Mysore Sandalwood essential oil query

My pure Mysore is very close wearing and has very little sillage, but I don't think that necessarily means you have an inauthentic oil. I would imagine that various ways of distillation, different batches, and the like could contribute to the different experiences and performances. Also, mine is just from my local herbal store (and was only about $20 for the small vial), so I would imagine it's actually cut pretty thin. They had another version that was 3-4 times as much, so maybe you have a couple various concentrations?

*runs off to douse self in mysore sandalwood*

I'm with jrd4t, Oil A is probably cleaner, but without knowing brands / pricing etc. it's hard to add much?

But I will anyway . . .

I used to wear Mysore Oil imported from India in the 70s and developed a taste for it, which brought me to the earlier incarnation of Crabtree & Evelyn Mysore Santal EDT in the mid 80s as a 'polite cologney' version of what I had consigned to my vaguely hippie days. It seems since then real Mysore has become so scarce that you have to look twice at anything that calls itself Mysore Oil. I did come across a firm selling tiny bottles, just a few ml, at USD 120 a pop here (Spanish I think, can't recall the name and didn't get any replies when I asked if anyone here knew the line) and it certainly felt like the real deal altho I didn't buy it. I checked the website and it mentioned that the perfumer had something of a stockpile and was able to still sell the real thing - at a price!

Last year I bought a bottle of Santalum Album from La Via del Profumo, which is essentially Mysore in alcohol in a light EDT concentration and Mr. Dubrana was kind enough to include a vial of Mysore & Australian Sandalwood undiluted for me to compare. The Mysore was as I remembered it and certainly it is warm, gentle, very smooth and wears close - very unassuming but quite beautiful. The Amouage Santal Attar is also close to this IMO altho clearly it is bolstered by other ingredients to stretch it out and also give it a bit more oomph.

Not to rain on anyone's parade but I doubt there's much pure Mysore out there - certainly not in health food or New Age shops. If the major houses with serious money have all switched to Australian I just don't think it's likely, but you never know - maybe someone else had the foresight to lay down a stockpile a few decades ago . . .

If the scent holds a long time, and especially if it lasts through a shower, it may be that it's been extended with aromachemicals (Ebanol and Javanol both have better longevity and are more powerful than real sandalwood).

Does anybody knows how much does it cost 5ml of real Mysore sandalwood? I found some sources at internet and the prices were something close of 20 dollars 5ml. I don`t know if this is a good price or if it`s cheap for the real stuff. And also, is there any reliable online source of it? I`d like a small amount, 1-5ml of the stuff, to know how it smells

Green Irish Tweed in the '90s, to the extent I can trust my nose of then, used to include authentic, quality Mysore Sandalwood, which was wrapping the whole composition in an aura of quiet beauty and mystery. I have troubles locating any trace of that in present formulas but I'd be happy to stand corrected.

On this point, Creed used to specify 'Sandalwood from Mysore' as an ingredient of GIT on their UK website. Maybe a year or so ago they dropped the 'Mysore' bit. Wouldn't know if either of my bottles contain this or not.

The only one I've smelled is the Montale, that also claims is Mysore. It smells, like Oil A, Will.

That looks to be around the going price for "Mysore Sandalwood" oil, according to my trusty research assistant, Google. It's also around the same price as the common Australian variant. I don't think there's anyway to know unless you buy it ...and even then, how would you know it's real?

I was in the same predicament a couple of years ago but eventually bit the bullet and got myself a small bottle. I had a pleasant e-mail exchange and telephone conversation with Alec Lawless, who reassured me that their Mysore sandalwood is the real deal (albeit not aged). Coupled with the odd discussion with WillC and a couple of other Basenoters, I believe him:

http://www.aqua-oleum.co.uk/proddeta...dalwood_mysore

Personally, the oil very closely resembles Oil A, as described by the OP. For those looking for a natural version of Oil B (if it really was synthetic) should give Vanuatu sandalwood a try:

http://www.edenbotanicals.com/essent...alwood_vanuatu

The closes to Oil A I've found so far is the Dabur sandalwood I got from here: http://www.la-boutique-bio.com/produ...oducts_id=1115 I got mine a couple of years ago and have no idea whether the currently sold oil is the same. Mine is deep, woody, mellow, creamy and with low-key topnotes - none of those abrasive, sour notes which are so often found in sandalwood oils these days.

Lawless' Mysore smells nice, but to my nose there is just a bit of that "freshly distilled" harshness, it may or may not go away with age. Great oil but I prefer my Dabur.

I've tried one batch of the Vanuatu from Eden, that was quite possibly the worst sandalwood experience. It may have an increadibly high concentration of Santalol's but the smell was not what I would look for in sandalwood. Another fellow basenoter described it as "smell of a urinal" and I tend to agree. Super harsh, filled with that acrid sour-ish stench found often in Australian sandalwood. Tried diluting it with alcohol but even when diluted it stank, so I sold my bottle.

