Sandalwood Essential Oil
Santalum album
Description
Sandalwood Essential Oil is a profoundly versatile essential oil for its applications spiritual and emotional applications as well as its applications in perfumery/fragrancing and skin care.
Sandalwood has been used since ancient times as incense for spiritual applications. Sandalwood Essential Oil is deeply grounding and is useful for chakra work.
Emotionally, Sandalwood Essential Oil is calming and helps to instill a sense of inner peace. It is a good choice to try in cases of stress, depression or low self esteem. Sandalwood is also considered an aphrodisiac.
Aromatically, Sandalwood Essential Oil is rich, woody yet sweet. It is frequently utilized in high end fragrances and is a favorite amongst both men and women. Sandalwood is a base note and helps round out blends.
Santalum album is featured within this profile. AromaWeb will profile other varieties of sandalwood in the near future.
Sandalwood Essential Oil Benefits and Uses
- Bronchitis
- Chapped Skin
- Depression
- Dry Skin
- Laryngitis
- Leucorrhea
- Oily Skin
- Scars
- Sensitive Skin
- Stress
- Stretch Marks
Source: Julia Lawless, The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Updated Edition) (London: Harper Thorsons, 2014), 179-180.
Botanical Name
Plant Family
Common Method of Extraction
Steam Distilled
Plant Part Typically Used
Color
Clear with a Yellow Tinge
Consistency
Medium - Thick
Perfumery Note
Base
Strength of Initial Aroma
Medium
Aromatic Description
Sandalwood Essential Oil smells rich, deep and sweet yet is delicate, woody and floral.
Sustainability and Conservation Status
Vulnerable
Source: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/31852/9665066
Exception: It is considered Critically Endangered in Timor Leste according to page 9 of the report Threatened, Endangered And Vulnerable Tree Species: A Comparison Between FRA 2005 And The IUCN Red List.
To learn more about the conservation status of essential oil bearing plants and how to use the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, please refer to AromaWeb's Guide to Essential Oils and Sustainability.
Major Constituents
- (Z)-a-Santalol
- (Z)-B-Santalol
- (Z)-Nuciferol
- epi-B-Santalol
- (Z)-a-trans-Bergamotol
See Essential Oil Safety for more complete list of typical constituents.
Source: B.M. Lawrence, Essential Oils 1988-1991 (Wheaton: Allured Publishing, 1993), 180-182. Source cited in Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 418.
Sandalwood Essential Oil Safety Information
Tisserand and Young indicate that although rare, Sandalwood Oil has the potential to cause adverse skin reactions. They recommend a dermal maximum of 2%. Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 418-419.]
Sandalwood CO2 Supercritical Select Extract (Santalum album and Santalum spicatum
In addition to being available as an essential oil, this botanical is available from a small number of reputable sources as a CO2 extract. CO2 extracts offer many advantages. However, they can have differing safety precautions than essential oils because the natural chemistry of CO2 extracts can differ from their essential oil counterparts. Not much safety information is documented from trusted sources for CO2 extracts. Use CO2 extracts with great care and do not assume that every CO2 extract has the same safety precautions as its essential oil counterpart.
General Safety Information
Do not take any oils internally and do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2s or other concentrated essences onto the skin without advanced essential oil knowledge or consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. For general dilution information, read AromaWeb's Guide to Diluting Essential Oils. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and be sure to first read the recommended dilution ratios for children. Consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children, the elderly, if you have medical issues or are taking medications. Before using this or any essential oil, carefully read AromaWeb's Essential Oil Safety Information page. For in-depth information on oil safety issues, read Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young.
Shelf Life
Important Information About the Profiles
The essential oil information provided on AromaWeb is intended for basic educational purposes only. The references to safety information, test results, constituents and percentages is generalized information. Essential oils can vary greatly in composition. The data is not necessary complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate. The essential oil photos are intended to represent the typical and approximate color of each essential oil. However, essential oil composition and color can vary based on harvesting, distillation, age of the essential oil and other factors. Profiles for several CO2 Extracts and absolutes are included within the directory, and are denoted as such.