I Swapped My $230 Le Labo Santal 33 Perfume for These 9 Dupes
One of them is less than $25 and smells nearly identical.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.
I can't leave my NYC apartment without the sweet smell of Le Labo Santal 33 wafting up my nose. Hell, sometimes, I even smell it in my apartment, traveling down the hall from my neighbor before he leaves on a Friday night. Some have gone as far as to call Santal 33 the quintessential New York perfume: It's completely unisex, has a je-ne-sais-quoi cool factor, and naturally, it's pretty damn expensive. NYC core, if you will. But with a perfume so popular had to come a party of dupes chugging along behind it.
Santal 33 dupes aren't all exact replicas of the famed fragrance, but offer up a similar DNA and ~aura~. So if you wanna go around smelling like Le Labo Santal 33 but also not in Santal 33, you've got options. I've been testing dupes for this sandalwood perfume for months, and these are the ones I'd actually keep in my personal fragrance wardrobe:
Pros
- Has a really strong projection
Cons
- Some people say it smells different in the bottle as it does on your skin
Why we love it: Try as they might, nothing will ever truly top the original Le Labo Santal 33. To me, it smells like a freshly sharpened pencil on your first day of school (if you, idk, went to school with Kardashian children or something). The warm, ambery notes and spicy cardamom add a bit of that perfume-y-ness to ground the otherwise woodsy scent.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "Some might find Santal 33 'basic' or overworn. And yes, sure, I probably smell at least one person wearing this every single day in NYC. But (!) there's a reason people are obsessed with the scent: Because it smells damn good and lasts all day on my skin."—BETH GILLETTE, BEAUTY EDITOR
| Notes | Sandalwood, leather, papyrus, cedar, cardamom, violet, iris, amber |
Pros
- Has a similar projection and lasting power to Santal 33
- I love the added sweet and spicy notes
Cons
- Bottle cap can fall off easily
Why we love it: You'll spend half the price and smell nearly identical to Santal 33 if you're wearing this stuff. Listen, it's not all the same notes, but it's pretty damn close. You've got sandalwood, cedar, and amber, but instead of a few florals, this adds some spicy sweetness with nutmeg and cinnamon instead. Whenever I wear this, I get a gazillion compliments, often asking what my perfume is and why it smells so similar to Santal 33 but just ever so slightly different.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "This is one of three perfumes I've ever fully gone through an entire bottle of, but it's because it's perfect. It's woodsy, sweet, spicy, warm, earthy—every single box? Ticked. And the scent lasts a very long time, especially if I also layer it with the perfume oil."—BG
| Notes | Sandalwood, cedar, nutmeg, vetiver, cinnamon, amberwood |
Pros
- Smells virtually the same as Santal 33 with all of the same key notes
- Doesn't smell too alcoholic or strong, as do a lot of dupe perfumes, IMO
Cons
- Just doesn't have the same sillage and longevity as Santal 33, per my testing
Why we love it: Dossier's known for its affordable recreations of expensive perfumes, and Woody Sandalwood is virtually Santal 33's twin. It's got almost all of the exact same notes, with a few adds: ambrox, cypriol, and musk—all of which add a little extra warmth and saltiness on the dry down. Truthfully, though, I barely notice them. All I can really pick up on is how damn alike it is to Santal 33 for a fraction of the cost.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "I hate to say it, but Dossier is a great option if you really love the scent of Santal 33 and don't want to drop $$$ on it. It doesn't have the beautiful bottle nor the longevity and projection, but it will make you smell just about exactly the same."—BG
| Notes | Violet leaves, cardamom, orris, ambrox, cedarwood, cypriol, musk, sandalwood, amber |
Pros
- Light scent that lingers, especially in your hair
- Bottle is very chic and has a fine mist
Cons
- Not as strong as a true perfume
Why we love it: If you love the scent of Santal 33 but prefer a soft fragrance, this body mist from Salt and Stone smells nearly identical with a lightweight formula. Spritz it all over your body and let the glycerin and red algae hydrate your skin as it emanates a warm, ambery sandalwood scent.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "I love keeping a body mist in my gym bag to freshen up after a work out without the intensity of a heavy perfume. This one is great if I've already spritzed any of the above Santal 33-esque scents, because it smells so similar and goes so well with them."—BG
Features at a Glance
| Notes | Santal, vetiver, amber |
Pros
- Vanilla note adds sweetness that pairs really well with sandalwood
- Not sickly sweet, though
Cons
- Some reviewers said the vanilla smells synthetic
Why we love it: Santal 33 pairs really well with sweet perfumes, which is precisely why this scent from The 7 Virtues is so spot-on. It's a milky, yummy alternative to the standard creamy, woodsy santal fragrance. If you normally go for a gourmand scent, this will likely be your favorite of the bunch.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "I love mixing Santal 33 with vanilla perfumes, and this essentially just bottled that experience. It's cozy and sweet, but still has the woodsy element I love in a sandalwood fragrance."—BG
