What is Sandalwood ?

Although sandalwood trees in India, Pakistan, and Nepal are government-owned and their harvest is controlled, many trees are illegally cut down.

The process of distilling sandalwood takes longer than any other natural extract. That’s because the oil is very tightly wound within the cellular structure of the heart tree, making it difficult to extract. There is a benefit to this, however, as sandalwood extract is among the world’s strongest, most distinctive and long-lasting fragrances.

In its pure, essential oil form, sandalwood has historically been used to treat muscle soreness, as well as an antiviral and antibacterial ointment. While it’s rarely used for medicinal purposes in developed countries today, many communities in India and Asia still use sandalwood oil for its antispasmodic and antiseptic properties.

It’s this distinctive fragrance which makes sandalwood oil such a highly-coveted ingredient, and, after centuries of cultivation, the oil has emerged as one of the world’s most expensive and desirable natural extracts.

its hallowed status in Hinduism to its popularity in contemporary cosmetics, few natural extracts are as universally beloved as sandalwood.

Sandalwood oil prices have risen to $2,000 per kg recently. Red sanders is endemic in Seshachalam, Veliganda, Lankamala, and Palakonda hill ranges, distributed in districts of Kadapa, Chittoor, and Kurnool in Rayalaseema region and parts of Nellore and Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh, Mysore region of Karnataka (formerly Mysore State), and marayoor forest in Kerala, southern India, is high in quality.

While sandalwood trees grow throughout the world, some regional species are more favoured for their fragrance than others, with notable varieties including Australian and Indian sandalwoods.

Discover our pick of the most fascinating facts about sandalwood below.

Australian woods, in particular, are widely cultivated for their high oil-level and warm, creamy fragrance – making them perfect for use in cosmetic products and home scents.

New plantations were created with international aid in Tamil Nadu for economic exploitation. In Kununurra in Western Australia, Indian sandalwood is grown on a large scale. This species is the primary source of sandalwood used in commercial oil production and should not be confused with West Indian Sandalwood, Amyris balsamifera.

Sandalwood trees are semi-parasitic, which means they actively steal nutrients from other nearby plants. As well as normal tree roots, they also feature tube-like growths called haustoria, which grow into the root structures of other organisms and tap into their nutrient source.

In order to attain valuable sandalwood oil with a sweet, long-lasting fragrance, trees are only harvested when they’re at least 15 years old. In Western Australia, which is known to produce some of the world’s finest sandalwood oil, santalum trees are cultivated when they’re much older – a practice which produces a stronger and more fragrant essential oil.

S. ellipticum, S. freycinetianum, and S. paniculatum, the Hawaiian sandalwood (ʻiliahi), were also used and considered high quality.

Most of the sandalwood extracts found in cosmetics and perfumery are derived from a by-product of steam distillation. Often called ‘sandalwood water’, it carries the distinct fragrance of sandalwood trees and is incredibly long-lasting.

Given the value of sandalwood, producers go to great lengths to extract maximum profit value from every santalum tree.

In Indian cultures, sandalwood is ground down for use in incense sticks, and often burnt during religious festivals. In fact, sandalwood is widely-considered to be the national scent of India, with most families burning the natural extract in their homes.

Rather than cutting at the stump, the whole tree is removed from the ground so that the roots, which contain large quantities of oil, can be cultivated alongside the trunk and branches.

The most expensive sandalwoods are harvested when the trees are around 60 years old. The older the tree, the stronger, more powerful and long-lasting the fragrance. This is particularly true of sandalwoods cultivated in Western Australia.

These three species were exploited between 1790 and 1825 before the supply of trees ran out (a fourth species, S. haleakalae, occurs only in subalpine areas and was never exported).

Currently, the best-quality sandalwoods of Western Australia can fetch anywhere in the region of AUS$16,000 (roughly £9,000) per tonne – a testament to the quality of the sandalwood oil produced here.

Although S. freycinetianum and S. paniculatum are relatively common today, they have not regained their former abundance or size, and S. ellipticum remains rare

In aromatherapy, sandalwood has many benefits. Its sweet, soft scent induces relaxation and calmness, and promotes positive thinking, clarity and aids concentration. Many people believe it can also help boost memory, but this isn’t yet proven.

Sandalwood is among the world’s most treasured natural extracts, cultivated and used for generations across Asia.

S. spicatum is used by aromatherapists and perfumers. The oil concentration differs considerably from other Santalum species. In the 1840s, sandalwood was Western Australia’s biggest export earner.

Sandalwood has a very distinctive fragrance, and is one of the most commonly used natural extracts in modern perfumery. Quality sandalwood should have a soft, warm, smooth and creamy fragrance, with a long-lasting bouquet that invokes the milky woodiness of the heart tree.