The majestuous sandalwood tree is a tropical mystical tree with a long-standing history… Endemic to Indonesia and Australia, it became indigenous to southern India when it was brought before 1300 BC by Austronesian sailors.

Enclosed within the tree, the incredible sandalwood preserves its fragrance for decades! The species Santalum Album leads the market, originally sourced from India, and more recently from Australia and New Caledonia.

Sacred in the Hindu Ayurveda, the production was established in Mysore for centuries – South-West India – but the overexploitation of the tree in the 20th century has highly endangered the species. 

If the imperial city remains the Indian capital for sandalwood, its essential oil production for the fragrance industry is now predominantly based in Australia.

The coveted essence is among the priciest wood oils! Employed in woody and oriental fragrances, sandalwood has been embraced as one of niche perfumery's dearest ingredients.

FOLLOW THE ANCIENT PATH

Indigenous to not only India, but the whole tropical belt that includes northern Australia and Malaysia, sandalwood trees are mostly present in South India and Indonesia: Timor & Sumba islands – not to be confused with Timon & Pumba!

It dispersed through different Asian and Indian regions by the ancient spice and incense trade routes until the 16th century!

Santalum album from India and Malaysia was the most widely used species until the 15th century. Santalum spicatum from Australia and China, where plantations can be found, became promoted later on.

 

MYSORE’S TREASURE 

From Sanskrit “Chandana” literally translated into “wood for incense burning”, sandalwood is indigenous to South-India where Karnataka state is located.

Its capital, the ancient imperial city of Mysore is considered the national capital for sandalwood. It has given its name to the raw material’s origin “Sandalwood Mysore”.

Pronounced “Mysuru”, in Kannada – official local language – Mysore has long been a hub for traditional industries like sandalwood carving.

The plan for the city's and state's industrial growth was first conceived  in 1911, at the Mysore Economic Conference. This vision culminated in the establishment of various industries, including the Mysore Sandalwood Oil Factory, which was founded in 1917.

SANDALWOOD IN OLFACTIVE STUDIO PERFUMES

LUMIÈRE BLANCHE

Sandalwood is at the core of Lumière Blanche’s sensuality, pampering the fragrance’s  base notes alongside a warm sillage of cedarwood and soothing musks.

Sidonie Lancesseur’s dainty creation delivers the most luscious sandalwood where the wood’s milky facet embraces the creaminess of this chai-tea-inspired fragrance!

What other raw materials create Lumière Blanche’s scented aura? 

Spices are key to this spicy-musky perfume : ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise detain the ability to spark up our senses! Almond milk, iris, and tonka bean mesmerize even the toughest of hearts… 

Could it be a touch of white magic?

 

 

DANCING LIGHT

An ode to the spectacular Aurora Borealis, Dancing Light’s radiance envelops the night sky but is free of darkness.

Amidst the light, a noble wood shines – sandalwood – heating the frosted breath and seducing the eternal stars.

The top notes in the brand’s first born floral-white fragrance are as wintry as ice: frozen top notes of Siberian pine needles, icy mint and cold spices – Indian Ocean pink berries & Guatemalan cardamom.

Trailing a core bouquet of white flowers – neroli & Indian jasmine – the voluptuous sandalwood dances along musks and cedarwood!

 

CHAMBRE NOIRE

Uncover sandalwood’s mysterious facets in Chambre Noire’s seductive base notes… 

A wood blessed by a rich creamy scent, so peculiar, almost as if the gods had granted it such a gift! Entering the dark chamber of sandalwood also opens horizons of patchouli, leather accord, vanilla absolute, and musks – tied by sensuality. 

There is no obscurity without brightness: the scented shadows are illuminated by a burst of pink berries and golden Egyptian jasmine. A heart of intriguing prune accord, papyrus, and violet accord charms the fragrant room.

Dorothée Piot’s creation questions the privacy of one’s intimacy and delivers a warm fragrant answer.

 

 

LEATHER SHOT

Nothing like the classical Russian leather perfumes, Leather Shot is a shot of modernity and reinvention in precise elegance – we couldn’t expect less from master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour.

Sandalwood emerges as a natural choice for the woody foundation of this leathery construction. 

