Sandalwood - Santalum album ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily used as a fragrance material, adding a warm woody scent to perfumes, skin care, hair care, and body products. It may also contribute minor skin-conditioning character, but scent is its main formulation role.
What does Sandalwood - Santalum album do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily used as a fragrance material, adding a warm woody scent to perfumes, skin care, hair care, and body products. It may also contribute minor skin-conditioning character, but scent is its main formulation role.
Is Sandalwood - Santalum album clean?
From a clean-standards lens, it is usually acceptable as a natural fragrance material, but allergen disclosure and IFRA concentration limits may apply depending on the finished formula. It is not broadly restricted, yet fragrance sensitivity makes it less universally low-irritation than simpler base ingredients.
Is Sandalwood - Santalum album sustainable?
This material is plant-derived from the heartwood of slow-growing trees, so traceable sourcing matters. Historical overharvesting and illegal logging have created supply-chain concerns, while plantation-grown and certified sources improve its sustainability profile.
Is Sandalwood - Santalum album COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted in COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic products when obtained through allowed physical processes and used in compliance with fragrance allergen rules. Its Green Chemistry fit is mixed, since it is renewable and generally biodegradable, but distillation can be resource-intensive and responsible forestry is central.
How does Sandalwood - Santalum album work chemically?
This material is a complex aromatic mixture dominated by sesquiterpene alcohols, especially alpha- and beta-isomeric forms that give the characteristic odor profile. It is typically used at low fragrance levels, is oil-soluble, and should be protected from heat, light, and air to limit oxidation that can increase sensitization potential.
Last updated 2026-05-14