Divine wood, revered through time, with creamy depths and a quiet, lingering warmth.
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Native to South Asia and the islands of the Pacific, sandalwood - Santalum album - flourishes in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Australia.
The heartwood of this slow-growing plant is what yields its prized oil. True Mysore sandalwood, grown in the Karnataka region of India, is considered the finest.
Highly regulated and increasingly rare, its cultivation requires patience: a tree must mature for at least 15 years before it can be harvested. Unlike most aromatic woods, sandalwood retains its scent for decades, even centuries.
The fragrant heartwood is formed as the tree ages, with its essential oil concentrating in the roots and core.
In the late 18th century, the King of Mysore declared sandalwood a royal monopoly, establishing India as the world's top producer. In 1916, the Maharaja of Mysore opened a state-run factory, setting the global standard for Santalum album. However, poverty fueled a thriving black market, accelerating the depletion of white sandalwood reserves.
Arab physicians introduced sandalwood essence to Europe through the Silk Road during the Middle Ages. The first recorded use in Italian pharmacies dates back to the 15th century. By the 18th century, European perfumers were finally introduced to sandalwood, which quickly became a staple. In 2010, India imposed a ban on sandalwood cutting.
Decades of high demand had pushed the species to near depletion, which led the government to enforce strict regulations on its cultivation and trade. While sandalwood is now legally available, its production remains tightly controlled, and supply is limited (and expensive).
Sandalwood has been treasured since antiquity. Used in Hindu and Buddhist rituals, its smoke is believed to purify the soul. In Hindu mythology, the gods' garden is home to the fragrant "Hari Chandan" tree, with sandalwood as its earthly remnant, a divine tree made tangible.
Egyptian priests burned it in temples and used it as an embalming agent; the Chinese carved it into delicate fans and prayer beads. In India, sandalwood paste adorns the foreheads of deities and devotees alike.
The oil was once an exclusive luxury, perfuming the robes of emperors and the halls of palaces. Buddhists regard sandalwood as one of the sacred scents of the lotus, helping to ground the mind in the material world during meditation while the spirit drifts, while in Jain temple rituals, sandalwood paste is applied to the idols of Tirthankaras, their spiritual teachers, as a symbol of purification.
In Japan, sandalwood is used in incense sticks for the Kōdō ceremony, an elegant practice known as the "art of incense appreciation." In his “Sandalwood Poem”, American writer and poet Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961) reinforces the soft, yet enduring power of sandalwood to remind us of what is eternal, what is transcendental: “My songs shall be as the perfume of sandalwoodBorne by a secret wind from form-lost irretrievable islands,Where the hibiscus bowers of our love,And the palaces of roseate marble,With all their vine-caught pillars,Were dreamt, but never builded.”
Warm, woody, and enveloping, soft yet persistent, the scent of sandalwood carries a milky sweetness with balsamic undertones. Unlike other woods, it is not smoky, but creamy, delicate, like cashmere. Depending on its origin and age, the scent can range from sweet and buttery to more leathery, with hints of spice.
Meditative, soothing, sensual. Sandalwood has always been associated with inner peace and heightened awareness. In incense, it deepens reflection; in perfume, it invites intimacy. It is grounding, yet transcendent. A scent deeply connected to our human desire to go beyond the material world. A scent of temples, of skin, of whispered prayers and clandestine desires.
There is something truly magical about a translucid trail of sandalwood smoke rising from an incense cone. Its calming, yet uplifting presence fosters an atmosphere of peace, almost like time stood still, waiting for us to notice what’s beyond the veil.
This, to many of us, is how we meet with sandalwood in our day to day life. Beyond its spiritual attributes, sandalwood is used in skincare for its soothing, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
Alpha-santalol, the active ingredient in sandalwood, was shown in 2019 to have chemopreventive effects, as well as possibly being non-toxic against normal cells.
We recommend a low-smoke alternative (Japanese incense sticks are our favourites), or a no-burn solution such as using sandalwood oil in a diffuser or volcano stone. To make sandalwood your ally outside the home, add a drop of your favourite attar to your pulse areas.
Carry the tiny bottle with you throughout the day to create a moment of relaxation by reapplying the oil when you most need it. For lovers of alcohol-based scents, try Sacré Bleu by Aftelier, a natural composition that highlights the sacred marriage between blue lotus absolute and hundred-year-old Mysore sandalwood oil.
bergamot, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, fruity notes, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, amber, musk, cedarwood, oud, saffron, myrrh, frankincense, tonka bean
Sandalwood oil is extracted through steam distillation of the heartwood and roots. In Indian and Middle Eastern tradition, sandalwood is a key component of many attars, the traditional, natural perfume made by distilling different botanicals such as rose, jasmine, oud or vetiver, into a base of sandalwood oil. Sandalwood absorbs and enhances the essence of flowers, spices, and resins over time, deepening their scent.
In Western perfumery, sandalwood is one of perfumery’s most enduring base notes, used to anchor and extend up to 50% of feminine compositions. At the same time, its versatility allows it to be used across genres. It pairs beautifully with florals like jasmine and rose, it enriches ambers and musks, and softens sharper woods like cedar. It works well with fruity notes like peaches, coconut, blackcurrant and apple, as well as heavier gourmand notes like caramel and rum.
In classic perfumery, it was central to legendary creations such as Guerlain’s Samsara (1989) and Chanel’s Bois des Îles (1926). In modern compositions, it enhances woody-gourmand scents like Le Labo’s Santal 33 and Byredo’s Super Cedar. Sandalwood can be worn in its purest form, as seen in Diptyque’s Tam Dao, or as an accent in darker, smokier blends like Serge Lutens’ Santal Majuscule.
The demand for sandalwood has outstripped supply, leading to sustainable alternatives. Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) offers a drier, sharper scent while synthetics like Polysantol, Sandalore and Javanol recreate its scent profile. These lab-made materials provide consistency and longevity, preserving sandalwood’s presence in modern perfumery without depleting its natural sources.
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