Features at a Glance
| Notes | Myrrh, vanilla, sandalwood |
Pros
- Has a touch of sweetness (but not a true gourmand, either)
- Lasts a long time on skin, per testing
Cons
- I wish it had a bit of sandalwood to add a tiny bit more woodsiness
Why we love it: I paraded around the office with this perfume in tow when it first launched to get everyone's review, considering Glossier You is a Cosmo HQ staple. Immediately upon sniffing, assistant news editor Sam Olson likened You Doux to a combo of O.G. Glossier You and Le Labo Santal 33. And it makes sense—it's got the ambroxan and ambrette for the creamy, muskiness of You, plus palo santo, myrrh, and frankicense to provide a woodsy touch like Santal 33. It's not nearly as earthy and rich as Santal 33, IMO, but if you want something creamy and smooth, you'll like this one.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "Since I got it, I've basically worn it nonstop and received hella compliments from strangers, colleagues, and coworkers that note how creamy and light it smells, but with a layered bit of spiciness."—BG
| Notes | Palo santo, sweet violet, frankincense, myrrh, ambroxan, ambrette |
Pros
- Great for summertime or hot temperatures
- Under $50
Cons
- I wish it lasted a bit longer on my skin
Why we love it: If you tend to go for more fresh, flower-forward perfumes but really like the idea of Santal 33, this one from Zara might feel more your speed. Random, but Zara's perfume collection is extremely good, and they're known for duping high-end scents very well. Case in point: Energetically New York, which is a very similar make-up to Santal 33. It's got the same woodsy, spiciness from sandalwood and cardamom, but it adds a bright, bubbly jasmine note that makes it feel even more representative of NYC (hence, the name).
Notes from the Cosmo team: "I never thought standing in a long af returns line at Zara would lead me to such a good perfume, but here we are! Alas, this scent is so similar to Santal 33, but just brighter and fresher. It's like the Santal 33 I wanna wear in the dead of summer when it's too hot to think about a heavy woodsy perfume."—BG
| Notes | Sandalwood, jasmine, cardamom |
Pros
- Least expensive perfume on this list (!)
Cons
- Some reviewers say it smells a bit too smoky
Why we love it: Don't sleep on Cremo, an ultra-affordable yet extremely good brand of fragrances, body washes, and lotions. Their Palo Santo scent is a deeper, woodsier version of Santal 33 that features—shocker!—palo santo and papyrus as well as spicy cardamom. It lasts quite a long time on skin and is legit less than $25. Wild.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "When I want something that smells really strong and intense, I'd reach for this one—which is pretty damn cool considering how affordable it is. For less than my monthly Netflix subscription, I can smell extremely rich."—BG
| Notes | Palo santo, papyrus, cardamom |
Pros
- None of the notes overthrow each other
Cons
- Only an EDT, so it doesn't last that long
Why we love it: One of my favorite ways to wear Santal 33 is mixed with my favorite Le Labo perfume, Thé Noir. This fragrance from Snif is pretty similar to that. It has a similar soft, subdued vibe—musk, white tea, and mandarin orange will do that to a woodsy perfume—but with the same undertones. It's like throwing your partner's cologne-steeped hoodie over your own fresh perfumed T-shirt.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "I love how fresh and simplistic the Snif perfumes are, including this woodsy scent. It's not too overpowering at all."—BG
| Notes | White tea, sandalwood, mandarin orange, vetiver, amberwood, musk |
Pros
- Lasts the longest of any perfumes on this list
- Loaded with earthy, green notes
Cons
- Some testers don't love the new bottle design
Why we love it: Santal 33 is woodsy, sure. But if you wanna smell like you just forest bathed, then pls douse yourself in Woodphoria from Boy Smells. I think it smells like my dad's vintage tobacco-soaked leather jacket; Boy Smells calls it "hot fairy core." It's not all woods, though: The added fig notes definitely bring in that green element, while the coconut water is like a thin, watery creaminess running through the whole scent but doesn't necessarily stand out on its own.
Notes from the Cosmo team: "I wanna cover my entire life in this scent; you don't understand. It's one of my favorite perfumes of all time because it smells so nostalgic to me yet also entirely unique. And it lasts for so long—I sprayed it on yesterday and can still smell it on my wrists 36 hours later."—BG
| Notes | Coconut water, cardamom, fig leaves, jasmine, sandalwood, cedarwod |
Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with more than seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing fragrance stories that range from spring perfume trends to gourmand perfumes. She regularly tests and analyzes fragrances while working with the industry’s top perfume experts to assess new formulas and brands.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
Readers Also Read
7 Baccarat Rouge Dupes, Tested By Cosmo Editors
A Spritz of These Warm Perfumes Feels Like a Hug
This Rose Perfume Is My Ultimate Compliment Magnet
The Most Romantic Perfumes of All Time
