Sandalwood

[Guest guest]

At 07:06 PM 4/14/02 +0000, you wrote:

>I've been searching the lists (have too many groups).

>Didn't someone " here' have a special on sandalwood?

>TIA

>Judy

we just got in 10 kilos of Tamil steam distilled, freshly distilled, and 5

kilos of Mysore CO2 extracted especially for us....(the BEST sandalwood I

have ever experienced...we are finding we can use about 1/2 as much of the

CO2 in a blend as we do with the steam distilled, for the same aromatic

balance....a GOOD thing if you are blending with lower priced oils...NOT a

good thing if you are blending with rose and true vanilla...sigh...)

they aren't even listed on the website yet...but if you are interested in

bulk quantities you could email me for a quote. They'll be on the website

when I stop reading email and start writing code!

Your source for superb Essential Oils, Aromatherapy

Accessories, Information, Books and more!

Visit us at: <http://www.naturesgift.com>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Misty, but I want to buy the EO.

----- Original Message -----

From: <mpw98@...>

> ---I have sandalwood and mine is a FO. and this one im sure

> of----lol!!! *hugs* Misty

[Guest guest]

ok im sure there are lots of sights here that you can find the

EO!!!! good-luck! Misty

http://community.webtv.net/mpw98/ForeverYoursATouch

[Guest guest]

,

If you love sandalwood, you might also be interested in the Western

Australian. This rich oil contains higher levels of farnesol and

alpha-bisabolol than the East Indian oil (santalum album) and has the

delicate floral yet smoky scent we all love . Some consider this oil to have

higher anti-inflammatory properties than the East Indian due to the higher

level of farnesol listed above.

Concern for the environment also must be mentioned here. Western Australian

Sandalwood is extracted from plantation trees and is a viable,

environmentally friendly substitute for the East Indian.

Namaste...

Debbi

Blue Moon Herbals

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I get a bit concerned when reading discussions on oils such as Sandalwood.

Much less emphasis seems to be placed on protection of the species than

on getting hold of it....

Even more, there seems to be much rumour and not entirely accurate

information surrounding Sandalwood.

I know that Tony (Burfield) is no longer a member of this list but I

discussed the matter of the current status of Sandalwood with him and he

has written the following notes for me which I will share here for anyone

interested in the real story....

Best wishes to all,

Kendra

www.aroma-science.com

" 1. The demise of East Indian sandalwood oil has been bought about because

of illegal smuggling, mycoplasmal disease, and high market demand - the

market is very tight and prices have been very high.

Bribery of Indian officials involved in smuggling has been difficult to

stop, in spite of the best efforts of the Mysore & Madras governments.

Middlemen and end-user companies have bought tons of contraband sandalwood

oil over the past few years, and the essential oil trade has turned its

back and pretended not to notice.

The names of the smugglers are widely known to us in the in the trade, but

no prosecutions have been forthcoming.

2. As Sandalwood oil has become more scarce, more use of other techniques

has been made. Sandalwood oil EI is not a complete oil anyway, the

terpenes are removed at source to improve the odour and solubility - these

are sold within the trade as by-products. These fractions of East Indian

Sandalwood oil (and fractions from other sources) have been mixed in with

Austalian Sandalwood oil by unscrupulous companies to improve the odour of

Australian

" oil " from Santalum spicatum - as you may appreciate the ten or eleven

producers of this Australian oil have faced high levels of rejection as the

oil has not come up to the expectations of perfumers.

3. Although grinding the Sandalwood to a sawdust (called Balloon dust)

under cryogenic or at least cooled conditions in disintegrators is

required to obtain the best yields subsequently from distillation, the

exhausted Sandalwood material post-distillation still contains oil bound

up in the wood matrix (about 15% of the total oil). This is often solvent

extracted, and the extracted oil (which still has high levels of alpha-

and beta-santalols),. However some batches of sandalwood oil with mixed in

solvent extracted sandalwood oil by product has contained high boiling

compounds, which have cause problems in end-user products.

The distillation itself is normally a three stage process - the first

distillation gives a " crude " - this is redistilled and then heating under

vacuum. This gives a more colourless oil, but other processes include

treatming with dual immiscible solvents

4. Important sandlawood distillation areas are Mysore, Mettur, Kuppam,

Mumbai, Kannauj, Kanpur, Shimoga, Tiruvannamalai etc. Both water

distillation (sawdust pre-soaked 2 days) and low pressure steam

distillation is used.

