Sweet, sandalwood-like, and richly fragrant. African tambootie -- a spicy, resinous wood that retains its scent for years after cutting. Sometimes called African sandalwood.
Sweet, spicy-resinous, and warmly woody. Like holding a carved tamboti bead necklace to your nose -- the wood releases a rich, almost heady fragrance similar to of sandalwood but spicier, with a resinous depth and a sweet, almost honeyed quality. The scent lingers on the fingers.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sweet, spicy, richly woody. Sandalwood-like but with more spice.
After a few hours
After a few hours
The spice settles. Warm, smooth, resinous wood.
After a few days
After a few days
A persistent, sweet, woody-resinous residue.
Terroir & Maturity
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Tamboti (Spirostachys africana, Euphorbiaceae family) is a medium-sized tree native to southern and eastern Africa. The wood is dense, beautifully figured (reddish-brown with dark streaks), and intensely aromatic -- it produces a fragrant timbers in the African continent.
The scent of tamboti is sweet, spicy, and sandalwood-like, earning it the informal name "African sandalwood." When freshly cut or warmed, the wood releases a rich, resinous fragrance that can persist for years in finished objects. The heartwood is particularly aromatic.
However, tamboti is also toxic: the wood, bark, and especially the milky latex contain diterpene esters that cause severe skin irritation and can be fatal if ingested. Burning tamboti wood for cooking has caused poisoning. This toxicity limits its safe handling and extraction for perfumery.
In perfumery, tamboti is typically a fantasy accord, reconstructed using sandalwood-adjacent materials, spicy-resinous notes, and African-terroir elements.
This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Traditional Southern African craftspeople carved tamboti beads specifically for their fragrance -- worn as necklaces, the beads warmed against the skin and released a continuous, subtle scent. The practice was a form of body perfumery predating commercial fragrance.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Not commercially extracted for perfumery due to the wood's toxicity (diterpene ester irritants in latex and wood). The note is a fantasy accord. Caution: the raw material causes skin burns and is poisonous if burned for cooking.
Heart-to-base note in African-inspired, woody-spicy, and sandalwood-adjacent compositions. Functions as a fragrant wood with sweet, spicy-resinous character. Typically a fantasy accord due to the wood's toxicity. Reconstructed from sandalwood materials, spicy elements, and resinous-sweet notes.
