A sandalwood candle smells soft, warm and a little smoky. The scent has a long history, and it comes from a tree that takes decades to grow. That slow growth is part of why perfumers prize it. Here is where it comes from, and how to read the label on a woody candle.
Why A Sandalwood Candle Starts With A Slow Tree
Australia has its own sandalwood. The Western Australian government's Forest Products Commission says the tree grows naturally across the southern two thirds of the state. It describes it as a slow-growing, long-lived small tree.
The scent oil sits in the heartwood, the dense core of the trunk. The commission says plantation trees are grown until at least age 25 so the oil can develop. It also lists perfume and incense among the uses. So a tree has to wait a long time before it can be used in fragrance.
Is sandalwood the same as cedar?
No. They are different trees and different woods. A blend like Santal & Cedar puts both in one jar.
Sandalwood Candles Australia: Read The Notes
Perfumers describe a scent in three layers, called notes. Top notes are the part you smell first. Middle notes are the main smell, once it settles. Base notes are what is still there hours later.
Santal & Cedar lists incense and sandalwood as top notes. Leather flower sits in the middle. Cinnamon bark is the base. The product page calls it a slightly sweet and smoky blend. That order tells you what to expect. You meet the smoke and wood first, then the spice stays behind.
- Top notes: incense and sandalwood.
- Middle note: leather flower.
- Base note: cinnamon bark.
Santal is the French word for sandalwood, so the name tells you the wood is meant to lead. In a small room, tealights are an easy way to try a woody scent.
Candles And Fragrances: How Woody Blends Are Built
A woody candle is rarely one smell. A perfumer builds an accord, which is a blend of notes that reads as one smell. Smoke, spice and a sweet touch can come together as a single warm wood.
That is why two woody candles can feel so different. One leans towards smoke. Another leans towards sweet spice. The Exotic range is where Glow keeps its woody and amber scents, so it is the easiest place to compare them.
Quick answers
What does a sandalwood candle smell like?
It smells warm, soft and a little smoky. In Santal & Cedar, incense and sandalwood come first, then leather flower, then a base of cinnamon bark.
Where does Australian sandalwood grow?
It grows naturally across the southern two thirds of Western Australia, according to the state's Forest Products Commission. It grows slowly, and plantation trees are left for at least 25 years.
If a woody scent sounds like your kind of evening, have a look at the Santal & Cedar jar. Or browse the whole Exotic range and see which note stands out.
Related reading
- Candle Perfume: Why The Same Scent Smells Different: why one woody candle can read differently to two people
- Expensive Smelling Candles: What Perfumers Actually Check: the checks a perfumer makes before a scent is ready
- Candle Fragrance Fading? It May Be Your Nose, Not The Wax: what to do when a scent seems to disappear
