Sandalwood

Origins

Sandalwood is one of the most expensive woods in the world. Sandalwood trees are fine-grained, yellow through to deep red and their scent can last decades. After severe harvesting and under replanting the original source of the wood, has become a protected species in its native home in the mysore region of india. Limited harvests push the price of the wood higher. Sandalwood Essential oil can cost upwards of £150 per ltr. The other reason it is so costly is down to the fact that it takes upwards of 25 years before the wood produces reasonable amounts of essential oil. Since mysore sandalwood became a protected species Other varieties of sandalwood, Sandalwood Album, grown in australia have been able to fill the demand for this fragrant wood.

The earliest use of sandalwood is documented by the ancient egyptians where it was used in the embalming of the mummies, circa 3100BC. It is also seen in the construction of temples accross nepal, china and tibet. As the middle ages approached it became popular to see sandalwood offered in pharmacies.

The Essential oil making process

Once the mature tree is pulled up, the whole tree is turned into chips, roots and all. Nothing is wasted. The wood chips are steam distilled to produce the essential oil. 1 tonne of wood produces approximatly 45 ltrs of essential oil and takes around 48 – 75 hours to process. The quality of the oil depends on the age of the tree. Steam distilation involves putting the wood chips on a screen above the bottom of a still. steam is passed through wood chips and The volatile componds are volatilized, condensed and collected. You can watch the video below if you would like to see the distilling process.

What does sandalwood smell like?

Described as a warm woody fragrance with milky undertones and a hint of leather. It is very much a sensual scent, stimulating the olefactory sensors. It is not a powerful scent, more dreamy and relaxing. It is describes as having a low volatility which means it is very good at helping lighter fragrance notes like fruits and citrus blends to be captured.

Reported Health benefits of sandalwood over the centuries

Sandalwood has been thought to promote mental clarity when used in aromatherapy. topically it has been used as an antiseptic, anti-aging and anti- inflamatory oil. It is believed to reduce stress and anxiety, reduce blood pressure and cortisol levels in the body. A compound in sandalwood called alpha- santalol has been shown in some studies to promote cell death in cancerous cells, suggesting further research is needed in the fight against skin cancers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12582025/

What products can sandalwood be found in?

Back in 1916 the mysore region manufactured soap made exclusively with sandalwood oil. The government in mysore could not export the oil during the war years and to avoid wasting it it was made into soap and exported around the world.

Sandalwood essential oil is found in some of your favourite perfumes and aftershaves. If you love the smell of sandalwood here are a few perfumes and aftershaves you may like to try.

Sandalwood is found in Incense sticks, woodchips and powders. It is a highly valued ingredient with spiritual properties. The white smoke it emits when burnt is a symbol of wealth in china, india and south east asia.

Sandalwood oil is added to a mouth freshener mixture called pan massala in india, china and south east asia. It contains: Betelnuts, Catechu, Cardomom, Lime, Menthol, Clove, Sandalwood, Patcholi and flavours. The government warning says. ‘ it may be harmful’.

Sandalwood is used in funeral pyres in many cultures. It represents the social status of the deceased. The image to the left shows Government officers offering of sandalwood flowers (Symbolic royal cremation of Savang Vadhanal)

synthetic sandalwood fragrance molecules –

working towards saving the sandalwood trees from over harvesting.

Essential oils have their place, however some can also be expensive as we have seen here. They also, at times dont behave the way soapers, wax melt makers and candle makers would like them to when exposed to heat or the saponification process. Additionally when there is a shortage like with sandalwood, black market ‘fakes’ are often sold as the real deal. quality and safety of these ‘fakes’ can become problematic. in the case of sandalwood, Scientists looked at the chemical make up of the scent and tried to emulate it. There are now several sandalwood ‘synthetic’ scents on the market widely used by fragrance houses. These scents are cost effective and reduce the impact on the environment by reducing the number of sandalwood trees required to meet demand.