What does sandalwood smell like? The creamiest wood in perfume

Sandalwood is the wood people like even when they think they don't like woody perfumes. It is soft, smooth and warm, more like skin than like a forest. For thousands of years it has been carved into statues, ground into paste for prayer and burned in temples. Today it sits quietly in the base of a huge number of perfumes, holding everything else together.

What does it smell like?

Creamy, milky and woody, with a gentle sweetness. Good sandalwood is calm rather than loud. In one breath you might notice:

• Cream and milk: a smooth, buttery softness, almost like warm milk or coconut cream
• Soft wood: pale, polished wood rather than rough bark or sawdust
• Skin: a warm, slightly salty note that blends into your own scent
• Sweetness: a light, balsamic sweetness, never sugary
• Spice and incense: a faint, dry, temple-like edge in some oils

Sandalwood is a base note. That means it lasts for hours and you smell it most clearly once the brighter top notes have gone. It is also a fixative, a material that slows down how fast other notes evaporate, so it helps a whole perfume last longer.

Where it comes from

The classic sandalwood of perfumery is Indian sandalwood, Santalum album. It grows in India, especially in the southern state of Karnataka around the city of Mysore, and also in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and parts of the Pacific. "Mysore sandalwood" became the name for the finest grade.

Sandalwood trees have an unusual way of living. They are hemiparasites: they make their own food from sunlight, but their roots also attach to the roots of nearby host trees and take water and nutrients from them. This makes them hard to farm, because every sandalwood tree needs the right neighbours.

The scent is not in the leaves or flowers. It sits in the heartwood (the dense centre of the trunk) and the roots. A young tree has very little. The heartwood builds up slowly over decades, and older trees give richer oil.

Other species are also used:

• Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) grows wild in the dry inland of Western Australia. It is drier, greener and less creamy than Indian sandalwood.
• Indian sandalwood grown in Australia. Since the 1980s, plantations of Santalum album have been established in northern Australia, around Kununurra in Western Australia and in other regions. These plantations now supply a large share of the Indian-type oil on the market.
• Smaller amounts come from other Pacific species, such as those of New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

How it's made

Sandalwood oil is made by steam distillation. Because the oil is in the roots as well as the trunk, trees are usually pulled out whole rather than cut at the base. The heartwood and roots are ground into chips or powder. Steam is passed through the wood, it carries the oil out, and the oil is collected as the steam cools.

The main aroma molecules are the santalols, especially alpha-santalol and beta-santalol. Together they make up most of the oil. Beta-santalol carries much of the classic woody, milky smell.

A short history of sandalwood

• Religion and ritual in India: Sandalwood has long been central to Hindu, Buddhist and Jain worship. It is ground into a paste called chandan, applied to the forehead, offered to deities and burned as incense. It is also carved into statues and boxes.
• Ancient trade: Sandalwood travelled from India to the Middle East, China and beyond. It appears in old trade records and religious texts across Asia.
• Mysore (18th century onwards): In the 1700s, Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore, declared sandalwood a royal monopoly. Government control of the trees continued under later rulers. A government sandalwood oil factory was opened in Mysore in the early 20th century, and Mysore sandalwood soap and oil became famous worldwide.

Why Indian sandalwood became so scarce

Sandalwood is slow and difficult to grow, and demand was huge. For decades, wild trees in India were cut much faster than new ones grew. Strict government control also meant that farmers had little reason to protect sandalwood on their land, and smuggling became a serious problem.

As a result, wild stocks collapsed. In 1998 the IUCN, the organisation that tracks endangered species, listed Santalum album as vulnerable. Prices of true Mysore oil rose sharply, and many perfume houses stopped using it.

This is why Australian plantations matter so much today. They provide a legal, traceable supply of Indian-type sandalwood, while wild Australian sandalwood is harvested under government quotas.

Sandalwood in modern perfume

Sandalwood is in a huge number of perfumes, often in small amounts. A few landmarks where it plays a starring role:

• Bois des Îles by Chanel (1926): one of the first great "woody" perfumes for women, built around creamy sandalwood.
• Samsara by Guerlain (1989): famous for its generous dose of sandalwood paired with jasmine.
• Santal 33 by Le Labo (2011): a dry, leathery, cedary take on sandalwood that became one of the most recognisable scents of the 2010s.

Real vs synthetic sandalwood

Because natural sandalwood is expensive, most perfumes today use synthetic sandalwood molecules, often alongside a little natural oil. Many of them are made from campholenic aldehyde, a material derived from pine trees. Common names you may see include Javanol, Polysantol, Sandalore, Ebanol and Bacdanol. Each has its own personality: some are creamy, some are more powerful and musky, some are almost floral.

These molecules don't smell exactly like a good Mysore oil, which has more depth and warmth. But they are consistent, affordable and don't put pressure on wild trees. Most of the "sandalwood" you smell in modern perfume is a blend of both worlds.

What sandalwood pairs well with

• Rose and jasmine: sandalwood makes flowers feel warmer and softer.
• Vanilla and tonka: turn it into a cosy, creamy gourmand.
• Oud: sandalwood smooths oud's rough edges.
• Cardamom and saffron: add a gentle spice, common in Middle Eastern and Indian blends.
• Cedar and vetiver: keep it dry and woody rather than sweet.
• Incense: brings out its temple-like side.

Perfumes to try

From soft and classic to modern and dry:

• Samsara by Guerlain: rich, sweet and very sandalwood-forward. A classic.
• Bois des Îles by Chanel: creamy, elegant and slightly powdery.
• Tam Dao by Diptyque: a calm, dry sandalwood with cedar and cypress.
• Santal 33 by Le Labo: sandalwood with leather, cardamom and violet. Hugely popular.
• Santal Blush by Tom Ford: a warmer, spicier, more sensual sandalwood.

How to wear sandalwood

• Sandalwood is quiet. It often stays close to the skin, so you may notice it less than others do.
• Apply to pulse points and clothes. It lasts well on fabric.
• It works in every season, but it feels especially comforting in cool weather.
• If you like it, try layering a simple sandalwood with a rose or vanilla scent.

Who will love it

Anyone who wants a warm, calm, "my skin but better" scent. People who find many woody perfumes too sharp often love sandalwood. It is also a good starting point for anyone curious about Indian and Middle Eastern perfumery.