Is Ranger Station Santalum A Le Labo Dupe? My Honest Review

Considering a bottle of Ranger Station Santalum perfume? Sharing my honest thoughts about this small business fragrance house.

I first discovered the brand Ranger Station while I was walking through Orvis last fall. They had a stack of candles that looked like they were whiskey glasses. As it turns out – they are both. Ranger Station is a fragrance house that makes candles in reusable glasses. I loved the concept so much…and then I smelled one of their signature scents Santalum. I couldn’t help it…I was immediately like “OMG THIS SMELLS EXACTLY LIKE LE LABO SANTAL 33!” Having now incorporated the brand into my everyday for more than three months, I’m sharing my honest thoughts on Ranger Station Santalum.

**Scroll all the way to end for an updated review 2 years later**

Ranger Station Santalum Review

First things first – the brand was introduced to me via candle, but they also carry hand wash, perfume (big and small bottles), lotion, shampoo, conditioner, diffusers and room sprays. It was founded in Nashville and has an assortment of scents, as well as a scent quiz on their website you can take to figure out what you might like. After I found the candle and discovered that I loved the Santalum scent, I went all in. I got the lotion, the perfume, and the hand wash and I’ve been using them ever since.

My first impression with the perfume is that it, obviously, smells extremely similar to the Le Labo version. I don’t know what the copyrights on things like this are, but it’s pretty dang close. I will take a minute to say I don’t always love the word dupe, but I will also be honest and say that I cannot afford $300 perfume all the time. So, that’s where I stand on it. Ranger Station’s Santalum has strong sandalwood and amber notes with a rich, earthy smell. 

“A modern classic with a cult following, it’s no easy feat to differentiate a sandalwood scent; we designed our Santalum as a challenge, both to ourselves and to those around us. In a way, it’s our character statement: a scent that stands on its own with some of the most hyped and exclusive fragrances on the market, but without the markup.”

Across the board, all the Santalum products smell the same whether you are burning the candle, using the perfume, washing your hands…you see where this is going. I know sometimes scents change across products, but that is not true with Ranger Station.

Candle Review: The candles I bought (yes I bought more than one) are smaller than you might find at Bath and Body Works, but the scent is strong and it can easily be enjoyed in a larger room. I “save” this candle for when I have just cleaned the house, or am having guests over for dinner, or winding down for the night…but it’s 10/10 one of my very favorites. The burn is even and the wax is really easy to pop out of the candle once it has burned through and you have a quality whiskey glass to use. Personally, I think that is the coolest part.

Perfume: I’m just going to come right out and say it – this is my new favorite perfume. I reach for it every single day and I get compliments on it whenever I wear it. It’s not overpowering and it sticks around in a good way (not in a “oh wow I might need to cough” kind of way). 

Body Products: I consider these my “nice” products so I keep the hand wash in our bedroom bathroom (not our shared/guest bathroom), and same for the hand lotion and body wash. I definitely use them sparingly, because they’re not cheap, but they feel so luxurious when I do use them and I think the scent sticks around. I also feel very clean after using the products too, not like a “this was just for the scent” type of wash.

Overall, I would highly recommend Ranger Station Santalum. I think it smells exactly like its more popular counterpart for a fraction of the price and I love that it’s a small business. If you’ve been on the hunt for a new scent to try, definitely check out Ranger Station (they have plenty of scents to choose from!). 

UPDATES FOR 2026: If you made it this far – great work! It’s obvious I love this perfume very, very much. Admittedly, it’s gone up in price since I originally discovered it and this review was written, but I don’t mind because that’s how good it is. I’m consistently asked if it’s Le Labo and the scent sticks around for hours, which I love. The candles, lotions, and hand wash make the best gifts (I have given them over and over). This year, I branched out and tried other scents, too. I love Daisy the most (I believe it’s a collaboration with Lauren Akins), because it’s so fresh and light. If you’re on the fence – definitely give Ranger Station a go!

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