Is Santal A Woody Scent?
What is Santal?
Santal is the French word for sandalwood. Sandalwood refers to the fragrant wood and oil derived from trees in the Santalum genus. There are several sandalwood species, with the most common being Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) and Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum).
Sandalwood has a distinctive sweet, woody, creamy scent. The fragrance comes from sesquiterpene alcohols found in the heartwood of sandalwood trees. These compounds are released through steam distillation of the wood to produce sandalwood essential oil, which is used in perfumes, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and other products.
The term “santal” specifically refers to the sandalwood note or accord used in fragrances. This attempts to recreate the unique sandalwood scent profile. Santal fragrances may contain natural sandalwood essential oil or sandalwood synthetic aromachemicals like Polysantol.
History and Origins
Sandalwood has a rich history dating back thousands of years. The fragrant wood is native to India and has been used in religious rituals, medicine, and perfumery for over 4,000 years (Source 1). Sandalwood was one of the earliest materials used for making incense due to its sweet, woody aroma. Ancient Egyptians used sandalwood in embalming, and it was also an important trade item along the Silk Road between India and China.
There are references to sandalwood in ancient Hindu texts and it plays an important role in Ayurvedic medicine. Sandalwood paste is integral to rituals and ceremonies in Hinduism. The wood has also been used for carving, furniture, and temples in India for centuries (Source 2). So sandalwood has an extremely long history in South and Southeast Asia as an aromatic, medicinal, and spiritual material.
Sandalwood Species
There are several species of sandalwood that are used in fragrance, the most common being Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) and Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum). Indian sandalwood has a rich, creamy, sweet woody aroma that is highly prized in perfumery. It has been used in incense and perfumes for centuries (Phlur, 2023). Australian sandalwood has a fresher, sharper, more herbaceous scent compared to Indian sandalwood. It started being used more commonly in fragrances in recent decades as supply of Indian sandalwood declined (Bon Parfumeur, 2022).
Other sandalwood species like New Caledonian sandalwood (Santalum austrocaledonicum) and Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum paniculatum) are also used to a lesser extent in perfumery. Each species has its own distinctive aroma profile lending different fragrance characteristics. Perfumers may blend multiple sandalwood types to create unique and complex woody fragrances.
Sandalwood Fragrance Notes
Sandalwood has a rich, warm, sweet, woody scent that is distinctly recognizable. According to Clive Christian’s blog, the fragrance notes of sandalwood are described as milky, soft, sturdy, and rich, with a green top note and a lingering base scent.
Sandalwood fragrance oils and essential oils are extracted from the heartwood of sandalwood trees. The oils have a balsamic, sweet, rich, and woodsy aroma profile. According to Fragrantica, the scent is smooth, creamy, dry, and persistent. It has been used for centuries in perfumery for its ability to blend well with other notes.
The main fragrance notes identified in sandalwood essential oil are:
- Woody, earthy – Due to compounds like beta-santalol
- Floral – From linalool and geraniol
- Sweet, balsamic – From furanosesquiterpenes
- Milky, buttery – From compounds like ketone
The sandalwood fragrance works well for unisex fragrances. It has an excellent staying power on skin and clothes. The rich, soft, sweet scent is both sensual and soothing.
Woody Fragrances
Woody fragrances are characterized by earthy, dry, and aromatic notes that evoke the scent of bark, trees, resins, and woods. Some key characteristics of woody fragrances include:
– Dominant base notes derived from woods like cedar, sandalwood, pine, oakmoss, vetiver, and patchouli (Woody Fragrance Family – Clive Christian).
– Often paired with citrus, fruity, or green top notes for a fresh, complex scent (A Guide to the Woody Fragrance Family – Czech & Speake).
– Dry, earthy, smoky, crisp, aromatic aromas that conjure up imagery of the great outdoors.
– Genderless and suitable for all seasons, with lighter colognes for summer and deeper, warm scents for winter.
Similarities to Woody Scents
Sandalwood has a distinctly woody scent profile that is often described as warm, creamy, and slightly spicy. The main aromatic compound in sandalwood oil is alpha-santalol, which gives it that characteristic woody-balsamic aroma (1). Sandalwood oil smells rich, deep, and woodsy, with subtle undertones ranging from milky and nutty to leather, tobacco, and musk.
