COSMOS Certified and COSMOS Approved for Natural and Organic Beauty

In the ever-evolving world of beauty and personal care products, the demand for organic and natural alternatives has grown significantly. Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of what they put on their skin, and they are seeking products that are not only effective but also environmentally responsible and sustainable. This is where the COSMOS standard comes into play, setting a gold standard for both COSMOS Certified and COSMOS Approved ingredients. In this blog, we'll explore the significance of COSMOS certification, its relationship with natural organic products, and its role in corporate synthetics and pesticide residues.

Read more

Menopause: The New Space for Wellness Brands

Dive into the trend that wellness brands can't ignore in our latest blog, "Menopause: The New Space for Wellness Brands." Uncover the transformative journey of menopause and why it's becoming a focal point for brands. Learn how Indian sandalwood plays a vital role in this trending space, offering skincare solutions that reduce signs of aging, calm the mind, and promote overall well-being. Don't miss the wave – explore the radiant side of menopause here!

Read more

"About Time We Met": A Year of Sandalwood Skincare Success

"About Time We Met," our groundbreaking sandalwood wellbeing skincare range celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. This gender-neutral, science-led range has taken the beauty world by storm, already amassing over 550 reviews with an impressive 4.8-star average rating. Clinical studies confirm its efficacy and users rave about the calming effects on the mind and transformative impact on skin health. About Time We Met stands as a pioneer, aligning with conscious consumers seeking a holistic approach. More than just skincare, it's a testament to the transformative power of Indian sandalwood. Join the wave of beauty transformation—click here to discover why the beauty world has fallen in love with Indian sandalwood.

Read more

Indian Sandalwood: Nature’s Answer to Seasonal Beauty

As we all experience the ever-changing seasons, so too does our skin and mood. "Seasonal Beauty" offers a unique approach to personal care, tailoring beauty rituals to suit each season's unique demands. Learn how Indian sandalwood, with its versatile and adaptable properties, is nature's solution for all-season skincare. In addition to its active skincare benefits, Indian sandalwood serves as both a mood enhancer and a relaxation aid, rendering it an ideal selection for fragrances that can affect your mood.

Read more

Keeping up with Gen Z: An Unlikely Luxury Leader

This article delves into how millennials and Gen Z are transforming the luxury market with their unique values and spending habits. Gen Z, in particular, is expected to have a significant impact, driving rapid growth in luxury spending. They are reshaping luxury by emphasizing inclusivity, self-expression, and sustainability, challenging traditional gender norms in fashion and fragrance. The article also spotlights sandalwood as a natural and unisex scent that aligns with Gen Z's preferences for inclusive, expressive, and sustainable fragrance choices.

Read more

Sleep Soundly with Sandalwood

Discover the science-backed benefits of Indian sandalwood for better sleep in our latest blog article. In a world grappling with a sleep crisis, this article sheds light on the importance of sleep and the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on our physical and mental health. Discover how Indian sandalwood, a natural remedy, has been used for centuries to assist in sleep and is now supported by modern scientific studies.

Read more

Creative Ways to Incorporate Indian Sandalwood into Your Product Line

Discover creative ways to incorporate Indian sandalwood into your product lines. From how to use it as a base note for fragrances to adding it to skincare products for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Find interesting facts about its history and benefits, making it a valuable resource for those interested in natural ingredients. Expand your knowledge and product offerings in the beauty and skincare industry.

Read more

Complementing natural and man-made: A sandalwood case study

The beauty and fragrance industries are increasingly focused on sustainability, traceability and the efficacy of ingredients, rather than whether they are natural or synthetic. Natural ingredients and lab-made innovation can work hand-in-hand to create customised cosmetic formulations and fragrances. While natural oils provide the subtle specialty nuances to a fragrance, synthetic oils can reproduce the general aroma signature of a natural ingredient.

Read more

Is the Era of ‘Signature Scent’ Over?