5. Solvent process also are used depending on the solvent extraction of

sandalwood powder, followed by separation of terpenes via solvent

partitioning, followed by declourisation with activated carbon. Solvent

processes are also used based on polyethylene glycol - this has been

employed also in Australia by certain manufacturers.

6. Sandalwood itself is also used in quantity for carving ornaments,

sawdust and wood is used in incense and joss-sticks. Much of this

capability comes from Australia. Sandlwood oil production was once 200

tons per year, now is nearer to sixty tons, although other figures suggest

twenty tons. Because of smuggling, official figures are difficult to

believe, but tonnage is obvioulsy well down to previous levels.

As you can see from the above synthetics and solvents are frequently used

to extract Sandalwood oil - the essential oil purveyors are careful not to

tell you this. Aromatherpists wanting to use whole oils do not realise the

amount of rectifying and purification normally used in producing this

material.

7. Sandalwood reached protected species status in 1995. Eight years on

many individual species of Santalum have already disappeared, and having

wiped out much of Pacific, Indonesian and Indian reserves, the trade has

had its attention drawn to Papua New Guinea where forests offer large

potential stocks of Sandalwood. We already known that many people we can

identify in the trade have blood on their hands from dealing in Aloeswood

from this source due to the terrible conditions in which people have been

forced to work under. However there is an increasing awareness that trade

in these

materials can be unprincipled. I'm happy to say some of the big

Corporations - much previously criticised for by natural perfumers,

aromatherapists etc - have been persuaded to reduce or avoid use of the

material. I'm still looking for signs that the Natural Perfumers have the

spiritual, caring, " do no harm " , or holistic awareness to do the same. "

For more information:

www.tonyburfield.co.uk

[Guest guest]

At 02:48 PM 8/28/03 +0000, you wrote:

>Dear List Buds,

>

>I am the recipient of some pure sandlewood essential oil. I have never

>bought any because its just too expensive. Can someone help me with a

>mixture of

>eo's to enhance this oil. I think I will use it in a massage oil and maybe

>some creme.

from our website...

>Sandalwood oils blend beautifully with Atlas Cedarwood, Benzoin, Neroli,

>Orange, Patchouli, Vanilla, Rose. Sandalwood is known as the universal

>blender, since very few aromatics do NOT blend well with it's smooth softness.

so you might honestly just look at what you want it to

achieve...emotionally or for skincare, etc...and choose on that basis.

sandalwood, black pepper and true rose otto are wonderful...

S'wood and orange are delightful in any ratio...but you want to be careful

of any citrus in a leave on lotion..

my very favorite blend is neroli and vetiver with a little sandalwood...

Your source for superb Essential Oils, Aromatherapy

Accessories, Information, Books and more!

Visit us at: <http://www.naturesgift.com>

[Guest guest]

Hi MJ

Good Sandalwood oil East India is getting much rarer on the market (now up

to $770 per Kg) and many batches of traded oil now do not even pass the ISO

Spec criteria, whereas they always did. Sandalwood oil East African, Pacific

Sandalwood oil rectified and fractions of Australian sandalwood are getting

mixed in to fool the inexpert buyers and users. Some arrests have been made

in East Africa, of traders trying to smuggle sandalwood logs out to India

for co-distillation, which is encouraging, but its probably the tip of the

iceberg.

My opinion is that the good days of Sandalwood quality are over - soon

newcomer perfumers and aromatherapists wont even remember how it was

supposed to smell.

East African Sandalwood and Pacific sandalwood oil merchandising has been

particularly aimed at the small and inexperienced users, as (without meaning

to sound superior), they can get a much better price for the material in

these markets, whereas some of the perfumery houses have been unwilling to

pay more than $300 per kilo for Pacific sandalwoods as they have to rectify

it and otherwise improve it by tricks known in the trade (whereas the

traders want $500 plus for this raw & unimproved stuff, which they can get

by selling to small outfits).

So my guess is that you're not actually missing anything, and I'm proud that

you've been one of the good people " not using " .

Cheers,

Tony.

www.tonyburfield.co.uk

[Guest guest]

kendra wrote:

>

> My opinion is that the good days of Sandalwood quality are over - soon

> newcomer perfumers and aromatherapists wont even remember how it was

> supposed to smell.

>

Hi Yin-Unit...<G>...

Makes me glad I set up me aging cellar years back....<G>...

