What is sandalwood? Where it comes from and the main types
Sandalwood is the creamy, smooth wood note in many perfumes. Where it grows, why real sandalwood is rare, and what is used instead.
What it is
Sandalwood is the heartwood of Santalum trees. The scented oil is distilled from the wood, and it takes the tree decades to grow it.
Where it comes from
Indian sandalwood from Mysore was long the finest. It is now rare and tightly controlled. Much of today’s natural sandalwood comes from Australia and the Pacific islands, such as New Caledonia and Fiji.
What it smells like
Creamy, smooth, soft and slightly sweet, like warm milky wood. It feels calm and enveloping, and it makes other notes rounder.
The main types
- Mysore sandalwood (Santalum album, India): the finest, creamy and rich, and now rare and costly.
- Australian sandalwood: lighter and drier, and the most common natural source today.
- Pacific sandalwood (New Caledonia and others): somewhere between the two.
- Synthetic sandalwood: lab-made molecules that give the creamy sandalwood feel. Used in most perfumes, because they are consistent and kinder to the trees.
Sandalwood in our shop
- Amber Empire Sandalwood, tonka and labdanum in the base, under amber and cedarwood.
- Pink Diamond Sakura White musk, amber and sandalwood, under lily, rose and cherry blossom.
- Le Beau Le Parfum Tonka, sandalwood, amber and ambergris, under coconut and woody notes.
- Seasons Drift Sandalwood, labdanum, amber and resin, under citrus and pink pepper.
- Arrogate Pink Diva Sandalwood, musk and patchouli, under rose, iris and gardenia.
- 9 AM Dive Ginger, sandalwood, patchouli and jasmine, under apple, cedar and incense.
