Woody essential oil
Sandalwood
Santalum album
Sandalwood oil comes from the heartwood and roots of mature trees. East Indian sandalwood, Santalum album, is the classic, but wild trees were overharvested for decades, so most oil today comes from managed plantations in India, Australia and Sri Lanka. The scent is soft, creamy and woody, and it lingers for hours, which makes it a prized base note in calming and sleep blends and in perfume. Because it is costly, it is often diluted or swapped for other species, so the Latin name on the label matters. Rare skin reactions are reported, which is why we give a 2% skin limit.
Safety at a glance
- Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
- Children From age 2
- Dogs Generally well tolerated
- Cats Use with caution
- Sunlight Not phototoxic
- On skin Up to 2%
Reference
| Botanical name | Santalum album |
|---|---|
| Plant family | Santalaceae |
| Plant part | Heartwood and roots |
| Extraction | steam distillation |
| Main origins | India, Australia and Sri Lanka |
| Aroma family | Woody |
| Note | Base note |
| Aroma | Soft, creamy, milky wood |
| Main constituents | (Z)-alpha-santalol, (Z)-beta-santalol, epi-beta-santalol and (Z)-alpha-trans-bergamotol |
| Common uses | calm, sleep, meditation and perfume |
| Suggested maximum on skin | 2% of the blend |
| Phototoxic | No |
| Shelf life once opened | 4 to 6 years |
| Pregnancy | Generally well tolerated |
| Children | From age 2 |
| Dogs | Generally well tolerated |
| Cats | Use with caution |
| Safety notes | Tisserand and Young suggest a 2% skin limit because of rare skin reactions. It is on the IFPA list of oils used in pregnancy. Pet poison lines do not flag it; diffuse briefly around cats. |
Blends well with
Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Sleep, Essential Oil Blends for Calm
Sources
- Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
- Sandalwood album oil as a botanical therapeutic in dermatology (Moy & Levenson, 2017), PubMed Central (NIH)
- Aromatherapy and pregnancy guidelines, International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (hosted by NAHA)