Health Benefits:

One of perfumery's most revered substances for thousands of years, sandalwood oil is prized for its calming and satisfying fragrance. Therapeutically, sandalwood is emollient, tonic, sedative, and useful in chronic and inflammatory disorders. In the respiratory tract, sandalwood oil is used in vapor therapy for treating chronic bronchial infections and coughs.  It is the classic choice for dry, dehydrated skin, though it is also mildly astringent and therefore can be used in cases of acne or oily skin. This cooling oil has also been used topically to reduce skin inflammation and infection. It can be employed synergistically with lavender and helichrysum for burns.

One of the quintessential ritual, ceremonial, and meditation oils, sandalwood's relaxant and sedating properties are used to alleviate stress, anxiety, fear and depression, while promoting an overall tranquil state. Among its other uses are as a sexual tonic and an aphrodisiac.  

How to Use:

How To Use Sandalwood Essential Oil:

Sandalwood is safe to apply topically in undiluted form, as a compress, in the bath, through direct inhalation, or diffuser.

Apply one drop to third eye prior to meditation to support a serene state.

Add to facial moisturizer, or apply neat for a tonic to imbalanced skin.

Massage several drops into temples and back of neck to alleviate tension headache.

Apply a warm compress over dry, inflamed skin to cool and hydrate.

Diffuse sandalwood to promote deep restful sleep and curb insomnia.

Sandalwood Oil Recipes:

Meditation blend: 6 drops sandalwood, 8 drops frankincense, 3 drops opoponax, 3 drops cedarwood for diffusion, or in 30 ml jojoba oil for topical/direct inhalation

Breast Health blend: 2 drops sandalwood, 4 drops Eastern hemlock, 4 drops frankincense, 4 drops myrtle in 30 ml carrier oil, massaged gently into breast tissue twice daily for two weeks (then rest for one week)

More Information:

Sandalwood oil has a long history of use in ethno-botanical medicine, religious and ceremonial ritual, cosmetics, perfumery, and meditation. The practice of purification through prayer of all kinds was often, if not always, accompanied by the burning of incense such as sandalwood and frankincense resin. This dual use served the public’s health even as spiritual refinement was promoted through prayer accompanied by sacred scents which possessed anti-depressant, and anti-infectious properties. In Ayurvedic medicine, sandalwood was used for respiratory and urinary infections and for the revitalization of skin; in Chinese Medicine, sandalwood found use for skin complaints, stomach ache and vomiting. 

Sandalwood oil is employed as the base in making attars (traditional perfumes of India), a process in which flowers are hydro-distilled into a receiver containing sandalwood oil. True Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) has been used continuously as a perfume in its own right, for at least 4,000 years. It serves in high-end natural perfumery as a fixative. Sandalwood oil has been studied as a chemo-preventative in skin cancer studies and as an effective base in mosquito repellents.

Because of its uniquely rich and smooth fragrance and potent healing properties, and because the tree must be killed in order to extract essential oil, it has become increasingly rare and is now obtained from areas that are over-harvested, illegally harvested, and facing ecological threat through deforestation and grazing. The vast majority of sandalwood oil on the market is adulterated or produced under unethical conditions. In response to these legal and ethical issues, some companies are now abandoning the sale of sandalwood oil. At the same time, numerous agro-forestry projects are starting, especially in India, which can be supported.

Safety Guidelines:

Safety Considerations for Sandalwood Oil:

Non-toxic, non-sensitizing, non-irritant. Do not take sandalwood essential oil internally.

Aromatic Profile & Blending:

Aromatic Profile and Blending of Sandalwood Oil:

Perfumery Note:  Base
Odor: Woody, creamy, rich, delicate and slightly floral, lighter and sweeter than Indian sandalwood (Santalum album)
Strength of Initial Aroma: Medium 
Blends well with: rose, benzoin, and neroli; also wood oils like muhuhu, frankincense and cedar wood; with woody, earthy note oils such as patchouli, orris root, and vetiver, and with floral oils such as jasmine sambac, ylang ylang oil and jasmine oil

Product Details:

Botanical Name: Santalum austrocaledonica
Family:  Santalaceae
Composition: 100% Pure Sandalwood oil
Origin:  New Caledonia
Method of Extraction: Steam distilled
Cultivation/Harvesting:  Eco-harvest
Plant Part:  Heartwood
Color:  Clear to light to rich yellow
Consistency: Viscous
Yield: ~1% for younger trees, 2.5-6% for more mature trees

Bottle Size: 1 dram (3.75 ml)

Why Buy From Floracopeia:

Floracopeia was established to help preserve and promote the use of botanical medicines as solutions to the widespread ecological destruction taking place in the world, and the loss of medicinal plants on which traditional medical systems depend. We provide our customers with the highest quality essential oils and other botanical aromatic treasures through the promotion of ecological sustainability, organic agriculture, and agro-forestry projects.

Our products are acclaimed for their therapeutic-grade, high quality at affordable prices. We provide artisanal quality oils produced by small family-based distillers. We buy directly from farmers and distillers, thus supporting the local economies in which the plants are grown. We do not buy oils from the world-brokers. Floracopeia is founded with a strong medical orientation and is involved in a number of global eco-projects based in grass roots health care, spirituality, reforestation projects, and the preservation and restoration of ethno-botanical culture.