N/A (synthetic molecule — a Swiss fragrance house captive, sandalwood type)
Appearance
colorless to pale yellow clear viscous liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Switzerland (a Swiss fragrance house)
Pyramid
Base
Creamy, milky-woody with a soft, sandalwood-like warmth. Firsantol smells like sandalwood milk — smooth, enveloping, gently sweet, without the dryness of natural sandalwood.
Immediately soft, creamy, and woody. A milky-lactonic quality dominates — warm and enveloping rather than dry or sharp. Smoother than natural sandalwood, less floral than Javanol, less powdery than Sandalore. The scent is notably close-to-skin, projecting warmth rather than sillage. Dry-down is persistent, woody-creamy, and intimate.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Soft, creamy-woody opening. Immediately milky and warm.
After a few hours
After a few hours
Lactonic-woody heart. Enveloping and smooth. Close to skin.
A synthetic sandalwood molecule developed as an alternative to increasingly scarce and expensive East Indian sandalwood oil. Firsantol belongs to the family of sandalwood replacers alongside Javanol, Sandalore, Polysantol, and Ebanol — each capturing different qualities of the sandalwood profile.
Firsantol's character is specifically milky-creamy-woody. It captures the soft, enveloping quality of Mysore sandalwood's base note — the creamy, almost lactonic warmth — without the sharper, drier qualities of the natural oil's top note. It is smoother and more linear than Javanol (which has a fresher, more floral sandalwood character) and less powdery than Sandalore.
The molecule is used extensively in skin-scent compositions, where its milky warmth reads as intimate and natural. It also functions as a fixative and blending agent, smoothing transitions in complex compositions.
The global perfumery industry's dem and for sandalwood character has driven the development of over 20 distinct synthetic sandalwood molecules — each capturing a different quality of the natural oil's notably complex profile. No single synthetic has yet replicated the complete scent of Mysore sandalwood.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Fully synthetic. Produced via multi-step organic synthesis. No natural equivalent. The molecule was developed in response to the sustainability crisis around East Indian sandalwood (Santalum album), whose wild populations have been devastated by overharvesting.
Molecular Formula
C₁₄H₂₄O
CAS Number
104864-90-6
Botanical Name
N/A (synthetic molecule — a Swiss fragrance house captive, sandalwood type)
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Firsantol, Firsante
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
400 hour(s) at 100.00 %
Appearance
colorless to pale yellow clear viscous liquid
Boiling Point
145.00 °C. @ 3.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
> 212.00 °F. TCC ( > 100.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity
0.96200 to 0.97400 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index
1.49100 to 1.50100 @ 20.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Base note and sandalwood substitute in skin-scent, amber, and woody compositions. Firsantol provides the creamy-milky quality of sandalwood that is most associated with 'skin scent' in contemporary use. It functions as a fixative, extends other woody materials, and provides a smooth, enveloping base. Often used in combinati on with other sandalwood alternatives — Javanol for the fresh-floral quality, Ebanol for woody depth — to build a complete sandalwood accord.
