Sandalwood Absolute New Caledonia

New Caledonian sandalwood, known by the botanical name Santalum austrocaledonicum, is a small tree with powerfully aromatic heartwood. The sandalwood tree is a hemi-parasite: it draws in the sap of a host plant through its root system. Small sandalwood trees are raised in plant nurseries using a plant of the Alternanthera genus. In its natural state, the sandalwood tree lives in symbiosis primarily with the “false guaiac” or Acacia spirobis. In New Caledonia, the sandalwood industry is managed by local communities and supervised by the great chiefs. Sandalwood trees intended for cutting are identified by hammering the trunk. These are trees 25 to 30 years old and have developed enough essential oil in their heartwood. The authorized amount to be cut is monitored by the country’s forest service and does not exceed natural regeneration capacities. Further, the young, nursery-raised trees are replanted in the forest. Sandalwood absolute is obtained through the extraction of waste wood from distillation of New Caledonian sandalwood essential oil. The fragrance of sandalwood absolute is woody and sweet, with a milky note.

Sandalwood has been known for its fragrance since ancient times. It was used to build temples, filling the interior with its sweet fragrance. The essential oil was used in Buddhist and Hindu religious rites. Sandalwood was also considered by Buddhists to be one of the three fundamental incense materials, along with agarwood and cloves. In the Pacific Islands, indigenous peoples reduced the wood to sawdust by friction, mixed it with coconut vegetable oil and then covered their bodies and hair with this fragrant oil.

Advised uses : Perfumery, Cosmetic