Sandalwood oil
None of the restricted materials in IFRA's annex limits this oil in rinse-off soap.
IFRA maximum for soap
no IFRA limit in soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- alpha-Bisabolol
- 0.22 %
Worked out from typical levels. A supplier's certificate for your lot comes first, and its figure is the one to follow.
Check a blend against its IFRA limits and list its allergens in the fragrance and allergen calculator.
How essential oils behave in soap, and how much to use: Scenting soap.
Identity and labelling
Santalum Album Oil
- Botanical name
- Santalum album
- CAS
- 8006-87-9, 84787-70-2
- EC
- 284-111-1
The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 367): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Sandalwood oil is steam-distilled from the heartwood of Indian sandalwood, Santalum album (ISO 3518). It smells soft, creamy and woody, and like patchouli it improves with age (Cavitch).
It is a base note in soap (Cable; Fisher) and holds a blend well, but few makers can justify it: Grosso calls it very costly and notes that synthetics are popular partly so as not to endanger the tree further. Failor uses it in rose and earthy blends. The IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
Santalum album is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. India once supplied nine-tenths of the oil, until output fell by about two-thirds and auction prices rose more than sixfold (Chavan and colleagues). Fakes are common: none of six shop oils in one test met the ISO standard, and three were amyris, an unrelated West Indian wood (Kucharska and colleagues). Ask for the species and the source.
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: SANTALUM ALBUM OIL, European Commission
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, European Commission. Annex, entry 367
- ISO 3518:2022, Essential oil of sandalwood (Santalum album L.), International Organization for Standardization (2022). Steam distillation of the heartwood
- Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing (1995). Sandalwood, patchouli and rose improve with age
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Sandalwood among the base notes
- David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making, Creative Publishing International (2018). Sandalwood among the base notes
- Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition, Adams Media (2013). Sandalwood is very costly; synthetics are popular partly out of a desire not to further endanger its habitat
- Catherine Failor, Making Transparent Soap, Storey Publishing (2000). Sandalwood in her rose and earth fragrance formulas
- Chavan and colleagues, Past, present and future of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) cultivation and commercial prospects, Discover Applied Sciences 6, Springer Nature (2024). India once supplied 90 % of production; output fell 60 to 70 % while auction prices rose over 600 %; Santalum album assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN
- Kucharska and colleagues, A comparison of the composition of selected commercial sandalwood oils with the international standard, Molecules 26, MDPI (2021). None of six commercial sandalwood oils met ISO 3518; three were amyris oil and two synthetic
- W. H. Simmons and H. A. Appleton, The Handbook of Soap Manufacture, Scott, Greenwood & Son (1908). West Indian "sandalwood" oil comes from Amyris balsamifera, a different tree