WHAT IS SANDALWOOD?

What Are Sandalwood Base Notes?

Base notes in a perfume form the foundation on which the entire perfume is built, providing the last impression of the scent.

These are the notes that add depth and fullness to a fragrance, lasting for up to 12 to 24 hours in the most concentrated perfumes. Mossy woods are among the most common base notes, and these distinctive and rich notes can be found in every one of our sandalwood perfumes.

Sandalwood belongs to the woody fragrance family and as the name suggests it is distinctive by its woody character with notes coming from bark and roots.

Both warm and soft, the scent of sandalwood is ideal for winter providing a creamy and subtle feel. However, this exquisite ingredient is also perfect for warmer climates when combined with more fruity notes or florals, enveloping the wearer in a balmy veil of fragrance.

 

History Of Sandalwood

Sandalwood oil comes from the tree Santalum album, native to India and southern Asia. It is the second most expensive wood in the world, for its rarity.

First discovered and used over 4,000 years ago, it remains a sacred and protected tree in India where it is widely considered as a tree that brings you closer to the divine in the Hindu religion.

This slow-growing tree can retain its fragrance for decades and its rich yellow-gold oil is extracted by steam distillation of the heartwood and roots of the tree.

The heartwood is the most precious part of the Sandalwood tree, and the best heartwood comes from the roots and has a long-lasting, sweet, sensual aroma. Sandalwood oil has been used by the world's finest fragrance houses for centuries, and its creamy base perfectly enhances the longevity of other, more volatile, notes.

Clive Christian Sandalwood Perfume

The oil is often harvested when the trees are between 30-50 years of maturity. The older the tree the higher quality and richly scented the oil will be. Clive Christian only use 50-year-old aged sandalwood in our sandalwood perfumes, to ensure the most exquisite and luxurious quality.

In the Clive Christian portfolio, you can find Sandalwood in the base notes of several of our precious fine fragrances, like No1 Masculine or No1 Feminine, a perfume pair crafted using the finest and most exotic ingredients from around the world. Although named masculine and feminine, these two scents are unisex like all perfumes in the Clive Christian portfolio. No1 Feminine is an opulent choice if you’re looking for a radiant floral oriental, with a fruity first impression, unravelled by a white floral heart before settling into a warm and soft base of sandalwood and Madagascan vanilla. The masculine version is an oriental woody perfume, embracing the wearer in a rich warmth and extraordinary depth, from vetiver, powdery musk and Indian sandalwood.

If you are looking for something energetic and refreshing, new Crab Apple Blossom from the new Crown Collection would be the perfect perfume to try. This new Citrus Aquatic perfume is a burst of precious and exotic notes, with bright and sparkling notes of apple blossom and marine bergamot captured at the top, blended with a vibrant heart mojito fusion and sharp green rhubarb. In the base of the fragrance we find a sophisticated but powerful blend of creamy sandalwood and aromatic driftwood, for an oceanic but soft olfactive composition. Something truly unique for the ultimate perfume connoisseur.

You can also experience the sophisticated notes of sandalwood in Art Deco Vanilla Orchid, blended with the floral notes of hyacinth and sweet natural vanilla.