Joined by vetiver and cedarwood, sandalwood’s whipped scent settles before a smooth leathery heart of iris and black tea.

Just like the picture of leather-reminiscent sand that inspired it, Leather Shot is the manifestation of subtleness: strong notes are balanced by fresh bigarade orange, cardamom, and spicy cumin.

 

ONE TREE MANY SPECIES

If all sandalwoods belong to the family Sandalaceae and the Santalum genus, this big family of trees possesses many species among its bloodline, or “sapline” – pun intended!

MELLOW YELLOW

Can you recall the description of sandalwood’s scent, or even better, the actual scent? If so, you’ll remember its yellow flower facet! That’s not the only yellowness it has got: the trees’ woods are also yellow-colored! More of their peculiarities: heavy and fine-grained!

 

KING OF SANDALWOODS: SANTALUM ALBUM

If someone refers to Indian sandalwood, most chances are they are talking about the royal species of Santalum album!

As we mentioned earlier, India’s most valued and used wood oil suffered from ecological depletion, explaining the hyper regulation it encounters today. 

The exact same reason led this tree & oil’s current second world’s production siege to be the North of Australia.

Moreover, Santalum album is still recognized for having the finest and most authentic quality in both religious practices and alternative medicine.

 

SANTALUM SPICATUM

Australians actually imported this species from India… Which is literally the opposite of what happened to the S.Album tree originally (cf. introduction)! 

They initially established S.Spicatum's culture in different parts of the island as a loophole to avoid trade restrictions in India.

 

PREDICTIONS DONE RIGHT!

The S.spicatum trees took a particular liking to a dry location in the West of the country where they still flourish.

The species is also currently marketed by traders due to its reliable supply – as opposed to S.album.

 

A LESS KNOWN SANDALWOOD: SANTALUM AUSTROCALEDONICUM

Newly established in New Caledonia along Vanuatu, this species’ production is pretty small and the essence quite rare.

 

SANDALWOOD IN TODAY’S PERFUMERY

A CONTROVERSIAL SOURCING

Santalum album’s usage history goes back a long way, as we’ve introduced it previously.

Indian Mysore sandalwood is very limited – almost forbidden – Indian sandalwood from other species is less strictly commercialized.

More recent appellations include Australian Mysore, Australia, Haiti, and New Caledonia.

 

TRANSFORMATION INTO AN ESSENTIAL OIL

To extract sandalwood into an essential oil, the wood is grinded into powder before undergoing hydrodistillation. The process takes 48 to 72 hours and the product obtained is a viscous orangish liquid. 

For the nerdy: the yield is pretty good with a range from 5 to 6%!

If you’re curious about the main molecules present in its chemical composition you’ll find:

• Santalol – alpha & beta making up for at least 50% of the formula when combined!

• Terpenes

• Diacetyl – a very particular molecule with hot milk scent which characterizes sandalwood as it’s only present in its oil!

Sandalwood is ok when it comes to regulations by the IFRA. 

SANDAL-ARTIFICIAL 

Many sandalwood scented synthetic molecules have been isolated, developed, and are widely spread such as sandalor, bacdanol, and polysantol.

Their research took a big turn in the 1950s, when Indian sandalwood’s conservation status became critical.

BLING BLING 

Due to its limited supply and noble character, sandalwood costs about $1500 per kilogram, but has attained $3000/kg in the past (2017)!

 

SCENTOLOGY

Belonging to the woody family, the scent of sandalwood is recognizable thanks to its milky, cedary, and yellow flower aspects. As a base note, the volatility of this raw material is minimal.

Sandalwood essence is commonly found in luxury perfumes. Widely used in the 60s, it features prominently in the base notes of classic Guerlain fragrances, as well as in oriental and woody perfumes.

It's also interesting when combined with other woody notes like cedarwood and is highly regarded by niche brands.

 

MUST SMELL SANDALWOOD GEMS!

• Bois des îles by Chanel created in 1926 by Ernest Beaux
• Calèche by Hermès, created in 1961 by Guy Robert
• Samsara by Guerlain, created in  1989 by Jean Paul Guerlain
• Santal Majuscule by Serge Lutens 

Anna Grézaud-Tostain @therawmaterialist for Olfactive Studio