← Ingredients and raw materials in perfumery
Sandalwood is probably the most loved and most widely used woody raw material in all of perfumery. Its unique creaminess, its enveloping warmth and its ability to boost any note it is blended with make it indispensable. And, in its most prized natural form, extremely scarce.
Types of sandalwood and how they differ
- Mysore sandalwood (India): the most prized in the world. Creamy, warm, with almost animalic and floral facets. Santalum album. Protected in India since the 90s, its export is now heavily restricted. Extraordinarily expensive: quality essential oil is among the most expensive in the world.
- Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum): drier and less creamy than Mysore. Grown sustainably in Western Australia. It is the natural alternative most used by the industry today.
- New Caledonian sandalwood (Santalum austrocaledonicum): a cleaner, softer profile. Produced sustainably.
- Synthetic sandalwoods: molecules such as Javanol, Polysantol, Ebanol or Santaliff. Each one recreates one facet of natural sandalwood; none matches it completely, but combined they can come quite close.
Why sandalwood is so special in perfumery
Sandalwood has a unique quality: it fixes and boosts the other notes without stealing the spotlight. It works as an “amplifier” for the composition: florals bloom more, orientals feel warmer, fresh scents last longer. That is why it shows up in the base of so many perfumes of completely different styles.
Sandalwood in the great classics
Sandalwood as the absolute star has given rise to some of the most influential niche perfumes and a whole movement of creamy woody scents. It is also the backbone of great orientals and classics of contemporary perfumery. Sandalwood on its own rarely reaches the general public, but when it does, it tends to become addictive.
divain perfumes with sandalwood
If you want to see on your own skin what sandalwood does, these four perfumes include it in their composition, each giving it a different role:
- divain-315 (unisex): here sandalwood leads from the opening, alongside leather, cardamom and iris. It returns in the heart with violet and Egyptian papyrus, and the base closes with amber and Virginia cedar.
- divain-076 (women): rose and peach up top, musk and amber in the heart and a base of sandalwood and patchouli that leaves a warm, soft trail.
- divain-369 (men): a spicy woody scent that opens with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and grapefruit, moves through lavender and settles on liquorice, sandalwood, amber, patchouli and Haitian vetiver.
- divain-200 (men): a fresh opening of lime, mint, pink pepper and grapefruit; a heart of ginger, Iso E Super, nutmeg and jasmine; and a dense base of labdanum, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, incense, cedar and white musk.
You will find more options in our selection of sandalwood perfumes. And if you are interested in the whole family, our guide to woody perfumes covers the other woods: cedar, vetiver, patchouli and more.
