smell so great. My top 3 from this house are: Philosykos, Tam Dao and Eau Duelle.

wdfbhootn

well, just woody....soso...

huet82

I really really liked this one! I agree that it's a more wearable/less likely to offend vs. Santal 33 since its sillage and longevity for me were considerably weaker. Very pleasant smell. And like Santal 33, very unisex as well. Will likely spring for a full bottle at some point, if not make it a signature.

brokecollegeboi

Gorgeous woody opening, sickly and synthetic base note, that’s all I can say

AdeleHugo

This reminds me a bit of Shalimar but I think is more wearable to a modern nose. I couldn’t pull off Shalimar but this is smokey and sultry in its energy without possibly turning anyone off. I’m a fan!

Bullmop

I liked this. It was like a softer and more cedar-y Santal 33. I do get why people say pencil shavings. If this had better longevity and sillage, I'd probably buy a bottle!

smiauu

it`s Basically proraso cypress & vetyver.

squidward

This starts out sexy and woody but then dries down into a frail remnant that smells too much like Play-Doh, or like the oily vinyl of a McDonald's Play-Place, on both me and my partner. Nope.

BlueAnt

I wa so excited to try this, as everyone here describes it as primarily a sandalwood fragrance. Another disappointing, cheap. synthetic musky fragrance like Santal 33. I am starting to wonder if anyone on this site has actually smelled real sandalwood.

Bunny T

This is my memories of Vietnam (former Indochina) in a bottle.

In the summer of 2017 I visited a department store counter with at least a dozen of Diptyque fragrances. After testing one of them, I teared up from being overwhelmed with nostalgia. It reminded me of my ancestral homeland - Vietnam. My mind was flooded with most fond memories from childhood, and very specific scenery of a big-big tree next to a French style house with humidity stained walls in Hanoi. Then my memories shifted to Asian wooden furniture, ancestral altar incense sticks, and a courtyard with mandarin trees. It was a whirlwind of memories from just one whiff.

Being a broke college student, I didn't purchase it, and didn't even bother to remember the name of that nostalgic scent. I didn't even realize the perfume was named after a place in Vietnam (actually spelled Tam Đảo).

A few years later, now living in a small town, I wanted to find this perfume, but there is no department stores that carry it. I only knew that it was by Diptyque and that reminded me of Vietnam. Thanks to the community on Fragrantica I figured that Tam Dao must be it! I ordered it blindly, but knowing deep inside that it must be the perfume that is named after a place in Vietnam.

The house of Diptyque captured the essence of Vietnam perfectly.

siukankay

is it just me?

I love Tam Dao, but not on my skin thou. every time when i smell Tam Dao, I have the temple image in my head. all those tranquil woody scent does claim my mind, but at the same time make me feel a lot like a monk....

I guess the scent really good while practicing meditation

aploto

Pleasant, interesting wood scent. Sophisticated but not too loud, it might lean masculine but could suit a lot of different people. Longevity was moderate for me, nice for a mid-day into night type of thing.

dominicgoyer

I totally get the sharpened pencil smell.
Add pepper.
Shake.
It will magically turned into a faint sandalwood.
Tam Dao is a spicy woody marvelous smell that I don't want as FB.
Well-done but... predictable?

Coquita

I discovered Tam Dao when I "borrowed" a small decant from my granny and, as karma is a cruel mistress, my partner "borrowed" it from me and decided to make it his signature, as he says it reminds him of sharpened pencils and his cabinetmaker grandpa. On my end, I immediately fell in love with Tam Dao's EdT sharp woodyness and, though the opening is a very spicy and slightly lumberjacky cedar-cypress concoction, it then mellows to a beautiful wet sandalwood scent. The staying power is stellar (12h easily), and the projection is pretty strong for about three hrs, and then it mellows slowly untill it settles as a skin scent.
The only downside? It smells way better on my partner than on me!

10/10

GustaveTheNose

I like Diptyque perfumes and this one is certainly a good offering.

Let me compare the EDP to the EDT, based on what I can smell rather than what is listed in the notes pyramid.

The EDP is slightly stronger, as should be expected. In addition, the EDP has other prominent notes including a sweet vanilla notes and perhaps a floral accord that makes it sweeter compared to the EDT. There is also some incense fleeting around but its not very clear. The EDP is more rounded as a whole.

The EDT on the hand is more true to the idea of a santal perfume. It's woody and delivers what it should.

They both start with a fresh citrus note but it disappears quickly. They both smell of woody sandalwood (Australian sandalwood rather than Mysore). There is cedarwood in both, which is commonly added to sandal perfumes to give it a woodier punch.

