Perfumer's Palette - Sandalwood

image from Tropical Rainforest Aromatics ( carving size sandalwood from Vanuatu )
Portions of this article appeared last year on my blog . Though I discussed sandalwood over a year ago ,

I felt it was important to include the article here .

Sacred , sensuous , scarce.... legendary Sandalwood has been used for centuries in perfumery . The tree must be at least 30 years old to provide oil of any quantity or quality . The trees are never felled ( except by poachers ) , but are uprooted during the rainy season . The oil is distilled from the heart wood , and the sapwood has been used for carvings of temples and deities in India and Japan . The chips and bark are used for incense . The flowers contain no scent !! The best sandalwood is considered to come from the Mysore region of India , where the government owns and controls all trees ( every branch , twig and chip is inventoried and tagged.) If on private land , the landowner recieves 75% of the proceeds . Very good sandalwood is now coming from the Tamil Nadu region of India where the trees are more mature .

Efforts have been made to cultivate the sandalwood tree , but most have failed . The tree is parasitic , and although it recieves some nutrients through photosythesis , the sandalwood tree must steal from the roots of neighboring trees and seems to refuse efforts to domesticate it . It grows when and where it wants to grow !

Knowing this is in very short supply is a sad fact indeed . It will be at least 30 years before the supply can be replenished . I have purchased a variety of sandalwood essential oils , absolutes and attars so that I may never be without it's soothing scent .

At maturity , a sandalwood tree reaches a height of about 60 feet , is about 5 feet in diameter and yeilds up to 60 kilos of essential oil , through steam distillation .

Attar is an ancient traditional method of distillation where volatile aroma materials are slow-distilled directly into sandalwood oil , thereby stabilzing their scent . One is distilled from earth ( dirt ) called Mitti Attar and is unbelieveably rich and sweet . Shamama Attar is a blend of spices and woods and oud , is incredibly complex and takes hours to unfold . The Kewda Attar starts out bitter and green , the volatile Kewda Blossoms preserved beautifully in the soft rich sandalwood . White sandalwood from Australia is sharper and greener , and reminds me of PG Bois Blond .

Creamy smooth , soft and powdery , sandalwood has no top note , but acts as a tenacious fixative . It's scent is stable on the skin for hours and blendable with almost any other aroma . Sandalwood takes pride of place in any perfumers palette . Remember to appreciate this for what it is-sacred , overharvested and in short supply for the rest of our lifetimes !

For more information , please read Trygve's ( Enfleurage , NYC) article here , and Christopher McMahon's ( White Lotus Aromatics ) article here . For purchasing , may I suggest Essential Oil University here.

Here is the chemical breakdown of Mysore Sandalwood heartwood , Santalum Album :
COMPOUNDS PERCENTAGES
cis-alpha santalol 45.39
cis-beta santalol 20.54

trans alpha bergamotal 6.31
beta santalol 5.01

cis-nuciferol 3.83

epi-beta-santalol 3.18

trans-beta santalol 1.78
cis-lanceol 1.74
Santalol 1.53
beta-santalene 1.44
alpha-santalol .87

epi-beta santalene .86

alpha santalene .69

beta-santalic acid .32
ar-curcumene .26
trans-alpha bergamotene .16
santene .14

In aromatherapy , sandalwood supports the lymphatic and nervous system . Also used in yoga and meditation , sandalwood was believed to oxygenate the pineal gland influencing psychic ability and helping to remove negative programming from the cells .

The list of fragrances containing sandalwood is long indeed , but my favorites featuring sandalwood :

Pink Lotus - always and forever my Number 1 , HG , favorite fragrance of all

Ligne St. Barth Santal parfum

PG Bois Blond

Shamama Attar , Mitti Attar ( from White Lotus )

Bill Blass Couture 3

Tell me about your experience with sandalwood and be entered in PP #4 drawing . This weeks give-away drawing next MONDAY August 23 ( make a note of it ! ) will include samples of some of my attars ( diluted in jojoba oil ) , St. Barth Santal parfum , some heliotrope and galbanum fragrance samples and some surprises too !