Sandalwood is a popular ingredient in fragrance, whether it is the main ingredient or used as a fixative to help boost the lighter notes around it.
Sandalwood has been used for thousands of years for everything from religious ceremonies and rituals, to medicine, embalming, and for fragrance.
Sandalwood is native to Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.
Indian Sandalwood is most commonly used in fragrance, but with it being over-harvested to the point of becoming an endangered species, Australian Sandalwood is becoming more common.
In fragrance, Sandalwood is not quite woody like you would expect. It does bring a woodiness to a scent, but is oftentimes found to be warm, sweet, smooth, rich, cream, and even sometimes milky.
It’s a perfect scent for when you want something that is woody, but not too woody; not too sharp or intense or realistically woody.
Sandalwood from Caswell-Massey - This is a simple Sandalwood scent. It’s simply Sandalwood. A Lush Green Botanicals accord blends with the smoky essence of Cypriol and a soft Musk note play up the woody element of Sandalwood to keep things earthy and grounded, and lets the gentle sweetness thrive.
Santal du Pacifique from Perris Monte Carlo - This one has a bit more woodiness and a little less sweetness with the resinous essence of Gurjun Balsam and Musk, but still maintains a gentle sweetness with a Cream note. It almost feels like a Sandalwood with a slight aquatic element.
Santal Complet from Fragrance du Bois - This one opens with a spiciness from a Black Pepper note. This quickly fades as the sweetness of Coconut, Lemon, and Vanilla sets in. Once the sweetness fades, the Sandalwood blossoms with a creamy, almost Caramel-like, essence, before drying into something that is gentle, warm, and sweet with a bit of depth from Amber.
Interlude Man from Amouage - This one definitely has more intensity to it with spices mixed with a smoky blend of Frankincense, Cistus, and Opoponax, and a rich base of Sandalwood, Agarwood Smoke, Patchouli, and Leather. It is rich, resinous, smoky, and woody.
Amares Attar from Parfumerie Nasreen - While this scent does have Oud in the mix, it is primarily Rose and Sandalwood. It is gentle, yet warm and earthy, with a romantic quality from the Rose.
Original Santal from Creed - This scent is fresh and refined, leaning almost Fougere in style from a blend of Ginger, citruses, Lavender, Amber, and Cedarwood blended with Mysore Sandalwood.
Unwind from Tumi - This scent has a casual elegance to it, and a bit of sensual warmth. An Aquatic note blends with citruses that adds a brightness; Lavender, Sage, and Vetiver add a gentle depth; all giving Sandalwood semi sweet, semi earthy vibe.
LP03 Wooden Face from Le Persona - In this scent, Tea and Cardamom add a faint spiciness to a blend of Sandalwood and Fig, both of which seem to be in a duel to shine brighter. The Fig brings its sweet and creamy fruity essence, which sweetens the Sandalwood that is bringing a gentle warmth and sweetness of its own. In some instances this scent is more Fig forward, and in some instances it is Sandalwood forward.
There are many Sandalwood based scents that can be found at Parfumerie Nasreen, the above included, each bringing a different personality of this incredible ingredient forward.
You can find them all in store and online now!