I wouldn't comment on longevity at this stage as I am still in the testing period for both. However, I have sandalwood oils that satisfy my needs and last longer than any EDP or EDT I have tested so far.

MrEleven1181

I already have tam dao edp and i love it, easily the best sandlewood fragrance out there by a mile. So the edt version, I’m reviewing this because it was day number 3 on my 2019 diptyque advent calendar.
It’s beautifully done, really captures the scent of real high quality sandlewood oil like no other fragrance. It is a skin scent and doesn’t last as long as the edp. I got 6 hours performance and that is good enough for a edt.
Overall its a fantastic fragrance and i will use my 10ml pretty fast but i wouldn’t re buy the edt version ill go for the edp Its a masterpiece and thats the version ill always own and love.

NouveauDruid

Today my first bottle of Tam Dao arrived (EDT). Indeed, it lacks the depth of SJP Stash but it also lacks that odd dill-like note, which I happen to enjoy but don't wish to have in anything else.

Tam Dao is sweeter than I expected, as the florals lay on top of the wood and create, to my nose, something akin to pipe tobacco. However, when closely sniffed the scent morphs into a fresh, watery cedar, like chunks created upon chopping a newly felled tree. There is even soft earth, smoky leaves, and the faint whisper of sandalwood, and the sandalwood is again fresh, not aged or vanillic.

Here is a scent that's wearable on a daily basis. It's inoffensive yet quite different.

8/10

SocialAssassin

This one is all about Cedar and spices for the first hour, some soft florals, then sandalwood. The spices here remind me a bit of French Lover. Overall, it's a lovely scent, dry and subtle. Performance is the same as Sartotiale so I'd honestly just go with that. You're not missing much.

Malleable

It smells like my grandpa's wood shop. A familiar, comforting scent. I'm not sure if I want to wear it as a perfume, but I love the scent itself.

jazzfan

Few days ago I smelled just a hint of something incredible on my pajamas. Different from what I was wearing that night. Incapable to concentrate on the book I was reading, sleep was out of question, I went hunting for it.

I knew it, but could not place it. Well, it could have been just about anything, as deeply disturbing as it is, it happened before and results are not always funny. I developed humbling consideration for dogs and their quirks.
When you find yourself elbows deep in samples accumulated over the years in the middle of the night, you have to admit to yourself that you have become the slave of your own nose.

Of course, I've found it!
I even caught few hours of sleep in this little woody slice of Heaven.

hien_nguyenthu

Nope, just a nope. I'm sorry on my skin it's like someone poured the woody oil on me. Definitely not for me tho.

Edit: tried it about 2-3 years later. I still don't like it, but have to say it's smooth and interesting. I would recommend this to my friend who likes sandalwood or woody fragrances. It is not bad at all, just not my type.

Silver7777

Cedar and sandalwood blended to perfection... I've never been to Tam Dao, Vietnam but if it smells like this it must be heavenly. Every once in awhile in my fragrance journey I'll come across something that I didn't know I was looking for as is the case with Tam Dao by Diptyque. To me it's a very ethereal fragrance that when I wear it, has the power to give me a sense of being whole or being at peace rather. Maybe it triggers a dopamine response in my brain or maybe it has magical fairy dust that causes me to be at peace, I don't know. I do know that when I'm wearing it it feels like it's hugging me and I'm hugging it back, almost like an entity, or a cozy safety blanket rather that a perfume. It's a beautiful composition of perfume artistry second only to the mystical Sacred Wood By Kilian.

Jucmorgo

Thermal spa! 100%!

Gail14

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the fig note! Nice! :)

itskimn125

I love how this smells. It is exotic and soft. However, this was a learning experience. I love this as a scent... but it has zero longevity on me and I would rather have the EDP, even it if doesn’t have the rose nkte. I have learned that I love sandal wood... so much. It’s such a great thing to know because had I not ventured into buying niche perfumes I would have probably been stuck with ... Gucci guilty (no offense... but that what what I wore in college, lol)... or other fragrances where I grasped at deeper notes but didn’t have the vocabulary to know.. I like sandalwood! Who would have known... (didn’t even mean for there to be a pun... I’ll just leave that haha)

Update:
This is now my signature scent.... Maybe I just needed time :)

severelain

A calming, transportive scent.

