In short
Australian sandalwood oil is distilled from Santalum spicatum. It is a sustainably managed alternative to East Indian sandalwood with a drier, more resinous profile.
What Australian Sandalwood Oil smells like
Australian sandalwood oil, from Santalum spicatum, offers a drier, greener scent with moderate santalol levels, in a retailer's comparison with Indian sandalwood. A forum perfumer notes it has the same chemicals in different proportions, with much less santalol, and that it is described as drier and less sweet. No controlled sensory comparison was found. Fraterworks describes its Santalum spicatum oil as a dry woody aroma with fresh-green top notes, creamy-milky undertones, warm peppery spice and a subtle terpenic-cedary depth — drier, greener and more terpenic than Indian sandalwood, with a lower santalol content.
- Leading note
- Dry green sandalwood
- Supporting facets
- Creamy, resinous, green
- Character
- Dry, soft, warm
What makes Australian Sandalwood Oil distinctive
A drier, greener sandalwood, with less of Mysore's milky sweetness.
How Australian Sandalwood Oil is used
Used as a woody base in woody, oriental and natural compositions, often as a sustainable sandalwood.
Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); backbone (used in large proportions as a structural material of an accord).
How Australian Sandalwood Oil differs from similar materials
- Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album)
- Mysore sandalwood is creamier and richer, with more santalol; Australian is drier and greener. (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
Composition differs from Santalum album; do not substitute one-for-one without re-evaluating.
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
- Santalum spicatum oil
- Botanical source
- Santalum spicatum (R.Br.) A.DC.
- CAS number
- 8024-35-9
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
-
Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album)
Essential oil · Woody / Musky — woody, creamy, milky, sweet
-
Sandalore
Aroma chemical · Woody / Musky — sandalwood, warm, soft, woody
-
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)
Essential oil · Woody / Aromatic — woody, dry, pencil shavings, clean
Australian Sandalwood Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for alpha-Santalol.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 4 published formulas
Australian Sandalwood Oil is an ingredient in 4 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Australian Sandalwood Oil
Is Australian Sandalwood Oil natural or synthetic?
Australian Sandalwood 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 Australian Sandalwood Oil?
8024-35-9, 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 Australian Sandalwood Oil?
Australian Sandalwood Oil is used in 4 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Nutmeg Snow, Sandal Milk Script and Smoke & Milk. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 176264902, checked 19 October 2026.
- Scento — Sandalwood in perfume: Indian Mysore vs Australian — published perfumery reference.
- Basenotes — sandalwood (forum) — published perfumery reference.
- Fraterworks — Sandalwood Oil, Australia — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.