How Mysore's Royal Tree Became The Backbone Of Luxury Perfumery

In 1792, Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Mysore kingdom, issued an edict that declared sandalwood a royal tree. The state owned every tree. Landowners had no rights over them, but they answered to the authorities if one was stolen. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu later adopted the edict. Private individuals could not grow Mysore sandalwood in Karnataka until 2001. The tree is Santalum album, named from the Sanskrit chandanam and documented for over 4,000 years. India produced almost 4,000 tonnes of sandalwood a year in the 1960s. International demand is 6,000 to 7,000 tonnes a year.

Mysore Sandalwood History: Tipu Sultan's Royal Tree

The First World War cut the route that sent Mysore's sandalwood to Germany for distillation. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV turned to his own state. The Government Sandalwood Oil Factory was founded on 10 May 1916 in Bangalore. Sir M. Visvesvaraya, then Diwan of Mysore, started extraction. Mysore Sandal Soap reached the market in 1918. The state's sandalwood oil received a GI tag in 2006. Individuals in India cannot cut or harvest sandalwood. Only officials with specific state permission may cut and sell it. India has banned export of the timber, and has required an export licence for sandalwood oil since July 2017.

How Mysore Sandalwood Oil Is Made

The tree is a hemiparasite when young, drawing nutrients from neighbouring roots. It grows 8 to 12 metres tall and lives about 100 years. The trunk begins developing fragrance after about 10 years and is not ready to harvest until after 20. A tree is typically felled at around 30 years. Oil from trees over 60 years old is considered the finest. Roots are steam-distilled along with the heartwood. About 1,000 kg of Santalum album wood yields 45 to 50 litres of oil. A good oil holds at least 75 per cent santalol. Sandalwood is the only wood sold by weight. Australia's Santalum spicatum yields a cheaper, smokier oil from a different species.

Hermès launched Calèche in 1961, composed by Guy Robert, with sandalwood among its notes. Guerlain launched Samsara in 1989, composed by Jean-Paul Guerlain, with sandalwood at its core. Givaudan discovered the synthetic Sandela by chance in 1947. Givaudan's Sandalore and IFF's Bacdanol followed in the 1970s. Firmenich's Polysantol was first used in Guerlain's Samsara in 1989.

Why Mysore Sandalwood Is So Rare?

Theft gradually decimated the sandalwood forests. In 2009, the Mysore sandalwood oil factory, which once employed over 400 people working round the clock, employed 40 to 50, and ran three to four months a year. It needed about 500 metric tonnes of sandalwood annually and received hardly 50. Sandal oil cost about Rs. 1,200 per 5 grams. Sandalwood from Tamil Nadu forest department auctions had risen from Rs. 1.42 lakh per metric tonne to Rs. 54 lakh.

Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which makes Mysore Sandal Soap, manages the factory. KSDL's oil output fell from 4,068.28 kg in 2020-21 to 719 kg in 2023-24. Yield is low, with four to five kg of oil from about 100 tonnes of sandalwood. In 2024, KSDL had bought 94 tonnes of sandalwood pieces from farmers. Farmers were cutting trees early to avoid smugglers, which leaves less girth and makes extraction difficult. Officials were considering importing about 7,000 kg of oil from Australia. The IUCN lists the Santalum album as vulnerable.

Karnataka changed its policy in 2001 to let people grow sandalwood. Tamil Nadu followed in 2002. In 2009, Karnataka let growers sell directly to its handicrafts and soap corporations. KSDL has tied up with about 670 farmers to grow sandalwood on 3,586 acres across the state. In 2024, a 25-year-old tree fetched farmers Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 50,000. Sandalwood sold for about Rs. 6,000 per kg.