Always looked at sandalwood as investment stuff...It's one of few EO

that ages...(and vetiver is another)..

Have no idea as to the provenance on mine....it came from a bunch of

places...

Small bottles, just to be tucked away...as I could afford it...

Loves...

--

W. Bourbonais

L'Hermite Aromatique ©

[Guest guest]

> Thanks Tony. I thought I had a reputable supplier...... The sandalwood in

> question is sold for around $30.00usd for 1oz.(wholesale) from India....

> Another supplier had 1oz for almost $52.00usd wildcrafted, but not sure from

> where yet (but that doesn¹t necessarily mean ethically wildcrafted)

>

> so, having said that....I also thought that my suppliers had a social

> conscience as they were not selling it for a while....as it is Sunday, haven¹t

> heard back from them yet... My thought was that perhaps they had found some

> magical place where the trees are abundant....wishful thinking maybe....

>

> thanks again and have a great evening.

>

> smile

> MJ

[Guest guest]

Hi MJ,

I should say that the Indian authorities do officially approve and certify

the production of small amounts of sandalwood oil. But you will have also

read of illegal mobile stills keeping one jump ahead of the inspectors in

Kerala and other districts.

We have investigated before claims of sandalwood oil only being produced

from fallen and diseased wood or from sawdust waste. The oil sellers making

these claims either live in fairy-land or are incredibly naive - certainly

many have not been within several thousand miles of India. When I have

challenged them directly (and I am more and more tempted to name these

people, these days) the usual retort is " why pick on me, the big users are

the perfume houses " .

What is true is that the major part of sandalwood export tonnage goes for

export to SE Asia, China, Japan etc. for incense for ritual and religious

usage. And it seems impossible to convince end-users in these locations that

by persisting (or even increasing) in this demand, they are rapidly burning

up a fragile bioresource.

Tony

www.tonyburfield.co.uk

[Guest guest]

,

I just used this myself! I made a batch of CP soap scented with cherry

sandalwood. THought I would use sandalwood powder for the color. First, the

powder before being added was the color I was shooting for. BUT, the color it

turned out was a brownish color. It almost looks like a light cocoa color! I

added mine at trace. I DID have some left over that I poured into individual

molds, and it came out almost a light berry color. But, it didn't come out the

color it looks before adding it. I was bummed. But, still good soap!

Let me know how it turns out for you if you use it.

Alice iN SD

Sandalwood

Is sandalwood powder OK for use in CP soap for color swirls? R

[Guest guest]

catlarue@... wrote:

>Is sandalwood powder OK for use in CP soap for color swirls?

>

Hi ,

I used sandalwood powder once to color my soap (swirl). The results were

somewhat surprising. It turned all kinds of colours before finally

settling into purple. But not a solid purple, it was speckly. I would

classify it as 'ugly' soap! LOL! And while I did get used to the color,

unfortunately the soap is a bit scratchy with the powdered sandalwood.

Next time I'm just going to infuse the powder in some olive oil and then

strain it really well and use the oil and see what colour it comes out.

>

>

[Guest guest]

The sandalwood powder also looks great swirled in. I make a sandalwood soap

that really sells well with the swirl.

<(((><

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/29/2004 10:12:07 PM Eastern Standard Time,

alicez@... writes:

Can someone help me out? Mine turned brown when I used it! It looked

great before adding it at trace, then it just pfffffffttttttttt'd out. LOL!

The

soap literally looks like a white cake, with a chocolatey purplish topping,

lol. Is this the color it will turn?

Alice iN SD

I have a blend with sandalwood in it. I put the sandalwood in the section

of soap I'm going to swirl with alkanet. That way the entire soap won't turn

brown.

Hope it was a small batch. Just put the sandalwood, in a couple of cups

that you'll be swirling with, that might solve the problem

[Guest guest]

Can someone help me out? Mine turned brown when I used it! It looked

great before adding it at trace, then it just pfffffffttttttttt'd out. LOL!

The soap literally looks like a white cake, with a chocolatey purplish topping,

lol. Is this the color it will turn?

Alice iN SD

Re: Sandalwood

The sandalwood powder also looks great swirled in. I make a sandalwood soap

that really sells well with the swirl.

<(((><

[Guest guest]

On Nov 30, 2004, at 3:33 AM, Chrissie wrote:

>

> Ages ago Anya kindly invited me to join this group.

> At long last I've decided to take the plunge!

>

>

- and I'm so very glad you have!

