Indian Sandalwood (S. album) Essential Oil

Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is considered as one of the world's most valuable commercial timber and is known globally for its heartwood and oil. Indian sandalwood (S. album) is considered to be one of the most valuable sandalwood species. Heartwood is the most valuable part of sandalwood tree and fragrant essential oil is extracted from the same. The Santalum is the most important genus under the Santalaceae family. The Indian sandalwood, Santalum album, is the only economically important tree species of this family traded for its fragrant essential oil. Santalum album is indigenous to the tropical regions of the Indian peninsula (Deccan Plateau), eastern Indonesia, and northern Australia. It was declared as the 'Royal tree' by Tipu Sultan in 1792 and has an inextricable link with Indian culture and heritage. The cultivation of the sandalwood tree and the extraction of sandalwood oil is a tedious process. The tree must be at least 15 years old to possess heartwood from which the oil is distilled. Sandalwood oil is mainly used in perfumery, medicine, cosmetic, and soap industries. CHARACTERISTICS: A pale yellow, greenish or brownish viscous liquid with a deep, soft, sweetwoody balsamic scent of excellent tenacity. It blends well with rose, violet, tuberose, clove, lavender, black pepper, bergamot, rosewood, geranium, labdanum, oakmoss, benzoin, vetiver, patchouli, mimosa, cassie, costus, myrrh and jasmine.