Indonesian Sandalwood

Note Profile

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About

Indonesian sandalwood is the oil of Santalum album grown in Indonesia, mainly on Timor. It smells soft, sweet and creamy-woody, like classic sandalwood. Some oils open brighter than Sri Lankan sandalwood. One Timor oil is described as polished, waxed wood.

Scent Profile

Indonesian sandalwood is a soft, warm, creamy wood, the classic sandalwood body. Behind it sits a drier wood, closer to polished timber than raw wood. A sweet, balsamic note runs through it, with a little resin. Some oils open brighter and more lifted than Sri Lankan sandalwood. One supplier also notes a faint animal-like undertone.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeBase · ~30h lasting

Family Woody & Earthy

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

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Materials That Can Make This Note

Perfumers can build Indonesian Sandalwood from materials such as:

Natural extract Sandalwood oil (Santalum album L.) dry · woody · balsamic
Α-santalol sandalwood · woody · incense

Smell words come from published sources.

Allergens perfumes with this note can list: Sandalwood oil, Sandalwood

A given perfume with this note may use some of these, or something else, and may or may not contain the allergens above.

Origin

Santalum album grown in Indonesia, mainly in East Nusa Tenggara and on Timor. This is inside the species' likely native range, so the tree is the same one that gives Mysore sandalwood, not a substitute species like the Australian S. spicatum. Indonesian oil is steam distilled from heartwood and sold as a named commercial origin by producers such as FP Aromatics. Indian material still commands a higher price on its alpha-santalol content.

Usage in Perfumery

A base note and a fixative, used where a formula wants Santalum album sandalwood without the price of Indian oil. Two vendors find it more lifted in the opening, so it can make the wood legible in the first hour as well as in the drydown. 39 mentions across 28 brands on Parfumo, which is wide use for an origin-qualified term.