Perfume ingredients- Sandalwood
Image:Kutcenko/Shutterstock.com
Sandalwood an introduction
Many of Plowden & Fallows fragrant compositions contain undertones, derived from various sources, of one of the worlds most valuable trees, Sandalwood. Valued for centuries around the world, Sandalwood has found a fragrant home in perfumery, religion and even as a currency.
The Sandalwood tree is native to East Asia, although, due to the rarity of ‘true’ sandalwood the harvest of the more traditional varieties is now tightly controlled by the governments where it is found in its natural non cultivated form. Modern production of the sandalwood oil mainly occurs in Australia, where sustainability considerations relating to the more traditional varieties of the wood are not of concern to the same degree. Considering the varieties of this rare species, the Sandalwood tree is diverse in nature with over 29 fragrant oil producing woods. The tree that produces the famed wood and oil is part of a group of trees that are hemiparasitic in nature, meaning they require another tree to survive and to provide the nutritional requirement for growth. This factor is one of the contributing aspects relating to the expense of the oil taken from the Sandalwood tree.
harvesting sandalwood for perfumery
Harvesting oil rich Sandalwood is generally achieved by cutting the older trees, often in excess of 15 years of age, as it is these trees that often have a much richer oil content. After harvesting, the oil is extracted via a process of distillation, not all that dissimilar to the process relied upon to create your favourite tipple! The process takes upwards of one week in order to extract the oils contained deep inside the structure of the wood, often making use steam distillation. This is where the wood is initially boiled before steam is then introduced unlocking the oils contained within the porous structure of the wood. The oil mixed in with the steam is then carried to eventually be condensed and separated with the three bi-products being wood, water and oil.
plowden & fallow frargances containing sandalwood
Here at Plowden & Fallow we are very fond of this woody scent and incorporate it in a number of our compositions. The distinctive and reliable scent of Sandalwood is unmistakeable in perfumery, often described as having a soft, creamy, warm and woody character, it can be both found at the forefront of a given fragrance profile, or often as a subtle underlying note. Whilst a number of Plowden & Fallow compositions contain Sandalwood as part of the composition, for those that like this scent to hold a more noticeable position in a give fragrance profile we would recommend exploring the woody qualities of Plowden & Fallows Squire Jack fragrance.
Yours faithfully,
Plowden & Fallow Customer Services.
(Note: This blog post is a creative piece designed to provide information about the perfume ingredient sandalwood. For accurate and up-to-date information about specific fragrances or ingredients, it is recommended to refer to the respective brand.)
