In short
Amyris oil is distilled from the wood of Amyris balsamifera from the Caribbean. It was once sold as West Indian sandalwood, but it is unrelated to sandalwood.
What Amyris Oil smells like
Amyris oil is sweet-woody and balsamic: Eden Botanicals presents it as a practical, less expensive alternative to sandalwood, and The Good Scents Company lists woody, sweet, creamy, sandalwood, blackcurrant and smoky, quoting Arctander on its use as a mild blender, mainly in soap perfumes. The sandalwood comparison is disputed: Lush notes it is unrelated to sandalwood, reviewers find it does not smell like it, and a glossary finds it sharper and less milky, with an angular resinous edge.
- Leading note
- Sweet balsamic wood
- Supporting facets
- Creamy, resinous
- Faint facets
- Smoky, blackcurrant
- Character
- Soft, warm, tenacious
What makes Amyris Oil distinctive
A soft, balsamic wood often sold as cheap sandalwood — sweeter and more resinous than the real thing.
Where the descriptions disagree: Some sources present it as a sandalwood substitute; others say it does not smell like sandalwood.
How Amyris Oil is used
Used as a mild blender and fixative, mainly in soap and functional perfumes, and in woody bases.
Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).
How Amyris Oil differs from similar materials
- Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album)
- A glossary finds amyris sharper and less milky than sandalwood, with an angular resinous edge. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Gurjun Balsam Oil
- A forum perfumer finds gurjun reminiscent of amyris; amyris is sweeter and more balsamic. (compared directly by a cited source)
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Its old trade name "West Indian sandalwood" is misleading; do not label it as sandalwood.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Woody / Resinous
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Viscous liquid
- Also known as
- West Indian sandalwood (misnomer)
- Botanical source
- Amyris balsamifera L.
- CAS number
- 8015-65-4
The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)
Essential oil · Woody / Aromatic — woody, dry, pencil shavings, clean
-
Sandalore
Aroma chemical · Woody / Musky — sandalwood, warm, soft, woody
-
Benzoin Resinoid (Siam)
Resinoid · Amber / Gourmand — vanillic, balsamic, sweet, warm
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 17 published formulas
Amyris Oil is an ingredient in 16 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Amyris Oil
Is Amyris Oil natural or synthetic?
Amyris Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.
What is the CAS number of Amyris Oil?
8015-65-4, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Amyris Oil?
Amyris Oil is used in 17 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Apple Cellar, Birch Ghost and Bitter Ferry. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135323290, checked 19 October 2026.
- Eden Botanicals — Amyris essential oil — distributor's description.
- The Good Scents Company — amyris oil (with Arctander) — odour database.
- Lush — Amyris oil — published perfumery reference.
- Premiere Peau — Amyris — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.