Thanks for the information Trebor! That`s exactly what i was needing, a reliable source tested by someone who has already smelled the real thing.

Trebor, have you tried the amouage santal attar? If so, what do you think of it? Give me your most honest opinion!

I also noticed that, that the australian variant has a simliar price. I found it very weird, considering that the mysore one is rarer, that`s why i decided to ask first, since my experience with sandalwood is only in fragrances, never tried it on the essential oil form

And has anyone heard of Malaysian Sandalwood? I have saw, on my search, that it`s even more expensive than mysore sandalwood...

The store that i found selling mysore sandalwood was this one:
http://www.qt-store.com/servlet/the-...c-wood,/Detail

Thanks for the link, Igor. I also came across Dabur sandalwood some time ago but found the packaging a little dubious. It's great to hear some feedback on this one.

I totally agree with you about the Lawless Mysore sandalwood - freshly distilled indeed but not too harsh to my nose.

As for Vanuatu sandalwood, I have mixed feelings about it. I found it to be quite temperamental on my skin - it starts off very sour and, occasionally, mellows out to something more palatable after a few hours. Unfortunately, it mostly stays sharp and slightly urinal for most of its duration. Both longevity and sillage are much superior to the other sandalwood oils I've tried so far. However, the big question is, will it improve with age? Personally, I don't have the money or patience to find out.

I've also tried New Caledonian sandalwood and find it to be as soft as Mysore but with a harshness found in the Vanuatu variety. The most distinctive aspect of New Caledonian is a fuzzy berry note that's prevalent during the opening and for the next couple of hours.


Rick, I've fleetingly tried it but can't confirm if it's the real thing. However, I've read conflicting views about its authenticity. The Amouage store has long withdrawn all the attar oils on show, so I can't even go back there to re-evaluate it.

Oh, dear! I think I've read many bad things about this supplier but I can't be completely sure. Maybe Igor can confirm...

I bought a bit of Mysore from this seller http://www.kgstiles.com/moreinfo/sandalwoodmysore.htm it's from a 2004 distillation, smooth but pricey and very quiet (compared to Lawless s.). I wonder if it's been diluted with a carrier oil.

Anyone here bought the Tamil (2006) & Sri Lanka (2007) sandalwoods from this source and how's the quality?

http://www.naturesgift.com/essential...htm#SANDALWOOD

My instinct tells me this is a reputable source, although I have no knowledge of these varieties. I think they were selling aged Mysore oil a few years ago.

Thanks, Trebor, I've also heard good things about this seller and believe they're pure/unadulterated. It's the quality I'm concerned with (esp. for the price), I've smelled some aged Tamil EO (2002) and the oil was still quite harsh.

Rick, I wouldn't send QT any of my money. A friend had bought an "aged Mysore" oil from him a number of years ago which was very very good, but when the same friend later reordered the same product he received something that smelled mostly of cedar with hardly any sandalwood. When he raised the issue with the seller, he was told that it's exactly the same product and that he basically shouldn't be complaining. I've also tried a few of their ouds and they all smelled adulterated to me. I would stay away.

The packaging is a bit odd, but consider the fact that this is sold as food-grade pure Sandalwood and it makes sense. The bottle actually has a rubber stopper attached to the neck of the bottle itself with some aluminium holder - the same type of packaging used in the medical industry to deliver vaccines and injectable medicines - you can puncture the thick rubber stopper with a a sterile syringe needle, extract some of the oil inside into the syringe and then withdraw. The stopper will close the gap once the needle is removed, preserving sterility of the bottle contents.

Oh, I remember you telling me about this one some time ago! I had no idea that this oil was the very one you were describing.

Thanks for helping me not wasting money Igor. I found the price too good to be true, and also the poor webdesign of the site just pushed the alert button for me. That's why i decided to up the thread, hoping that someone would say me if it was a reliable source. So i'll discard this one and stick with the fonts already mentioned.

I didn't understood right. There were quality conflicts over amouage attars? Cause their santal one maybe on my list of future purchases... All the attars include homage and tribute too?

Phibess, the good thing about the company you shared the link is the variety of sizes. 2,5ml would be enough for me, since i don't have perfumer habilities to create a blend for me Altough i was today imagining would it be a composition made with some of my favorites notes at their best qualities - vanilla, sandalwood, a dry leather, clove. On my mind it sounds cozy and perfect for winter.

If i understood right, their prices are higher because, like agarwood, the aged one is more complex and richer, right?

Rick, I think Amouage has realised that they're going through the testers quicker than anticipated, hence the withdrawal of them!

