Prada Infusion de Santal Chai: the quiet chai that might outdress your sweater weather

I roll my eyes when brands slap “chai” on desserts with delusions of grandeur. Then Prada whispers Infusion de Santal Chai, and my posture changes. This is the house’s gauzy, second-skin line, the Les Infusions de Prada that turn big themes into translucent fabrics. If anyone can make chai elegant instead of sticky, it’s this crew.

File it mentally next to Infusion d’Iris for texture, not scent twinship. The Infusions style is all about air, space, and clean skin musk that feels laundered rather than loud. The last release was Infusion de Rhubarbe, so a pivot to sandalwood and tea feels like a cool hand on a hot winter trend. Chai has been everywhere in 2024 beauty chatter, but real perfumery knows restraint. I’m betting on a sandalwood spine with cardamom and ginger sparks, maybe a black tea nuance, and that steamed-milk impression without sugar. If they keep it sheer, it will be scarf, not sweater.

As a woman whose handbag often smells faintly of spilled masala chai, here’s what I want from Infusion de Santal Chai: cardamom that actually tingles, a clean woody creaminess that reads as skin, and tea leaves that stay a little bitter. If you crave frosting-thick gourmands, this likely won’t scratch that itch. But if you live in Bulgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Noir, flirt with L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two, or love the modern calm of Le Labo Thé Matcha 26, this could be your wear-to-work chai that still behaves in elevators.

Sandalwood remains the city’s most persistent base note, from Le Labo Santal 33 to Matière Première Santal Austral, yet the Infusions lens should bleach it of swagger and polish it to a satin glow. That’s the intrigue. Chai is a bold word. Prada’s Infusions are not bold fragrances. The tension could be beautiful.

Launch is slated for January, which gives it prime real estate in the winter rotation. If it lands like I suspect, Infusion de Santal Chai will be the soft click of porcelain teacups, not the clatter of a coffee chain. Quiet. Spiced. Properly dressed. And your wool coat will thank you.