Sandalwood: Dangers, Side Effects and Precautions

Sandalwood (chandana), used as a paste, incense or oil, has a broadly reassuring safety profile in external use: cases of serious adverse effects are rare. The real precautions mostly concern rare skin allergies, the caution needed with pure essential oil, and, more broadly, the issue of counterfeiting affecting this now-rare and costly wood.

Here is the detail of these points of caution, for informed use.

Sandalwood paste: limited skin risk

Applied as a paste on the skin, as in traditional use, sandalwood powder diluted in a little water is generally well tolerated. Rare allergic skin reactions (redness, itching) are reported, more often linked to powders cut with other woods or dyes than to pure sandalwood itself. A test on a small area of skin before extended facial application remains a simple precaution, especially on sensitive skin.

Sandalwood essential oil: a separate case

Form	Level of caution
Powder paste diluted in water	Traditional use, generally well tolerated
Sandalwood incense	Traditional use; avoid prolonged inhalation in a poorly ventilated closed room
Pure essential oil	Always dilute before skin application; never take orally without professional supervision

Pure sandalwood essential oil is far more concentrated than the powder or traditional paste. It should never be applied undiluted to the skin, nor ingested without the advice of a qualified aromatherapy professional, due to the risk of irritation or skin sensitization at high concentration.

The real market risk: counterfeiting

Real sandalwood (Santalum album), traditionally sourced from India, has become rare and expensive due to past overexploitation. The market frequently offers products cut with other woods, artificially fragranced powders, or synthetic oils sold as "sandalwood." These adulterated products don't necessarily pose a serious health hazard, but they don't deliver the properties traditionally attributed to real sandalwood, and some synthetic fragrances can irritate the skin more than the authentic wood does.

An ecological consideration: a different kind of caution

Beyond individual safety, sandalwood raises a traceability and sustainability issue: favoring certified sources or alternatives like vetiver for certain cooling uses eases the pressure on a fragile resource. This isn't a health danger, but a responsible-choice criterion worth knowing.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children

Traditional external use of sandalwood paste or incense in moderate amounts poses no identified problem during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Pure essential oil, on the other hand, should be avoided as a precaution during pregnancy and in young children, like most concentrated essential oils.

General precautions

• Test sandalwood paste on a small area of skin before extended application;
• Never apply pure, undiluted essential oil;
• Check the origin and purity of the product to avoid the frequent counterfeits;
• Ventilate the room when using sandalwood incense for an extended period.

For the general precautions that apply across every Ayurvedic herb, see our safety guide.