When I wear Tam Dao I get the distinct sensation that it sits lightly by design. It's one of the few fragrances I can put on in the evening and enjoy without irritating my wife by bedtime. Makes a strong argument that longevity should not be what makes or break a fragrance. I have never tried the EDP version, though it's difficult to imagine its light, mysterious quality improves by intensifying the composition.

svbg15

On my skin this smells like cheap soap. Or cheap cologne. No sillage. The sandalwood smell which comes up later is spoiled by the soapy, cheap cologne smell.I am very disappointed, I love sandalwood and was expecting a lot more.

kwanpekyee.1

Unique lovely interesting scent..full of character..multifaceted

Bringing this with me to the Himalayas next week

Shall discover more facets in the cold winter

Feeling so blessed when wearing this

ehsankasiri

بسیار جداب ولی اسکین سنت و کم رمق
به طرز عجیبی مرا به یاد ژو د پو سرج لوتنز می اندازد با اینکه روی ورق تشابه قابل قبولی ندارند
-----------
Scent & Quality: 9/10
Longevity: 7/10
Sillage: 6/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 8/10
Affordability: 5/10
-----------
Overall: 7/10

jane.3

EDT is great daytime scent for the office. Makes me feel like I've come in from outside. I want to smell interesting but not musky. Too many perfumes smell like a lingerie drawer. Not what I want when I'm sitting in a conference room.

On my skin, I get lots of cedar, some very nice sandalwood, and amber. My nose doesn't get tired of it at all.

I wouldn't wear it for a romantic evening but with a wool sweater and amber earrings, definitely.

atxwatch

Really a very nice scent. I tried both the EdT and EdP before I purchased and I had a clear preference for the EdT. Both smell nearly identical in the opening (the EdT DOES have the famed cracked pepper note), but the dry down is completely differently.

The EdT dries down to what is largely a woody note that I would best describe as what tropical wood carved items smell like. The EdP dries down to a more pronounced Sandalwood scent but finishes very sweet with some vanilla which I personally found to be more feminine.

Longevity on the EdT is outstanding in my opinion. I own Floris and Penhaligon's and Tam Dao EdT last quite a bit longer than any Floris or Pen fragrance I own. The EdP has almost silly longevity. I had a scent strip from Nordstrom's that I had in my office that was sprayed with 3 quick sprays and it stayed on the strip for days and filled my office with its smell.

So based on my experience, I would say that if you're a gentleman and want something more traditionally appropriate in a variety of settings, the EdT is definitely the way to go.

If you are lady and looking to add this to your wardrobe, I would recommend the EdP for its slightly more complex middle and base notes and sweeter dry down.

Overall, I believe this is a fantastic fragrance that has found a niche spot in my wardrobe that is heavily skewed towards cologne/citrus scents. It is the woody masculine fragrance I have been looking for for some time.

jemly

ah tam dao. sweet (creamy, not sugary) wood shop. perhaps the most straightforward and simple of all my fragrances, yet it really may be my most complimented on--by friends and strangers alike. i think it gives anyone who wears it an air of chic and cool mystery--as tam dao knows she doesn't need to be anything more than she already is. it won't add to your personality, but it'll enhance what is already there. to my nose, it disappears rather quickly (i have had the edt and now the edp and haven't noticed a major difference in longevity) but the comments come all day, which speaks for itself....also makes me desperate to train my nose better, as i'm clearly wretched at gauging longevity !

Kalendula

I so love this scent.
Smells like a sauna near the coastline in California.

Makes me think of driftwood, wild chamomile and cedar trees in the wind.

Very soothing and friendly, unisex scent.

msdespondent

Oh Tam Dao, how much I love you. This is the end of my quest for the perfect sandalwood fragrance. I started with Serge Lutens Santal Majuscule, next I tried Tom Ford’s Santal Blush. Both were not my cup of Santal.

After testing this at the Diptyque boutique, I bought a decant to tide me over till I acquire my full bottle. The opening to Tam Dao is very confusing at first. Green and woody, probably the cypress note. It confused me because I was wondering where the sandalwood was. Then it starts smelling like pencil shavings for a few minutes, this is quite perplexing. It is only 15-30 minutes when I get a waft of sweet and creamy sandalwood. Love the longevity. I went home after a few hours and could still enjoy the wafts of sweet and creamy sandalwood.

wxmath

Low sillage and longevity, smell below average, not that pleasant.

Ali_1990

dry wood

Carpe Noctem

I love Sandalwood and thought I'd love this. At first spray it's an over abundance of Iso-E Super. That chemical makes my face burn up, my head hurt and my skin break out. I did some research and someone said about 50% of this is that chemical.