Gen Z's approach to fragrance has triggered a new trend in the beauty industry: Scent Wardrobing. This trend means building a collection of multiple fragrances to be paired with the user's daily mood, lifestyle, and aesthetic instead of having a single "signature scent." This younger generation's preference for individuality, and experimentation with a diverse collection of fragrances, has led to the emergence of new indie brands and ingredients that have a positive impact on the environment, such as Indian Sandalwood, are becoming a focus.

Read more

Is Ayurveda the Next Big Thing in Skincare?

It seems everyone wants a piece of the global skincare market. From the US to the far east, traditional players and upstart indie brands wrestle for a cut of the most profitable cosmetic product category, one projected to generate roughly 177 billion US dollars a year by 2025. The competitive intensity of the market means that a great product, on its own, isn’t enough to achieve cut through. Brands need intention, a story, and a niche with international potential – something the rising phenomenon of Ayruvedic skincare can provide.

Read more

Tasting with our Nose: Culinary Fragrance with Sandalwood

A burgeoning trend that intersects flavour and fragrance, culinary fragrance is characterized as an edible fragrance to enhance the flavour of a food or beverage, while transforming the act of consuming food into a self-care ritual. As consumers navigate a post-pandemic routine rooted in healthy indulgences and cooking at home, brands are developing or repositioning products that highlight the fundamental intersection between smell and taste.

Read more

Building Clean Merit: How Greenwashing Impacts Cosmetics and Aromatherapy Today

Today, we’re offered countless products that are developed with both environment and consumer in mind. It’s a noble pursuit for brands to shift away from harming the environment and reaching consumers who share the same values in their own personal lifestyles. However, with the rise of more eco-friendly ingredients and products, greenwashing has evolved into a problematic movement by companies who mislead consumers with false claims at an attempt to capitalize on these products.

Read more

Sandalwood, Incense & Sustainability

Using zero-waste fragrance is emerging as an important layer in our homes, allowing us to enjoy spaces that improve mood, relieve anxiety, and increase alertness. Like in Japan, where Kodo, the art of appreciating Japanese incense, is practised, scent contributes to the overall design of a space. As important as choosing the right paint or furniture for your home, discovering the perfect olfactory profile unlocks a sensory experience that is not only ambient and healthy but planet friendly too.

Read more

The Rise of Gender-Neutral Skincare and Beauty

Now, as a curious and increasingly gender-fluid generation of buyers enter the market, this long-held industry truth is being challenged. The status quo is changing and brands both big and small are taking note. As we welcome a new era of skincare and beauty designed to serve a wide gender spectrum, one ingredient is poised to thrive. Indian sandalwood.

Read more

Looking Ahead: Sandalwood Oil’s Role in the Future of Beauty

Recent years have been transformative for the human race, changing the way we think, what we value, and where we choose to invest our resources—mental and physical alike. Among the many cultural shifts has been an increased and renewed focus on global wellness, mental health and self-care. We talk to experts in the field to discus how these shifts are dictating trends and the future of the beauty industry.

Read more

From Seed to Oil: Authenticating Indian Sandalwood

Adulteration is a common practice in the essential oil business due to stiff competition and limited supply of high-quality oils, especially those sourced from the wild. Indian sandalwood in particular, is a globally recognised ingredient with an exceptionally high demand. A lack of traceability creates a more muddled outlook of provenance and production methods which unfortunately results in an estimated 90% of Indian sandalwood being illegally harvested and adulterated.

Read more

What Does Sandalwood Smell Like?

Scent is sensory and present yet intangible and can be tied to strong emotional memories, transport us to another place or time, or be used to tap into emotions. Finding a scent with meaning and connection comes down to personal taste. Sometimes it takes experimentation to find your perfect scent, and other times it finds you. So, what does sandalwood smell like?

Read more

Turning Indian Sandalwood Waste to Incense: Upcycling a Precious Ingredient

Spent charge, also known as sandalwood residue, is the exhausted biomass created during the oil distillation process when obtaining sandalwood oil. Instead of disposing of the exhausted biomass, ongoing research and innovation by Quintis has unlocked the potential for grouping this as spent charge. By re-purposing it to create incense products, Quintis has been able to reduce waste and, more than that, continued to add value to sandalwood operations.

