Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm not at all comfortable with the way this product has been named and presented on this site. This oil is derived from the tree named Osyris lanceolata. It is more usually known as "AFRICAN Sandalwood," to distinguish it from true sandalwood, which comes from Santalum album: not only a different tree, but a tree belonging to a completely different *family.*
Now, admittedly, if you look at the fine print description in the listing on this site, the latin name of the tree is given, as is the term "African sandalwood." So the information is certainly there, for cautious consumers. I see from the reviews, however, that at least one person was taken in, discovering only after they had bought this oil that it didn't smell to them very much at all like sandalwood they had smelled in the past. Unsurprising, that, since we're not even talking about the same species of tree!
A commenter on one of those disappointed reviews objected that the high-quality sandalwood from Mysore is so scarce these days that one shouldn't expect to find it for sale. Well, no, maybe not, but it is still possible to find other varieties of santalum for sale. There are the Australian and Vanuatuan sandalwoods, which are widely available and at least still belong to the Santalum family. This osyris is a different plant altogether.
That said, however, African Sandalwood is a perfectly pleasant woody oil, and there's no reason to disdain it just because it isn't Santalum Album. It does smell vaguely like sandalwood -- or, at least, in the same overall fragrance family -- and for that reason, many soap and cosmetics manufacturers have started using it lately to substitute for the far more expensive true sandalwoods. I personally like African sandalwood a lot. I don't own any from this seller, but a friend of mine does and let me have a whiff of hers: it smelled quite nice to me, and this is a good price for it. So I'm not necessarily saying 'don't buy the oil.' What I'm saying is: be aware that what you are getting is not "true" sandalwood, and don't be surprised if it doesn't smell like sandalwood oil that you may have smelled in the past. It's just not the same stuff. Perfectly lovely in its own right, but not the same oil.
PS - A tip for those of you who are unhappy with your Osyris: Like real sandalwood, it gets better with age. If you notice an acrid top note, let it sit for a while, even up to a year or two, if you can. You may be surprised by how much better it will smell after it's aged.
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Sandalwood 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil- 10 ml
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