Aura Cacia Sandalwood Essential Oil Blended with Jojoba Oil

• Sandalwood is a valuable perfume fixative with a powerful
  earthy, woody scent. The oil is sacred in many traditions, renowned for
  inspiring insight and spiritual elevation. Dab a single drop on the
  middle of the forehead to inspire insight and emotional stability.

For
more than 4000 years, people have valued sandalwood as a perfume,
incense and medicine. But over the last 100 years we’ve seen
significant declines in populations of sandalwood species–the result
of under-regulated over-harvesting driven by an ever-increasing demand
for the exotic, warm, sensuous aroma of fine sandalwood. Aura Cacia’s
commitment to environmentally responsible practices led us to search
out a solution to this problem. And we found it–a source of sandalwood
that offers the quality and aromatherapy benefits of our current oil
along with action to help preserve the supply of sandalwood for future
generations. We have converted Aura Cacia sandalwood essential oil and
re-formulated all Aura Cacia aromatherapy products using Indian
sandalwood oil to use sustainably harvested Australian sandalwood oil.
It’s clear that the Australian government has the most aggressive and
successful program for protecting sandalwood from over-harvesting.

Australian sandalwood is just one of several species of sandalwood
used to produce sandalwood essential oil. It comes from Santalum
spicatum , a small tree found in the dry regions of central Western
Australia. These trees have been harvested since the 1800s, with much
of the production going to China to make joss sticks (incense).
Regulations to control harvest of the trees were first put in place in
1929 (Sandalwood Control Act). Today, the Western Australian Government
regulates the sandalwood oil industry and restricts the harvesting of
wild sandalwood trees to ensure sustainability. In addition, the
Department of Conservation and Land Managements (CALM) is responsible
for the environmental management of sandalwood to ensure its long-term
ecological integrity.

The chemical components of Australian sandalwood essential oil are
similar to Indian sandalwood, but there are differences in levels of
those constituents and in their respective aroma profiles. The most
significant difference in make-up is that Indian sandalwood has much
higher levels of the chemical component santalol (60 to 70% versus 25
to 30%). There is little difference in the enduring base note that is
vital to sandalwood’s aromatherapy use. (Long-lasting sandalwood–along
with oils such as cedar, frankincense, rose, and patchouli–is
considered a base-note oil.) There is some difference in the middle
notes of the two oils oil and a clear distinction in the top notes (the
first aroma you smell). Australian sandalwood has a more resinous,
drier and less sweet top note than Indian sandalwood. For aromatherapy
uses, Australian and Indian sandalwood are interchangeable–and both
oils are excellent fixatives.

Those who have a long experience with Indian sandalwood oil may find
the volatile top note of the Australian oil a little unfamiliar at
first, but the high-quality Australian oil provides the full
aromatherapy benefits of sandalwood from sustainably harvested
trees–the key to reversing the over-harvesting that threatens the
continued availability of sandalwood. Australian sandalwood essential
oil is not only great for aromatherapy, it’s great for the future of
sandalwood as well. Aura Cacia is leading the way to a sustained supply
of this long-prized oil with a commitment to sell only sandalwood oil
produced from sustainably harvested sources.

The wood of the sandalwood tree is both used for carvings and
powdered to make incense. Sandalwood essential oil is one of our oldest
perfumery materials and is used today in natural fragrances and
high-quality perfumes for both its aroma and its ability to "fix" other
scents. In aromatherapy, sandalwood is valued for its calming,
cleansing, centering and sensual properties. It is also added to
products for use on chapped, dry or aging skin. In order for us all to
continue to enjoy the many benefits of sandalwood, these wonderful
trees must be harvested within protection programs with aggressive
replanting and at levels that do not deplete wild populations. The
Australian sandalwood now used in all Aura Cacia products is produced
from trees that are sustainably harvested.