Santalols

Sandalwood has been deeply tied to Indian culture over generations, and has traditionally been harvested with great respect and a mind toward sustainability—a sandalwood tree must grow for 30 years to reach full maturity before its essential oil can be harvested. But over the course of decades, between population growth and globalization, the trees have been overharvested and the supply has dwindled. As a result, pricing has skyrocketed, it’s become inaccessible, and today, it’s a threatened species.

Using fermentation and biotechnology, Amryis can produce high purity sandalwood-like oil from fermented sugarcane, achieving an incredibly high-quality material in a more sustainable approach to protect remaining tree populations, while expanding access to a much broader consumer base.

Inspired by the rich, creamy fragrance of Indian Mysore sandalwood (Santalum album), Amyris’ sandalwood-type oil is a sustainable and scalable alternative that addresses the previously limited supply. This source of Santalol offers a rapidly renewable alternative to the endangered botanical source and uses only 1/10th of the land compared to the traditional botanical sandalwood tree source.