Sandalwood, a rarity coming from Asia

Sandalwood grows in Asian countries. It takes at least twenty years for the wood to perfume. The heart of the wood and the roots are then crushed and then distilled. The essence then rests for six months, during which it takes a beautiful ocher color. Wood varieties from Nepal, India and Indonesia are the most popular. The tree being threatened with extinction, the export of sandalwood is now very carefully controlled by the Indian government. Sandalwood from Australia or New Caledonia, more common, has a very different fragrance. The scarcity and high cost of this gasoline explain why many cosmetic products use synthetic derivatives.

The sandal in perfumery

Sandalwood is a powerful, warm and velvety fragrance. It evokes the sensuality and riches of the Orient. Burned in the form of incense in Buddhist temples, its sweet perfume has the reputation of raising and soothing the soul. Used as a fixative in perfumery, the sandal perfectly complements powdered, woody or leathery notes. It is often associated with notes of floral heads. More rarely, there are green or earthy agreements where sandal is the heart note. Sandal notes appear in perfumes at the beginning of the 20th century, almost exclusively in masculine fragrances. In 1990, with "Egoïste", Chanel takes back an old agreement of 1920, modernizes it, and thus restores sandal to the day. Serge Lutens, a perfume creator fascinated by oriental culture, uses sandal in his fragrances. "Femininity of wood" is an example. Today, sandalwood is also present in oriental feminine perfumes. It dominates in "Samsara", by Guerlain, where it accompanies the floral notes of jasmine and ylang-ylang.