Sandalwood in perfume: what it smells like and which FAAN bottles use it

What sandalwood smells like (and what it does not)

Sandalwood is a heartwood, and in perfume it smells like soft, smooth, slightly sweet wood. Picture the inside of a cedar box that has been sanded, then add a little milk and a little warmth. It is gentle, not sharp.

It does not smell like fresh-cut pine, burnt wood or pencil shavings, which are dry and sharp. It also does not smell fruity or flowery by itself, though it sits well with both.

How perfumers use sandalwood: top, heart or base

Sandalwood is nearly always a base note. It is slow to evaporate and gives other materials something soft to stand on. Perfumers use it to round off sharp edges, to extend a floral and to pad out spice and leather.

You will not find it in the top of a scent. If you want to see why, the perfume notes pyramid guide explains how the three layers share the work.

Sandalwood in the FAAN range

Five bottles list it, always in the base.

• Qasida Bakhour: with cistus, leather and vanilla. Unisex, projection 4, longevity 4, autumn and winter.
• Qasida Senses: with white musk, patchouli and woody notes. Written for her, projection 3, longevity 3, spring and summer.
• Qasida Dunes: with sugar and labdanum. Unisex, projection 4, longevity 4, autumn and winter.
• Qasida Purity: as sandalwood milk, with cashmere musk and vanilla. Unisex, projection 2, longevity 3, spring and autumn.
• Amjad Mystery: with vanilla, ambergris and akigalawood. An Extrait, unisex, projection 3, longevity 4, autumn and winter.

What it is paired with in these pyramids

• With leather and cistus (Bakhour), sandalwood softens the smoke and keeps the leather from turning hard.
• With musk and patchouli (Senses), it makes a clean, woody floor under peony and rose.
• With labdanum and sugar (Dunes), it adds a smooth sweetness to a pepper and smoke bottle.
• As milk (Purity), it is the creamiest of the five, a soft white support for jasmine, ylang-ylang and tuberose.
• With vanilla and ambergris (Mystery), it makes a warm, dry-sweet base for hazelnut, saffron and rose.

Wearing advice: season, sprays, who tends to like it

Sandalwood is comfortable in cool and mild weather. Four of the five bottles are listed for autumn, and Senses is the one for spring and summer.

• Purity is soft: three or four sprays.
• Senses: three sprays.
• Bakhour, Dunes and Mystery: two sprays.

People who like warm, soft, woody scents usually like sandalwood. If you dislike anything creamy, check the pyramid before you buy: Purity and Mystery lean most that way. Test on skin, because sandalwood warms up differently on each person.

If you like sandalwood, where to start

• Soft and creamy: Qasida Purity. Sandalwood milk is the gentlest form in the range.
• Dark and smoky: Qasida Bakhour. Sandalwood under leather and cistus.
• Warm and sweet: Amjad Mystery. Sandalwood with vanilla and ambergris.

Still undecided? Which FAAN perfume to choose sorts the range by mood, and the full range shows all fourteen. If one shows as sold out, ask to be notified on the product page.

FAQ

Is sandalwood a base note?

Yes. In all five FAAN bottles that list it, it sits in the base.

Does sandalwood smell sweet?

A little. It has a gentle, creamy sweetness, but it is mostly smooth wood. Vanilla, sugar and labdanum in the same pyramid add the real sweetness.

Which FAAN bottle has the strongest sandalwood?

The product pages do not rank notes by strength. In Purity it is named as sandalwood milk, which makes it the most prominent in the description.

Related reading

• Notes map of the FAAN range
• FAAN Qasida Bakhour review: notes, strength and wear
• The perfume notes pyramid explained