Welcome to the list Chrissie ;-)

It is great to see you here and your knowledge and input is greatly

appreciated.

Sandalwood was my first true aromatic love (I know I am not alone) now

thirty years ago and it is very difficult to come to terms with all of

the reasons to stop buying and selling it. I buy very little anymore

and use it very sparingly and keep hoping that there will be a way to

continue that is not harmful. I feel quite selfish saying this after

reading your post- I realize there are bigger issues.

Your words have stayed with me all morning since I read them and what

you said about the " spiritual effects " is powerful and has made an

impact.

I look forward to your posts.

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thank you for your kind words of welcome!

I, too, fell in love with sandalwood when I first

encountered the authentic oil. The sample I smelled

was at least 20 years old, a relic kept in a tiny

phial at the back of a perfumer friend's store

cupboard. The aroma was deeply, divinely mellow!

One day I used a tiny amount of sandalwood oil as a

hair perfume to impress on our first outing

together. Er, ten years later he confessed that when

we first met he was aware of my 'nice' unwashed allure

.....AGH, AGH! I'd have curled up with embarrassment

if I'd known at the time.

Of course, as many of you will know, sandalwood

embodies odour nuances akin to fresh sweat. It's not

apparent to everyone, except perhaps on a subliminal

level which makes it attractive to many. Others,

however, perceive the sweaty nuance above all else,

and so they detest the aroma. Indeed, years ago, an

elderly aromatherapy client of mine, when given some

sandalwood to sniff, was so repulsed by it that she

had to rush to the bathroom to scrub her hands to

remove every trace from her fingers! Even then, she

swore she could still smell it.

Interestingly, I've noticed that the 'Ugh!' reaction

is more common in post menopausal women of 60+. So our

perception of odours is almost certainly hormonally

influenced.

Chrissie

___________________________________________________________

Moving house? Beach bar in Thailand? New Wardrobe? Win £10k with to

make your dream a reality.

Get www..co.uk/10k

[Guest guest]

> Interestingly, I've noticed that the 'Ugh!' reaction

> is more common in post menopausal women of 60+. So our

> perception of odours is almost certainly hormonally

> influenced.

>

> Chrissie

>

ARGH!! I guess I should get my sandalwood jones on now, before it's too late!

Seriously, thanks for those observations. I am always fascinated by

the wildly differing reactions to natural scents. When I first smelled

natural jasmine just a few short weeks ago, the first thought that

came to mind was, " whew! I really need to clean the cat boxes! "

Then again, I am fascinated by the reactions people have to (human)

bodily odors. My first MIL, old school European and post menopausal,

would go ballistic at even a whiff of " bathroom odor " and drench the

house in synthetic scents from a can because " civilized people " were

supposed to do that, as she put it. It reminds me that socialization

and biology so often walk hand in hand.

Janet V

[Guest guest]

>

> Now I have a question concerning the almost taboo sandalwood. It has

> tripled in price in recent times and it smells fainter than it used

> to. I*ve read descriptions of sandalwood in old perfumery books as

> being as strong a smell as vetiver. I have 2 bottles purchased from

2

> different suppliers(one in the UK) and they both smell OK, but

> faintly, not even 1/3 the intensity of sclary sage. Is there a way

to

> get a true EO of the stuff unadulterated at a decent price or we

just

> have to adapt?

>

> n

>

As strong a smell as vetiver?! I have never smelled any sandalwood

oil like that.

I have about 1 milliliter left of a sandalwood oil I bought about 25

years ago; it is labeled Mysore Sandalwood Oil and was purchased from

a company called Mariposa in New York. In the past few months I have

purchased East Indian Sandalwood oil from Liberty Natural and The

Essential Oil Company. Both of the recent purchases compare well with

the Mariposa Mysore Sandalwood oil though the Mariposa oil is

sweeter and more aromatic. Between the Liberty Natural and Essential

Oil Company oils it is hard to decide which I like best.

I also purchased Australian Sandalwood oil from The Essential Oil

Company and I have a sample of Vanuatu Sandalwood oil from Eden

Botanicals. The Australian Sandalwood oil has only a very slight

sandalwood odor and the Vanuatu Sandalwood oil has a persistant

rubbery malodour.

