Sandalwood

Sandalwood is a wood that became very rare. It is the most expensive wood in the world. Sandalwood has inspired and accompanied man since the dawn of time. Very early on associated with many religious practices, the wood of this small sandalwood tree has aroused such a fervor that it is now an endangered species in several regions of the world.

Botanical name: Santalum Album, Austrocaledonicum, Spicatum.
Botanical family: Santalaceae

 

Origins of sandalwood

Sandalwood in native to Asia, particularly India and Indonesia, and has been widely used since the 15th century.

It is a small tree of 5 to 12 meters in height. Its mature leaves are oval, evergreen and its small flowers are straw yellow. The bark is brown or dark reddish and covered with lichen. Its trunk is very thin, with a circumference of 50 cm, when it can be cut.

It produces a fleshy fruit: the drupe. Its pulp attracts birds, by consuming the fruit and then rejecting the seeds they contain, birds contribute to the natural spread of the species.

What makes sandalwoods unique is that they are hemi-parasites, and the chlorophyll they contain enables them to carry out photosynthesis. But during the first 10 years, their roots are unable to draw water and minerals from the soil on their own. In these first 10 years, sandalwood draws these elements from the roots of other plants or other trees that are close by (false guaiac and guava trees). These are fragile trees that are sensitive to light, and they take advantage of the "host" trees to take shelter from the sun during their fragile growth period.

It is only cut after many years: about 30 to 50 years. This is when it is at the peak of its fragrance.

 

 

Use of sandalwood

Its traces are found in Egypt in embalming practices.
It is still customary to burn it during religious ceremonies, such as cremations (400 kg used per cremation). Buddhism and Hinduism consider it a sacred wood, the smoke from burning sandalwood uplifts the soul and promotes meditation.

In even more ancient times, sandalwood was used to build temples.
It was also used for wedding chests, boxes and other objects, as it is not attacked by insects due to its smell.

It is used in the manufacture of incense and also in Ayurvedic medicine.
Chinese medicine also uses sandalwood essential oil to treat stomach aches and skin diseases. It is also an essential oil with aphrodisiac powers.

It is used to create the 'Tilaka', the touch placed by Indians in the middle of the forehead. It is also used to celebrate Krishna. Indians use it in huge quantities to perfume chewing tobacco.

The cradle of sandalwood is really India. At the end of the 18th century, the King of Mysore decreed sandalwood a royal monopoly, and India became the world's leading sandalwood producer. In 1916, the Maharaja of Mysore, created a government factory dedicated to sandalwood, this quality became "the reference of Sandalwood Alba" with a worldwide reputation and will remain so throughout the 21th century. It was a state monopoly. In a context of poverty, a vast smuggling market developed and contributed to the depletion of the large deposits of white sandalwood.

In 2010, cutting was prohibited in India. Intensive consumption of sandalwood in India has made it so scarce that the government now strictly controls its production and export. Today it is protected by the Indian government, and it is possible to obtain it again but in reduced quantities.

Today, the main producers of sandalwood are still the countries of the Asian continent, but it is also cultivated in Australia. Sandalwood Spicatum variety gives an essence of not very good quality, I find it so different, it somewhat resembles cedar. It is now found in New Caledonia: Santalum Austrocaledonicum grade (close to Alba grade). In New Caledonia you can find a very good quality of sandalwood.

 

Sandalwood molecules

There are many synthetic sandalwood molecules, but they are no substitute for natural sandalwood. They are used to boost natural sandalwood and should be handled with caution. Among the synthetic sandalwood molecules, we can mention:

• Polysantol
• Sandalore
• Sandella
• Ebanol

 

Raw material processing and manufacturing

Sandalwood essence is obtained by steam distillation. Its delicious fragrance is found in the heart of sandalwood. The sapwood and bark are removed. It is first dried and then chipped. The distillation process can last from 2 to 5 days.

In New Caledonia, there is an awareness of the need to conserve this precious sandalwood, with a policy of sustainable exploitation. With the establishment of nurseries, there is a strong desire to preserve this precious sandalwood for future generations.

Samples are now taken: cores are taken from the trees to check whether the heart of the sandalwood is fragrant. This avoids the need to cut down the tree if it does not offer the desired olfactory quality.

On the other hand, thanks to a French raw material company, the cold extraction process is now possible. It allows us to obtain exceptional sandalwood essential oil on site.

In 2010, the distillery on the island of Maré was created, powered by solar energy, with the advantage of not consuming any water and also without producing any waste.
The result obtained in this distillery in Maré is spectacular compared to distillation: 8 hours instead of 3 days, 3 liters of essential oil produced instead of 1 liter, for the same quantity of sandalwood.

 

Olfactory description of sandalwood

I like the smell of sandalwood, especially when it is combined with other woods, but I don't like the synthetic derivatives. However, they are essential to boost the scent of sandalwood, which is a mute note, but very tenacious. Nothing can replace a natural product. It is a rather feminine woody note.

Mystical sandalwood is also creamy, velvety, powdery, balsamic, milky, soft, warm, refined, sensual, a little leathery, slightly animalic. It has the particularity of having little volatility, therefore little olfactory power, but it has an incredible tenacity, a bit like a musk note.

 

Main components of sandalwood

Sandalwood contains 230 molecules, but not all of them are fragrant. Sandalwood can now be fractionated and only the interesting fractions kept.

Santalol, terpenes, beta-caryophyllene, santalines, bergamotol are the main components of sandalwood.
Good quality sandalwood should contain at least 90% of santalol.

 

Use of sandalwood in perfumery

Traditionally more associated with men's fragrances, sandalwood is now used in women's fragrances to add a woody note or to reinforce certain powdery notes. It is most often found in woody, orientals or fern fragrances. It is sometimes used to accompany floral notes such as iris for example.

Sandalwood can be used as a main note, but it can be used in all olfactory families with different effects, it is even used with fresh notes.

It was beautifully worked in Chanel's Bois Noir, later called Egoïste. In Guerlain's Samsara, it was used in an overdose for the first time in perfumery. Almost 20% of the formula is enhanced with other sandalwood notes such as polysantol, and associated with jasmine and ylang-ylang.

 

Some fragrances containing sandalwood

• Samsara by Guerlain
• Mouchoir de Monsieur by Guerlain
• Jicky by Guerlain
• Boisé Torride des Élixirs charnels by Guerlain
• L’Instant by Guerlain
• Féminité du bois by Serge Lutens
• Bois Farine by L’Artisan Parfumeur
• N°5 et N°22 by Chanel
• Sensuous by Estée Lauder
• A Men by Mugler
• Allure by Chanel
• Paloma by Picasso
• Envy Me by Gucci
• Santal de Mysore by Serge Lutens
• Santal Blanc by Serge Lutens
• Santal Majuscule by Serge Lutens
• Instant Magic by Guerlain
• Santal Blush by Tom Ford
• Tam Dao by Diptyque 
• Santal 33 by Le Labo
• Santal Massoia by Hermès
• Valkyrie by Sylvaine Delacourte Paris

 

Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes

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