Read more

Sandalwood Essential Oil Blends for Combating Anxiety

Find out how sandalwood essential oil blends can help combat anxiety and improve the health and wellbeing of our mind and body. Read more.

Read more

How Two Perfumers Reimagined Sustainable Sandalwood

Finding inspiration as a perfumer is a perpetual journey of navigating between one’s imagination and their surrounding environment. Whether it’s from writing, music, or even the soil from which a raw material grows, the perfumers’ creative well is an ongoing exploration between the materials and the nose—as was the process for the winners of the Sandalwood Reimagined competition, Jennifer Jambon and Fanny Ginolin. Interviewing the two finalists for the Sandalwood Reimagined competition was a clear reminder of the perfumers’ endless canvas of inspiration where any medium is subject to spark insight into a new olfactory story.

Read more

More than just a scent

COSSMA Magazine has just published an interview with our Technical Product Specialist, Dr. Dhanushka Hettiarachchi, where he discusses the versatility of Indian sandalwood oil including the benefits and fixative properties based on published research. Read the full article here.

Read more

Judging the Art of Perfumery: Sandalwood Reimagined Competition

Quintis and the American Society of Perfumers came together to run a fragrance contest in which more than 250 perfumers from across the globe tested their creativity and craft, inspired by our muse, Indian sandalwood (S.album). These submissions are being judged under rigorous conditions by a panel of esteemed judges from the ASP. Find insights into our judges, their history with sandalwood and how they will determine the winners of the Sandalwood Reimagined contest.

Read more

More than just fragrance

COSSMA Magazine has just published an interview with our Head of Research & Development, Andrew Brown where he discusses the many capabilities and benefits of Indian sandalwood oil based on recent published research. Read the full article here.

Read more

The Beauty of Sustainability

Sustainability is imbedded in the beauty industry’s vocabulary, but what that means in terms of tangible action is evolving quickly as consumer demands, supply chain shifts and new technology drive innovation.

Read more

Australian vs Indian Sandalwood: What’s the difference?

There are over 15 different sandalwood species found across the globe. Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) and Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum or Fusanus spicatus) are considered two of the most coveted varieties. But, what's the difference?

Read more

Reimagining Sandalwood at the World Perfumery Congress 2022

Reimagining Sandalwood, is an opportunity for perfumers around the world to tap into the botanical history of sandalwood through their own interpretation as a perfume. It’s a chance for creativity and artistry to shine without traditional parameters of commercial perfumery such as consumer profiles and budgets.

Read more

Saving a Species

A precious oil on the verge of extinction, Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is enjoying a sustainable renewal in the form of cultivated forests in Australia’s pristine tropical north.

Read more

School of Scent

Through our thought leadership program Q-Lab, we are running an education program, offering guest workshops from experts in the field to educate and inspire students across industries, from perfumery to cosmetics to aromatherapy. At Montpellier, the challenge to create an ambient air care product for a Japanese audience is already inspiring new possibilities.

Read more

Maybe little more?

Sandalwood is known for its special aroma. But the wood and the oil obtained from it also have powerful ingredients that can be used well for cosmetic products. Dr Dhanushka Hetti-arachchi talks about the potential of oil.

Read more

The Future of Distillation – Quintis Sandalwood’s Continuous Steam Distillation (CSD) for Sandalwood Oil

To meet expected production levels of sandalwood oil per year and be more sustainable, Quintis Sandalwood needed to change the way it distilled sandalwood oil, challenging traditional 3000-year old steam distillation methods. The team sought to develop an environmentally friendly and cost-effective process that also ensured product quality was not affected.

Read more

Sandalwood: An essential ingredient for perfumers

Sandalwood oil is one of the oldest known perfume ingredients with a history spanning 4000 years of continuous use. Despite this extensive history, it has only been used in European and American perfumery for the past two hundred years. But have you ever wondered what the perfumers of today think about this incredible ingredient?