I also don't like the entirety of the smell of the perfume, it's just straight up chemical to me, sadly.

iris.nguyen

I own an old square bottle of Tam Dao EDT for 3 years and to this day, I have a mixed feeling about it. I blindly bought it from a discount store when the brand reoutfitted their bottles. I did my research, the review sounds awesome; I own Philosykos and Do Son whose creativity I adore to bits and the fact that Tam Dao is named after an island in my home country Viet Nam. I just had to bite the bullet. On my first whiff, I came to the revelation: it's not for me... Like "casting pearls before swine", I don't get to appreciate the sandalwood smell, and the whole woody nuance of Tam Dao for it matters. To my nose, it smells like a pagoda in the afternoon when the hot sun is high and shines on a quiet terracotta terrace where the air is enveloped in the smell of incense, of wooden statues and their vernis. It smells homely but doesn't represent me. When I wear Tam Dao outside, I could hardly detect it. Its faint presence fades so quickly and quietly, I don't reach for it as often as I would love to.

However, as a house scent, Tam Dao is very comforting. It layers beautifully on top of any fragrance sweet dry down, extending their opulent magic to the night and beyond the dreams. I find the dry down of Guerlain's Insolence, Penhaligon's Lothair and Monsillage's Pays Dogon are fantastic to pair with Tam Dao. It's a really special scent.

lol_fi

I'm in grad school and I love to wear this while I'm studying. Fragrantica user thefifthg sent some to me in a swap as an extra and I love it!!!

Tassio12

I'm not sure what Fragrantica's deal is with Diptyque EDT's and EDP's. There needs to be a Tam Dao EDT and Tam Dao EDP in the database. We're talking two completely different scents in my opinion.

The EDP is absolutely perfect. It a beautifully smoothed-out sandalwood that never gets too far into the "wood shop" territory.

The EDT is pretty boring and a bit rough around the edges (in a bad way). It smells like cedar shavings.

RachelGrigg

For me its totally thai food.

SilueDYoung

Sharp sandalwood fragrance for the top note fading away in no time. It was like the smell when you actually cut a piece of sandalwood tree root. But the middle note and base note was not as dull as just wood surrounding your nose. Rose and other fragrances keep showing and fading respectively. Longevity was disappointing but it was also a part of the charm. So introverted. So mysterious. My personal favourite in sandalwood genre and probably in all genres.

mr_epicurean

A basic starter fragrance in the sandalwood genre. The infamous pencil-shaving opening is unfortunate, but it quickly fades, thankfully. The overall scent is a nice, straightforward, no-frills sandalwood. Longevity is very poor for an EdP; lasts a couple of hours, that’s it. I use this more as a room freshener than fine fragrance. For a complex, luxurious sandalwood as a personal fragrance, there are only two scents you need to bother with: Tom Ford’s “Santal Blush” and By Kilian’s “Sacred Wood.”

7/10.

Phantosmia Bella

I get tons of pine from this one. It's woody but not really a sandalwood scent.
Nice but not as enchanting as I thought it'll be.

spumyland

Non il mio tipo.
C'è qualcosa troppo verde e amaro che mi infastidisce a breve distanza. Forse il mirto o il troppo cipresso. Mi ricorda le tinte per capelli che trovi in erboristeria.
Al mio naso e' maschile,datato,tonico e rinfrescante.

Non una fragranza che correrei a lavare ma per mia fortuna la longevita' è breve.
Discrete ma troppo fuggenti le zaffate nel finale.

MePerfumeAndI

Tam Dao is a unisex scent. For me, it sits on my skin pine and woodsy. There is nothing too warm about this perfume. It doesn't settle into a comforting scent on me. I actually prefer Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black over this and am planning on selling Tam Dao very soon. I give it a low rating for the lack of longevity. It doesn't last more than 2 hours. Disappointed to say the least.

LuxAestiva

I fluctuate between liking and disliking this.. neither too passionately either. I adore sandalwood, but this hardly smells like the real thing. It does smell like wood, but an artificial, sweet impression of wood. I imagine this is what iso e super smells like and Tam Dao is probably loaded with it. Tam Dao smells sort of nutty on me at times, almost like peanut butter, which is when I start to dislike this fragrance. Perhaps I would like this more if it performed okay, but even the edp fades with a few hours. I’d definitely rather spend my money on their candles than on this.

adice

For me this was just way too much dry wood and nothing else. Thankfully it didn't last long on my skin (lasted maybe 2 or 3 hours max). I'd call it painfully woody... it brought to mind playground wood chips or a hamster cage. Just not something I personally find appealing.

 
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