Sandalwood is a small tree with dark bark and light heartwood. The tree’s fragrant wood has been used since time immemorial in religious rituals. Buddhists view it as one of the three fundamental incense materials, along with cloves and agarwood. The species Santalum austrocaledonicum, not to be confused with Indian sandalwood Santalum album, grows in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The essential oil distilled from the heartwood is sweet and woody, tinged with warm, milky notes.

The sandalwood tree is a hemi-parasite that draws the minerals and water it needs from a host plant. In the forest, it chooses “false guaiac” or Acacia spirobis as its host and, in nurseries, is cultivated with a small plant of the Alternanthera genus. The trees to be used for distillation are identified by hammering on the trunk and cutting is controlled by the country’s forest service. Logging quotas do not exceed the natural regeneration capacity of the raw material. Nurseries also provide new plants to be reintroduced into their natural habitat.

Method for obtaining -Steam distillation

Appearance Colourless to pale yellow viscous liquid

Main constituents – Alpha and beta santalols, sesquiterpenic alcohols

Uses:

For natural perfumery, skin and body care, incense, spiritual and religious practices, meditation

Blends Well with:

Amber Fossiled, Agarwood, Ambrette and seed, Amyris, Bergamot, Black Pepper, Clove, Geranium, Jasmine, Labdanum, Lavender, Myrrh, Patchouli, Rose, Tuberose, Vetiver etc