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This $7 Hand Soap Is the Perfect Dupe for Le Labo's Santal 33

The TikTok-viral Method hand wash sold out almost everywhere—but we know where you can still cop the coveted bathroom must-have.
This $7 Hand Soap Is the Perfect Dupe for Le Labo's Santal 33
Composite by Vice Staff

Gather ‘round luxury scent freaks and scooch in real close, because I’m about to spill the biggest piece of olfactory gossip since everyone found out what makes Rihanna smell so good. (Side note: I bet her baby’s head is the best-smelling baby head on the planet, IYKYK.) Anyway, back to the under $10 purchase that will bring you unbridled joy: Method’s vetiver and amber hand wash. Now, before you shrug this off as just another bottle of hand soap, listen—this hand soap smells nearly identical to the cult-fave, celebrity-loved unisex perfume, Le Labo Santal 33

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When I couldn’t find the hand wash on Amazon (thankfully it’s available again), I scoured the internet for it while simultaneously pharmacy-hopping in my double-parked Subaru, pretending I was running in to grab a prescription. I had no luck whatsoever, even after cross-referencing the list of physical vendors that “claimed” to have the illustrious hand wash in stock with my pals on the “find my friends” app. I called everyone just crazy enough to share their location with me and begged for assistance. The few that humored my insane ask—shoutout cousin Ben!, had no success and I was left to continue my life as the  physical manifestation of the “arghh” emoji. 

Finally, the global supply chain overlords took pity on me (and everyone else on #perfumetok, apparently) and the package with my precious, reusable aluminum bottle of soapy goodness was waiting for me when I got home from yet another failed pharmacy jaunt. Let me tell you, I immediately moved by bottle of Trader Joe’s blah-blah-whatever soap to the cabinet under the sink and washed my hands as I sang “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield, and found a moment of peace while inhaling the scented suds that are a dead ringer for Le Labo’s iconic Santal 33. If you haven't heard of the scent or the brand, you may have been living on a secret lunar colony since the 2010’s, when it made its sparkling debut. The unisex scent has a gravitational pull, drawing celebrity fans, and earning a cult following as “what cool kids everywhere smell like.” The ethereal brand describes Santal 33 as “an open fire… The soft drift of smoke… Where sensuality rises after the light has gone.” Wow, ride ‘em Cowboy. Santal 33 contains notes of cardamom, iris, violet, and Ambrox, plus some spicy leather and musk, while Method’s scent boasts, warm amber, earthy vetiver, and crisp cedar wood.

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$6.98 at Walmart

$6.98 at Walmart

$29.99 at Amazon

$29.99 at Amazon

So, if you’re ready to level up your bathroom experience with a touch of rugged sexiness (but not willing to shell out the equivalent of a second gas bill for luxury hand soap), then Method’s understated, reusable aluminum dispensers will be your new best friend. The three scents come in different colored metallic bottles, so you can try each scent for color variation, and then easily buy cheaper and more eco-friendly refills of your favorite scent from the line.For me, I’m all in on the  vetiver amber now, and forever. 

Go ahead and  treat yourself to some (faux) fancy soap—you’ve earned it after always scrubbing for the length of two renditions of “Happy Birthday”.


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