Why does this page not show a price for the original?

Because we had not observed one at the time of writing. We publish a price only when we have seen it ourselves and can date it, so an unpriced row here means unverified, not free.

What separates Santal 26 from an ordinary sandalwood candle?

The smoke and leather in the opening. A dupe built only on sandalwood and amber will smell pleasant and expensive but noticeably cleaner, because it is missing the cured, slightly ashy note that gives the original its signature.

Candles that smell like Le Labo Santal 26

How they compare

Le Labo Santal 26 compared with its closest matches
Candle	Price	Size	Burn	Per hour
Le Labo Santal 26	Not observed	8.6 oz	60 hrs	—
Teakwood & Tobacco (P.F. Candle Co)	[ Not shown ]	7.2 oz	40 hrs	—
Santal (Brooklyn Candle Studio)	[ Not shown ]	7.5 oz	50 hrs	—
Palo Santo (Brooklyn Candle Studio)	[ Not shown ]	7.5 oz	50 hrs	—

[ Not shown ] is a figure we hold and are withholding. Not observed is one nobody here has recorded. Hover or focus either for the reason.

Burn hours are as stated by each maker, never measured by us. Where a shop publishes a different figure we record both and say so. “Not observed” means nobody here has ever recorded a price for that row. “Not shown” means we hold one and are withholding it, because its source page or its pricing basis was never recorded, and a sale price set against a list price produces a wrong answer from correct arithmetic. The reasons per row: Le Labo Santal 26 — Price not observed; Teakwood & Tobacco — Price not shown — basis not established; Santal — Price not shown — basis not established; Palo Santo — Price not shown — basis not established.

The original

What Santal 26 actually smells like

Top: Smoky leather
Cardamom
Middle: Sandalwood
Cedar
Base: Amber
Musk
Vanilla

The matches

How close each one gets

Teakwood & Tobacco
P.F. Candle Co
Leather and teak with an orange lift. It gets the leather and the dryness, and none of the cocoa-and-vanilla warmth underneath the original.
Where to buy
Santal
Brooklyn Candle Studio
Sandalwood and vetiver under hinoki and cedar. The sandalwood half of Santal 26 without the smoke.
Where to buy
Palo Santo
Brooklyn Candle Studio
Cedar, mint and cypress over sandalwood and amber. Palo santo brings a resinous smoke closer to the original's opening than a plain wood candle.
Where to buy

Questions

What people ask about this scent

Why does this page not show a price for the original?: Because we had not observed one at the time of writing. We publish a price only when we have seen it ourselves and can date it, so an unpriced row here means unverified, not free.
What separates Santal 26 from an ordinary sandalwood candle?: The smoke and leather in the opening. A dupe built only on sandalwood and amber will smell pleasant and expensive but noticeably cleaner, because it is missing the cured, slightly ashy note that gives the original its signature.

Ember & Main is not affiliated with Le Labo. We reference the name to describe how these scents compare, and our comparisons are independent editorial opinion. Links on this page currently earn us nothing. If that changes, we will say so here.