As for Santal, some have said it's not pure Mysore sandalwood but maybe the synthetic variety.

So, since you bought this a couple of years ago, it has had some time to age, no? Have you noticed it's aging 'better' than when you first bought it?

My partner has a bottle of very old Sandalwood oil by The Body Shop (the corporate, franchise company you see in malls all over the US here) and it's about 20 years old. It most likely is not Mysore, but it smells FAN-tastic.

Just put on a drop of the Amouage Attar - first thing in the morning so no distractions - and I am convinced this is good Mysore Sandalwood oil. It is the same smooth, warm texture and scent I know from many years ago and very, very similar to the sample from La Via del Profumo (profumo.it).

My nose is amateur so I cannot be more specific than that BUT it would not surprise me if they have employed a touch of something to subtly extend / enhance the scent, maybe synthetic sandalwood (is it 'santalool' - need to do a bit of reading). I do recall from my A / B comparison a while back that the Amouage had just a little more 'lift' than the Santalum Album from profumo.

Anyway - it's just great, but for anyone reading here who has not tried Mysore Oil please do not build up 'Holy Grail' expectations about it like a Patou Pour Homme or Homage Attar etc. Mysore Oil is beautiful but quite subtle and more of a personal experience IMO

Excellent post!

He, he! Hi, Mike! Well, it took me over a year to pluck up the courage to invest in a bottle, so my oil is less than a year old.

Vintage Body Shop oil... Ah, the good ole days...

If you meant the Mysore from the first link, then I believe it's the real thing and I like it better than Lawless Mysore but then again it's much pricier - she's asking $330/15ml. I wouldn't waste it on blending with other oils unless money is not an issue. Keep in mind though it is really a quiet oil that stays close to skin.
I don't have an extensive experience with aged Mysore, the nicest I smelled was the one from Profumo which I've heard was distilled in the 90s. I'm not sure I'd use the word 'richer', perhaps mellower, lacking the harshness or sometimes sharp ('urinal') notes of the freshly distilled oils or oils distilled from inferior cuts of wood (too young). I imagine even a fresh Mysore oil distilled correctly and from an old heartwood would smell great. As far as I know, even a good aged Mysore should have a little sour milky/lemon note up top.. if a sandalwood oil smells instantly super smooth, creamy and mellow then I believe it's 99% adulterated with synthetics esp. if the oil is cheap.
I've heard some santalum album EOs from Tamil can be nearly as nice as good Mysore.. I wish I could find some.

I'm resurrecting this thread as I'm a little confused, so thought I might get some feedback.

I have a friend who has just come back from a holiday in Sri Lanka, and brought back for me a bottle of Sandalwood oil from a distilling farm that she visited. (It is supposed to be from Santalum Album trees). ... HOWEVER, I have been highly surprised by this oil which smells incredibly strange to me, and not like any sandalwood oil I've ever smelled before. ... Firstly it is coloured a very very pale straw, almost clear. And it is thick and gloopy-sticky like a thin syrup. Most distinctly of-putting is the fact that it has a turpentine-y type top note (smelling sort of like dry-cleaner fluid). The smell itself is very faint indeed, with no silage whatsoever. And it's not even what I would call particularly "woody" in smell. More cardboard-like or very faint wood-like if even that. If I had smelled it without knowing what it was, "wood" would not have been my first guess. ~ It is however quite tenacious, but seeing how it is so faint anyway, it hardly matters. ... Now, considering it was purchased from an actual distillers, I imagine it's therefore a really young "just-distilled" oil. BUT still surly this is not how a sandalwood oil should smell like at all, young or not ??? ~ Does this sound like what a "young oil" might smell like ???

Has anyone here had any experience with Sri Lankan sandalwood oil, who might enlighten me ? Or do you think my friend has been completely duped, and this ain't even a sandalwood oil at all ???

Well, I don't consider myself a sandalwood expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I have been purchasing up samples from all over lately to compare, including the Sri Lanka 2007 and the Tamil 2006 from the Nature's Gift site. I also picked up some of the Dabur sandalwood oil that's been mentioned (the one in the strange medical-grade bottle), and a sample of Aluwwah's Karnataka sandalwood, plus a few others from elsewhere. In terms of scent profiles, the Karnataka and the Dabur smell very much the same although I think Aluwwah's Karnataka is stronger in scent. The Tamil was next in line for similarity of scent, although a bit lighter than the Dabur. The Sri Lanka oil was quite beautiful, woody and creamy. As far as "wear it now" status, the Sri Lanka gets my vote. But that Karnataka oil is soooo very deep and rich.

Some notes on a few others -- the Vanatu had a somewhat acrid smokiness to it, I thought. And the Australian sandalwood smelled very piney to me and not much at all like the other sandalwoods. And some of the samples I've tried have had hardly any scent, at all.

