Sandalwood is one of the most widely used notes in the fragrance category, bringing nuance and warmth to every fragrance combination it is in. With its distinct fragrance properties that are rich but subtle, sandalwood plays a major role in so many different scents. The essential oil has a combination smell of a soft, warm, smooth, creamy, and milky wood scent; being a key member of the floral-oriental fragrance family. It is distilled from the heartwood of various species of the sandalwood tree known as the Santalum album, often used in aromatherapy paired perfectly with orange blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and other floral or citrusy fragrances to help stabilize their scent note and for adding longevity to any scent.
The backstory behind Santalum album, the Sandalwood Tree
One of the most expensive scents in the world, Santalum album is a slow-growing tree (which takes up to 10-30 years to grow). It is native to India, Egypt, China, Indonesia, and The Philippines. In Western Australia, it is also known to produce the world’s finest sandalwood oil. To get the sweetest, long-lasting fragrance most trees were harvested at least 15 years old, removed from the ground where a large quantity of oil is cultivated as well as the truck and branches. For 4,000 years (evidence points to the year 3100BC), sandalwood has been highly used in many religions across Asia from ceremonies to medicine.
The Benefits of using Sandalwood
The first mass production of a Sandalwood-based fragrance item was soap from India, in 1916. The original soap produced is still popular today and sold under the name Mysore Sandal Soap. It is recognized as the only soap mass produced that is made exclusively from sandalwood oil. In its purest form, Sandalwood oil is known to contain astringent, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Historically, it was used to treat infections and disease, and due to these known healing properties, launched itself to become a common ingredient in aromatherapy.
Today, Sandalwood is proven to promote calmness, lower stress, and improve sleep quality when diffused. The properties of Sandalwood are so relaxing, that they can ease your brain waves! Research has also shown that sandalwood can also improve mood and attentiveness and even help with migraines. It truly is an amazing scent note and it is no wonder that it’s an ingredient in close to 50 Aroma360 scents. Below, are some of our more popular Sandalwood scent options.