There are some clear similarities between sandalwood and other woody scents like cedarwood, vetiver, and patchouli. Sandalwood has an earthy depth and smokiness akin to vetiver, shares the dry and dusty nuances of cedarwood, and has a slight touch of the dusky-sweet aroma of aged patchouli (2). Its meditative and grounding scent profile definitely places it in the woody aromatic fragrance family.
(1) https://dossier.co/products/woody-sandalwood
(2) https://www.caswellmassey.com/products/sandalwood-edt
Differences from Woody Scents
While sandalwood contains woody notes, it has some key differences from typical woody fragrances like cedar, vetiver, and pine.
Most woody scents are sharp, earthy, and dense. Sandalwood, on the other hand, is often described as creamy, smooth, and milky. It has a soft sweetness that most other woody notes lack.
Woody fragrances are usually very dry and austere. Sandalwood can be warm, soothing, and inviting. It creates a rounded, harmonious effect in perfumes.
Sandalwood blends extremely well with a variety of fragrance families like citrus, oriental, and floral. Many woody notes can overpower other scents. Sandalwood plays nicely with others.
While most woody scents are associated with men’s fragrances, sandalwood has a universal appeal. It is widely used in both men’s and women’s perfumes.
Overall, sandalwood brings a distinctive personality to woody scents with its creamy texture, smooth sweetness, and excellent versatility.
Sandalwood in Perfumes
Sandalwood is a popular fragrance note used in many perfumes. Its rich, creamy, woody aroma makes it an ideal base note. Some examples of popular perfumes featuring sandalwood notes include:
Santal 33 by Le Labo – This cult favorite unisex fragrance highlights sandalwood with notes of cardamom, iris, violet and ambroxan (https://www.sephora.com/buy/sandalwood-perfumes).
Tam Dao by Diptyque – This woody oriental fragrance for women blends sandalwood with rose, musk and cypress (https://www.elle.com/beauty/g45575185/best-sandalwood-perfumes/).
Samsara by Guerlain – A classic women’s perfume with sandalwood paired with jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and iris.
Santal Royal by Guerlain – A unisex fragrance focused on sandalwood’s creamy, milky facets.
Creed Santal Eau de Parfum – A fresh, contemporary woody aroma for men with Australian sandalwood and Italian bergamot.
Sandalwood is an extremely versatile fragrance note that blends well with citrus, floral and oriental accords. Its smooth, creamy character makes it a sensual, intriguing base note for perfumes aimed at both women and men.
Sandalwood Alternatives
Due to the rarity and expense of real sandalwood oil, many perfumers and fragrance companies look for more affordable alternatives that capture the woody, creamy scent of sandalwood. Some of the most popular substitutes and alternatives include:
Rosewood oil – Extracted from the Aniba roseodora tree, rosewood oil is sometimes referred to as “Bois-de-rose” and is a core component in many perfume bases instead of sandalwood. It offers a slightly sweet and woody aroma similar to sandalwood. It is also less expensive but still has good quality as a perfume ingredient[1].
Amyris oil – This oil is also woody but has a drier note compared to sandalwood’s creaminess. However, it blends well with woodsy fragrances like cedar and is a cost-effective sandalwood substitute[1].
Frankincense and myrrh – Both of these resinous fragrances have an incense-like, exotic quality that works well to replace sandalwood’s woody richness in oil blends and fragrances[2].
Synthetic sandalwood fragrances – Many modern perfumes use synthetic sandalwood aroma chemicals like Sandalore and Brahmanol to replicate the creamy, soft sandalwood scent at a fraction of the cost of real sandalwood essential oil.
Additionally, some perfume brands like Dossier offer their own sandalwood-inspired fragrances like Woody Santal that aim to emulate the woodsy complexity of sandalwood using more affordable aroma chemicals.
Conclusion
In summary, sandalwood does exhibit many characteristics of a woody fragrance note. Its rich, deep, slightly sweet aroma is similar to other wood scents like cedar, vetiver, and patchouli. Sandalwood comes from the heartwood of sandalwood trees, giving it an authentic wood smell. It acts as a base note in perfumes, providing a lingering foundation like other woody base notes. However, sandalwood also has some unique qualities that set it apart from typical woody fragrances. Its creamy, milky aspects give it a softness that woods like oakmoss lack. And its distinctive identity makes it irreplaceable in the perfumes it graces. So while sandalwood shares much in common with traditional woody notes, it retains an inimitable complexity all its own.
