WHITE SANDALWOOD

White sandalwood is a common name for Santalum album, also called Indian sandalwood. Its characteristic scent is woody, creamy and gently sweet, with a rounded quality that can suggest a smooth surface rather than rough timber. Natural oils may also show nutty, softly spicy or faint hay-like nuances. The creamy impression is an odour description, not a sign of milk or a dairy ingredient.

The aromatic oil can be steam-distilled from the tree’s oil-bearing heartwood. Indian sandalwood names the species and does not, by itself, prove that a particular material was grown in India. In perfume, the note may be expressed through natural oil, other sandalwood-smelling materials or an accord. It can soften floral transitions or give spices and resins a rounded woody background. The finished scent’s strength, persistence and sourcing credentials depend on the actual formula and supply chain.