Read more

Tips on Layering Fragrances

We all have our rituals when it comes to wearing fragrance; rituals we have developed from observing the people around us, beauty hacks offered by sales consultants at department stores, or the sage advice imparted by our parents during adolescence. But as fragrance trends change, as do our tastes, and sometimes merging scents can transform an experience into an individual aroma. The question is, how?

Read more

Ancient Healing Tools: Health Benefits of Sandalwood Aromatherapy

Across cultures and time, sandalwood oil has been used to soothe the mind, body, and spirit, identified in many ancient medical systems. Its reputation for healing, and for its ability to neutralise stress, has complimented its illustrious fragrance reputation, making it the perfect addition to the soothing and healing world of aromatherapy. But how has this industry been shaped over time and what are the benefits of sandalwood in this well known, healing industry?

Read more

Sandalwood, a keystone of future classics in fragrance

The new millennium has been the beginning of a renaissance in perfumery with new brands rapidly emerging, and niche fragrances flourishing. As their numbers increased, department stores rejoiced since sales declined after the rise of discount stores and grey market e-tailers that offered the same fragrances at lower prices. Emerging niche brands were attractive for their uniqueness, authenticity and craftsmanship. But how has the conversation shifted around the use of sandalwood and how are modern fragrance brands embracing this wildly popular ingredient since more sustainable sources have become available? Clayton Ilolahia discusses the use of sandalwood as a keystone in the future classics of the fragrance industry and how sandalwood has once again become an ingredient of choice.

Read more

Every Drop Counts

For nearly 30 years, March 22nd has been synonymous with World Water Day, celebrating water and raising awareness of the global water crisis. Across the agriculture and forestry industries, water is key to our successes and for us, is a precious and valued resource. It sustains our plantations and the delicate ecosystems that exist within them, but what are some innovations and initiatives that have been adopted across our industry and our clients' industries that help support a positive future for water, for all?

Read more

Sandalwood and the birth of modern perfumery

The shaping of sandalwood's place in the fragrance world has spanned decades, morphing through revolutions and mesmerising perfume trailblazers. With new expressions happening in art, fashion, literature and music, sandalwood started its rise to popularity. But what are the perfumes that cemented its reign over some of the most coveted fragrances over the past century? We take a look at the influence and the prestige of this mighty ingredient in our celebration of International Fragrance Day 2021.

Read more

Gender Equality for our Future

As humans, women have paved the way for humanity in a male-centric society as thought leaders and innovators for centuries, though many have been overshadowed by gender-based cultural norms. On International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating diversity in the sciences and agriculture – professions that have shaped our love and understanding of nature – and show our support for this year’s #IWD theme of ‘Challenge to Change’.

Read more

Five Minutes with a Forester

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a forester for a day? Or how the 21st century has shaped the way forestry operates? Our Head of Forestry Research, Ken Robson, sat down with us to share his thoughts and give you a small insight into what it's like to work with such a wonderful species.

Read more

Exploring TCM through Indian Sandalwood

Regardless of which side of the world you live on, #wellness encompasses a wide range of traditions and lifestyles boasting over 44.6 million tags on Instagram, as of this writing. Millions of people are seeking solutions for holistic living which includes adopting a plant-based diet and cultivating environmental consciousness. If we look to indigenous communities around the world, their traditions and practices are based on these foundations.

Read more

Cultivating a Wellness Legacy with Indian and Australian Sandalwood

Ancient, healing and rare. Out of the 15 varieties of sandalwood, Australian and Indian sandalwood share the same vignettes. Once you smell sandalwood, you experience the same scent that our ancestors would have smelled centuries ago. Time ceases to exist – when we work with sandalwood’s oil or wood, we’re calling upon our past and inviting them to our present. As two of the most coveted varieties, Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) and Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum or Fusanus spicatus) are distinct in use and scent, yet both are grown on Australian soil today. 

