Fragrance comparison

Sandalo vs Essencial Desejos

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 10 Oct 2026 145 ratings analysed

4 wins

Sandalo

Santa Maria Novella

3.8271 votes

Rank #17,069 AromaticCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

48%scent match

Some overlap

Essencial Desejos

Natura · 2025

4.1974 votes

Rank #27,905 CitrusFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Sandalo takes 4 of 7 categories.

Sandalo
Choose it for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Essencial Desejos
Choose it for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Sandalo4/7

Essencial Desejos2/7

Ratings & consensus: Essencial Desejos
Community sentiment: Essencial Desejos
Longevity: Tie
Sillage & projection: Sandalo
Value for money: Sandalo
Versatility: Sandalo
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Sandalo

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

SandaloSanta Maria Novella

Essencial DesejosNatura

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.82/ 5 · 71 votes

Have 30%Had 5%Want 65%

4.19/ 5 · 74 votes

Have 59%Had 3%Want 38%

Category winnerEssencial DesejosRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

35%Like

10%Ok

15%Dislike

4%Hate

71 votes

38%Love

37%Like

14%Ok

8%Dislike

3%Hate

73 votes

Category winnerEssencial DesejosMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate70

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageSandalo

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value43

Category winnerSandaloBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

citrus92%

woody84%

warm spicy77%

fresh spicy69%

amber61%

citrus100%

fresh spicy69%

aromatic38%

Scent match48%Some overlap · both citrus, aromatic and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top

LemonBergamot

Heart

ThymeRose

Base

SandalwoodBenzoinPatchouli

Top

BergamotGinRosemaryJuniperBasilOrangeLavenderNutmeg

Heart

RoseLily of the ValleyJasmineParamelaVioletDavana

Base

CedarMossMuskVetiverPatchouliSandalwoodVanillaAmber

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Rose, Sandalwood and Patchouli. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter83

Day100

Night92

Spring100

Summer54

Fall97

Winter60

Day100

Night83

Category winnerSandaloMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men70

Unisex30

Women0

Men96

Unisex4

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#17,069

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#27,905

PerfumerDomitille Michalon Bertier, Verônica Kato

Launched2025

Reviews0

Category winnerSandaloHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Santa Maria Novella Sandalo opens with a brisk, natural splash of Italian lemon and bitter bergamot, paired immediately with an aromatic dose of crushed green thyme. Unlike creamy department store sandalwoods, this blend focuses on an unsweetened, herbal wood profile inspired by traditional Florentine compounding. As…

Reviews →

Essencial Desejos by Natura is a festive woody fragrance for men featuring a prominent gin-inspired accord. It pairs the aromatic sharpness of juniper and priprioca with a creamy sandalwood base, creating an elegant scent suitable for year-end holiday celebrations. This 2025 release provides a striking, luminous trail…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Sandalo or Essencial Desejos?

Sandalo takes 4 of 7 categories. Sandalo is rated 3.82/5 from 71 votes; Essencial Desejos is rated 4.19/5 from 74 votes. Choose Sandalo for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Essencial Desejos for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Sandalo or Essencial Desejos?

They last about the same: Sandalo 70/100, Essencial Desejos 70/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Sandalo or Essencial Desejos?

Projection is very close: Sandalo 57/100, Essencial Desejos 55/100 for sillage.

Do Sandalo and Essencial Desejos smell similar?

Some overlap: a 48% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, aromatic and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Rose, Sandalwood and Patchouli.

Is Sandalo or Essencial Desejos better for summer or winter?

For summer, Essencial Desejos is the stronger pick. For winter, Sandalo is the stronger pick. Sandalo suits daytime wear; Essencial Desejos suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Sandalo and Essencial Desejos?

Sandalo has top notes of Lemon and Bergamot, heart notes of Thyme and Rose, a base of Sandalwood, Benzoin and Patchouli. Essencial Desejos has top notes of Bergamot, Gin, Rosemary and Juniper, heart notes of Rose, Lily of the Valley, Jasmine and Paramela, a base of Cedar, Moss, Musk and Vetiver.