[Guest guest]

> >

> > Now I have a question concerning the almost taboo sandalwood. It has

> > tripled in price in recent times and it smells fainter than it used

> > to. I*ve read descriptions of sandalwood in old perfumery books as

> > being as strong a smell as vetiver. I have 2 bottles purchased from

> 2

> > different suppliers(one in the UK) and they both smell OK, but

> > faintly, not even 1/3 the intensity of sclary sage. Is there a way

> to

> > get a true EO of the stuff unadulterated at a decent price or we

> just

> > have to adapt?

> >

> > n

> >

> As strong a smell as vetiver?! I have never smelled any sandalwood

> oil like that.

>

> I have about 1 milliliter left of a sandalwood oil I bought about 25

> years ago; it is labeled Mysore Sandalwood Oil and was purchased from

> a company called Mariposa in New York. In the past few months I have

> purchased East Indian Sandalwood oil from Liberty Natural and The

> Essential Oil Company. Both of the recent purchases compare well with

> the Mariposa Mysore Sandalwood oil though the Mariposa oil is

> sweeter and more aromatic. Between the Liberty Natural and Essential

> Oil Company oils it is hard to decide which I like best.

>

> I also purchased Australian Sandalwood oil from The Essential Oil

> Company and I have a sample of Vanuatu Sandalwood oil from Eden

> Botanicals. The Australian Sandalwood oil has only a very slight

> sandalwood odor and the Vanuatu Sandalwood oil has a persistant

> rubbery malodour.

>

Thank you for the info. The prices seem to vary too widly

sometimes? One supplier I used a couple of times who ships from the

UK, but is located in South Africa:

http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/sandalwood.htm

They sell their sandalwood for more than 3 times the price at the 2

firms you mentioned above yet they will sell an acceptable neroli for

just $13/10ml including shipping anywhere on earth?

I*m waiting for a response from india, if nothing from there I will

give the essential oil company a try.

n

[Guest guest]

> Yes, Sandalwood has definately tripled in price. And the quality

> has gone down. The lower quality means fainter aroma, but also it

> means that it will be adulterated with other oils or synthetics.

>(Some of the common synthetics smell very strong, and so a

> relatively faint aroma may be a good indication

> these days!)

>

But with sandalwood oil shouldn't adulteration be detectable by GC

analysis? Isn't a good sandalwood oil 80-90% santalols? And there

isn't a source of synthetic santalols is there?

> I have Indian Sandalwood buyers after me to purchase minimun lots

> of 50 kgs. of Vanuatu Sandalwood. I tell them that I am not able to

> provide it.

> ...

> These buyers are looking for other (ie. less expensive) Sandalwood

> oils in order to dilute Indian Sandalwood with. Of course they will

> call the product Indian Sandalwood oil, as it commands the higher

> price.

> ...

> ps. the Vanuatu Sandalwood is not faint, but it is different than

> Indian sw.

>

Do you know the santalol content of this Vanuata material?

I read the other day that there is a volcanic eruption on Vanuatu.

[Guest guest]

________________________________

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Anya

Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 1:15 PM

Subject: Re: Re: Kedwa/Sandalwood

I can't wait for marcia to reply on the sandalwood issue. I would

love to

use it again.

Hi Anya, Everyone Interested -

I have two excellent and reliable sources in India, one in the Northern

part, and one in S. India. They both have limited legal permits to export

small amounts from ethically harvested material. My supplier in the North

works primarily with Ayurvedic doctors and supplies medicinal manufacturers.

The samples I have received are nice, however, not nearly as beautiful as

distillations past. I have a small bit of a 1940-era distillation found

when dismantling an older pharmacy, however, I mostly use it to show people

what good sandalwood should be like aromatically. These latest offerings

are not nearly of that excellent quality, and not as nice as the product I

am currently selling purchased in 1998. The situation does remain unclear

as to how much is still actually poached, however, these producers indicate

that the problem is reduced. I also checked with McMahon, who some of

you might know has traveled extensively throughout India and who also has

many contacts there. He agrees the situation still appears " murky " , and

that the samples he has received are not to his standards either from those

with permits that he's worked with. My next purchase will be from New

Caledonia, from a SA producer who has a license for harvesting there. The

samples are lovely, but it is not Indian, so it will not be a fair

comparison. I believe it is the best substitute, however, and I will revisit

this problem in the near future to see if I feel comfortable purchasing the

Indian sandalwood again. Chrissie Wildwood is right that the incense

industry is exploitative of children, as are many manufacturers in India and

other countries. This is an agenda for those who focus on human rights

issues and aggressively lobby the WTO/NAFTA and governments that need to be

pressured. Anyone interested in organizations to contact in this regard can

contact me personally and I will put together a list of efforts along these

lines.