Thanx for the reply "tatter" ... I'm surprised to hear that you were so pleased with your Sri Lankan sandalwood oil. (And one that is only a relatively young 4 years old too). ... I do wonder (and hope !) if mine will therefore still improve in the next few years ? (As I suspect mine is probably only a couple of months old at most). ... Although I must admit that I still find mine highly suspect. I would not have thought that I'd have had trouble recognising mine to be what it supposedly is. (It's not the least bit "sandalwoody" at all).

Anyone else here have any experience with Sri Lankan Sandalwood oil ???

Sybarite, I have no experience of Sri Lankan sandalwood oil but a good place to acquire some for comparison would be here:

http://www.naturesgift.com/essential...htm#SANDALWOOD

Cheers "Trebor", thanx for the tip ! ... That would indeed be the perfect way to check and compare. And I have actually been wanting to order various (far too many ;o) oils from them for ages now. ... However, they unfortunately charge quite a lofty postage charge to the UK (i.e. £20 - £25). Far too steep for ordering just a single oil. So until I have a much larger order to place, in order to make it worthwhile, I'm afraid it's just not an option at the moment. ... ~ (Plus I'm awfully impatient, so I'm gonna have to find an alternative option meanwhile. )
However, I am totally convinced that this oil just cannot be a genuine sandalwood oil. (Or at least unadulterated). Or if it surprisingly actually is then it must be an incredibly poor quality one. Or perhaps from far too immature a wood ???
~ It displays none of the usual typical sandalwoody characteristics like, well to start "woody", or buttery, subtle spicy and even slightly "sweaty". The only one's it does have is the slight sweetness & tenacity.

This is NOT a question about "Mysore." It is a question of species and / OR distillation process and / or proceedure. So there is a lot to cover in this answer.
A) Let us begin with "Mysore." Mysore is an area in India that WAS known for it's superior quality. Then there was a greedy craze for it and everything went wonky. Now it's endangered and even though the trees are owned by the government and their are strict sustainability laws, there is serious blackmarket devestation happening for the money and much of the quality is being reduced for profit.
Better quality S. album can be found now in Australia through sustainable practices.
S. album and a few rare Hawai'ian breeds are the sweet smelling varieties. Santallum spicatum is often used instead and they do have a scratchier drier balsamic smell instead of the sweet smell. Both are woody. Both can be used interchangably in traditional medicinal aromatherapy.
B) Extraction by chemical solvent CO2 is the "chemical" process of distillation everyone is talking about, but they do NOT have their facts right. This produces a superior smell that is longer lasting and a product that is more medicinal in every way. This distillation process is also more environmentally ethical because it takes less product to produce both more smell AND more oil quantity. The steam distillation temperatures are so high that they do lessen some of the medicinal value (constituents).
C) Even if it WAS Mysore AND S. albums, reguardless of the extraction method, the HEARTWOOD is the part of the tree that produces the best smelling (ok, only smelling according to some) essential oils. AND the MOST essential oil. The regular botanical "SAPWOOD" is inferior in every way. If you add sapwood to the ingredients being processed then it produces a cheaper sharper smelling inferior product, but each tree will produce MORE essential oil because there is more product to extract from...so the makers win financially.
D) The best time to harvest a tree is just after the peak of the rainy season. The oils are best and most abundant then. Because of the guerilla warfare for the profit in these trees, blackmarket speculators are cutting the trees down whenever they please and not even using the roots (stupid because they hold the most oils).

It took several years to produce this answer in this thread...I am very suprised that no one had answered it yet...all before were mere speculation as far as I can tell. I am writing an essential oil book that should be very comprehensive. If you are mesmerized by my typing this at the top of my head, you should see what the book is like when it is finished! Or maybe someone here would like a hand in publishing it??

I have a trip to mysore in the next two months - where i will be sourcing the real shit from where they cut this stuff

Thanks Star Light! Welcome to BN.

I suggest that for the real stuff, that you buy from a reputable dealer instead of getting ripped off while in Mysore in Person.

I can recommend the Santalum Album from many sources, in many different quantities.
I was even able to acquire the gold standard of 80 year old aged Mysore Sandalwood. That which I judge all sandalwoods by...

double post

double post

What makes you think i will get ripped off? my distant cousin is a forrest officer in the indian state of karnataka, know that - i am not a tourist looking for some lost gold, i've also been given a permit to import a few sandalwood trees so that i can grow them in Malaysia, my family have used for many generations real mysore sandalwood from Mysore, only the last few years there was a decline due to the newer generation losing interest in the traditional ingredients from india such as sandalwood and oudh.

I would love to buy from a reliable vendor... Who would you suggest?

Benzganesh how was your trip? Would be interesting to see some pictures or hear from you.