Scent note · woody amber facet · Amber family

Sandalwood scent notes

Creamy, soft wood with warm smoothness.

Related names: santal

Sandalwood oil is distilled from the heartwood of slow-growing trees: Santalum album in India and Santalum spicatum in Australia. It smells creamy, soft and milky-woody, with a quiet sweetness that lasts for hours.

Sandalwood is mostly a base note. It gives vanilla and rose blends a smooth floor, and it suits violet, almond and grapefruit. The Australian oil is slightly greener and drier than the Indian one.

18oils · see the list

13as a base note

woody amberfacet

Sandalwood pairs with

Violet6 of our 15 violet oils also carry sandalwood

Almond3 of our 9 almond oils also carry sandalwood

Grapefruit3 of our 13 grapefruit oils also carry sandalwood

White Florals9 of our 48 white florals oils also carry sandalwood

Sandalwood oils lean

Powdery 4/16 Sweet 4/20

Questions about sandalwood

Is sandalwood a top, middle or base note?

Mostly a base note. Of the 16 oils here that list sandalwood in their notes, 13 carry it in the base and 3 in the middle.

What does sandalwood pair well with?

Violet, almond and grapefruit. 6 of our 15 violet oils also carry sandalwood.

More woody amber notes

Browse every note on the Scent Notes page, or read how families and facets fit together in The Fragrance Wheel guide.