Read more

Sovereign Wisdom: Indigenous Plant Medicine

Australia, home to over 24,000 species of native plants and understood by Aboriginal peoples and their incredible knowledge of native flora and fauna. This knowledge, passed down through story and learnings, has informed many traditional medicine practices of Aboriginal peoples, some of which has transcended into modern uses. Find out how Traditional Owner, Carol Pettersen, grew up learning about the uses of the land and how to treat many common ailments with natural remedies, and why tradition is crucial for the future.

Read more

The Functional Beauty of Sandalwood

As an inimitable scent used for centuries, natural sandalwood is more than just a pretty smell. Though its scent is a main selling point in fragranced products, its powerful role as an active beauty ingredient is only scratching the surface of what it can truly offer as a single ingredient, or as a complement to other skincare ingredients. Find out how sandalwood is bridging the gap between 'trend' and 'function', to bring a new meaning to 'functional fragrance'.

Read more

An Ageless Beauty Ingredient

The term “ageless” has been on product labels for a while now, replacing ageist descriptions such as “anti-aging,” “youth,” and even “restorative.” It’s inevitable: our skin is going to change as we get older. Ageless beauty is about choosing products with ingredients that offer us the best benefits at every age, and as the rise of social media reflects the importance of these trends, we start to understand how sandalwood - and its benefits - intersects the beauty sphere.

Read more

Natural, Simple and Responsible

It’s safe to say naturals are the original muse of the fragrance industry—and the muse for synthetics. Without naturals, we would be unable to synthesize botanicals to formulate into commercial products we use every day. Synthetics certainly have their place in fragrance and cosmetics, but when it comes to the clean beauty and wellness industries, naturals reign supreme. Find out how naturals will never be replaced by synthetics, as written by Deniz Ataman.

Read more

Quintis’ Sandalwood Plantations: An Experience Like No Other

For many of us, we can only dream about wandering through endless sandalwood trees but for Danny Hettiarachi, Quintis' Product Manager, visiting our Kununurra plantations is part of the job. Step into the magic that is our Indian sandalwood plantations and experience a small slice of heaven from Danny's perspective.

Read more

Multi-Faceted Indian Sandalwood

Fragrance is an obvious choice for the unique and aromatic sandalwood oil, but how can this complex ingredient be used in different ways? Deniz Ataman uncovers the multi-faceted applications of our plantation grown Indian sandalwood for Perfumer & Flavorist in their October issue.

Read more

Flavour Bites

When you first think of sandalwood, you may be transported across oceans or into a different time thanks to it's hypnotic fragrance. But have you ever considered adding sandalwood to your next meal? From chicken to chocolate, John Wright explores the use of sandalwood in foods for Perfumer & Flavorist's August edition.

Read more

Ayurvedic skincare: Is this the next big thing for wellness?

An ancient Indian health system goes luxe as niche skincare brands give it a modern facelift. What exactly is Ayurvedic skincare, and why is it trending now?

Read more

Sustainably nurtured, harvested with care

The Quintis annual harvest has drawn to a close, delivering rich heartwood that will be processed into high quality Quintis Indian sandalwood oil and wood-based products.

Read more

Sandalwood in Buddhism: A Sacred History

Long venerated in Buddhist cultures, Indian sandalwood was used to carve the first known sculpture of Buddha - the nearest thing to the physical presence of such a karmically perfect person. As hundreds of millions of Buddhists celebrate Vesak day globally, we explore the significance of Sandalwood in Buddhism.

Read more

The Art and Science of Sandalwood

For Andrew Brown, the nuances of Indian sandalwood oil have become second nature. As Head of R&D for Quintis, he is caretaker of this precious tree - and the potent, pure oil that it produces.

Read more

The business of being well

As the wellness trend surges, customers are seeking natural solutions to balance their mind, body and spirit. And according to industry experts, ingredients may hold the key to connecting with consumers.

Read more

Augmenting Yoga: Where Science Meets Scent

With renowned powers to relax the mind, yoga and sandalwood can each help users reach new spiritual heights - but can combining them bring twice the benefit? Global experts in yoga and aromatherapy explore this potential.

Read more