Sandalwood in Perfume: Indian vs Australian and How to Wear It

Short answer: sandalwood is a creamy, soft, slightly milky wood scent from the heartwood of Santalum trees. Indian sandalwood is the most prized, and its oil cost around US$2,500 a kilo in 2020. Trees take at least 15 years to produce good oil, so most sandalwood in perfume today is a blend of natural oil and modern materials that recreate the same creamy effect.

Sandalwood is the base of traditional attar and one of the most comforting notes in perfumery. Here’s what makes it special and how to choose it.

What sandalwood is

The scent sits in the dense heartwood and roots of sandalwood trees. The wood is chipped and steam-distilled to make the oil. Its main scent molecules, the santalols, make up about three-quarters of the oil’s key components, and they give that smooth, long-lasting warmth.

Indian vs Australian sandalwood

Santalum album, often called Indian or Mysore sandalwood, is the classic. It is now a threatened species. Governments in India, Pakistan and Nepal regulate harvesting, although illegal cutting still happens. Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) is a different species with a drier, slightly sharper smell, and it costs less.

That price is why real sandalwood is rarely the only wood in a perfume. Perfumers use small amounts of natural oil alongside modern woody materials, which keeps the creamy character at a price people can pay.

What sandalwood does in a scent

• It softens. Sandalwood rounds off sharp citrus and spice so a blend feels smooth.
• It lasts. As a base note, it stays on skin long after the top notes have gone.
• It carries other notes. That’s why traditional attar is distilled into sandalwood oil, as we explain in our attar guide.
• It suits everyone. It’s neither sweet nor sharp, so it works in men’s, women’s and unisex scents.

Sandalwood oils we’d suggest

For your home, Sandalwood Candle Oil brings the same warmth to a room. Browse all of them in the sandalwood collection. Sandalwood belongs to the woody family on the fragrance wheel, which we cover in fragrance families explained.

How to wear sandalwood

Sandalwood is one of the few notes that works in every season. In summer, choose a fresh blend where it sits under citrus or jasmine. In winter, go for richer pairings with oud, saffron or amber. It also layers well under almost anything. See how to layer fragrance oils.

Questions we get a lot

Is your sandalwood oil pure Mysore sandalwood?

No. Pure Indian sandalwood oil is rare, protected and costs thousands of dollars a kilo. Our oils give you the sandalwood character in a blend, which is also how most modern perfumes use it.

What does sandalwood smell like?

Creamy, soft and woody, with a slightly sweet, milky edge. It’s warm without being heavy.

Why is sandalwood so expensive?

The trees grow slowly, need at least 15 years to produce good oil, and wild Indian sandalwood is protected because it was over-harvested.

Is sandalwood good for men or women?

Both. It’s one of the most unisex notes in perfumery and appears in scents for everyone.

Sources

• Sandalwood: species, prices, santalols and maturity, Wikipedia.
• Santalum album, Wikipedia.
• Prices and notes from the Aroma Lab shop, October 2026.