However, the stock I am offering can almost be considered vintage . . . All

from quantities nicely aged purchased before I took it off my sales list to

investigate the situation further. I am not purchasing any new sandalwood

from India at this time and will carry the New Caledonia in the future when

this vintage stock is gone. There is no reason for me to hoard this (well,

except for the amount we will use ourselves) and the people here are

certainly the ones who will appreciate it. I am considering a small amount

of the Indian CO2 that I know comes from one of my ethical contacts, but the

one I have now is from previous stock that I know is excellent. I'm waiting

for the current sample from the same CO2 producer, which I know will be

quite different.

Hopes this helps to answer some of your questions.

Be Well,

Marcia Elston http://www.wingedseed.com

" Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot. " Hausa Saying from

Nigeria

[Guest guest]

--- drummagick <drummagick@...> wrote:

> Newbie here with a sandalwood issue.

>

> I need to admit up front that my only experience

> with sandalwood has

> been incense and FO.

>

> I needed a few oils for a perfume I've been working

> on, and they came

> in today. Labdanum - interesting and could grow on

> me. Champa - I

> love it and it was everything I'd hoped for. Mysore

> sandalwood -

> smells exactly like the compost pile of grass

> clippings my dad kept

> when I was little.

>

> I keep going back to sniff, and I keep disliking it

> very much.

>

> Isn't sandalwood supposed to be warm and sweet?

> Maybe it just does

> magical things when you add a drop to something, is

> that the case?

***********************************************

Hi Drummagick

I don't know where you got your essences (and we don't

discuss suppliers here). But I can tell you that real

Mysore Sandalwood is all but impossible to get these

days. And if you could get it, it woudl cost a

fortune. The smell you describe (grass clippings) is

totally inconsistent with sandalwood. Yes, it shoudl

be warm, kind of sweet, and kind of buttery or

coconut-like.

Patty

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better friend, newshound, and

know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

[Guest guest]

drummagick <drummagick@...> wrote: Newbie here with a sandalwood issue.

I need to admit up front that my only experience with sandalwood has

been incense and FO.

.. Mysore sandalwood -

smells exactly like the compost pile of grass clippings my dad kept

when I was little.

I keep going back to sniff, and I keep disliking it very much.

Isn't sandalwood supposed to be warm and sweet? Maybe it just does

magical things when you add a drop to something, is that the case?

HI hi.. Janita here...

if I may humbly point out..... it seems to me that your experience with

sandalwood has been coloured by synthetic substitutes.

Sandalwood... it's very precious and ancient odour these days is very very

protected and always beautiful....if you go to my blogspot you shall see a

comparison study.....

http://janitasattars.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-03-09T00%3A24%3A00Z & ma\

x-results=7

with every good wish , Janita

Janita Haan Natural Perfume

http://www.janitahaan.com not ready yet

---------------------------------

Sent from .

A Smarter Email.

[Guest guest]

> drummagick <drummagick@...> wrote: Newbie

> here with a sandalwood issue.

>

> I need to admit up front that my only experience

> with sandalwood has

> been incense and FO.

>

> . Mysore sandalwood -

> smells exactly like the compost pile of grass

> clippings my dad kept

> when I was little.

>

> I keep going back to sniff, and I keep disliking it

> very much.

>

> Isn't sandalwood supposed to be warm and sweet?

> Maybe it just does

> magical things when you add a drop to something, is

> that the case?

Hi,

It might be that you have adulterated sandalwood or

something mislabeled, but I will say that I have one

very assurable quantity of sandalwood EO which has a

distinctly green aspect to it - it is fairly

newly-distilled sandalwood (either Mysore or Tamil

Nadu, and I'm not sure because it's at home and I am

at the office), which will eventually mellow into

something more recognizably 'sandalwoody' as it ages.

But right now I am not yet using it because it's not

quite 'there' yet. If I put a drop on my wrist, it

will smell quite green for a while (ten minutes) but

then it begins to mellow out and eventually the

classic sandalwood smell is perceptible.

I have some slices of Mysore sandalwood which I bought

from a place in Japan. It has the classic refined

Sandalwood smell to it, but again this is just the

wood itself and not a distillation of it.

From whom did you purchase it? Write me offlist and

if it's someone I know, I can perhaps vouch for the

quality - or not, depending on the supplier.

Thanks,

Alfred

in San Francisco