CONSTITUENT REPORT
alpha-Santalol
alpha-Santalol is one of the signature sesquiterpene alcohols in sandalwood oil and a major identity marker for classic sandalwood aroma. The strongest public evidence for this constituent is preclinical rather than clinical: current literature centers on cell and animal cancer-model work, apoptosis and cell-cycle signaling, and a fragrance-safety review rather than consumer-use efficacy data. For AromaForge, it is best framed as a high-importance sandalwood constituent with meaningful mechanistic research, substantial aroma relevance, and clear limits on human-health claims.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists alpha-Santalol as C15H24O with a tricyclic sesquiterpene alcohol structure. In the AromaForge oil archive it appears as a major constituent in sandalwood materials, including 28.73% in the Kupang Santalum album record and 46.7% in the Vanuatu Santalum austrocaledonicum record, supporting its role as a core sandalwood marker rather than a trace component.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, creamy, soft, sandalwood descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
prostate cancer cell apoptosis
A 2012 Phytomedicine study reported that alpha-Santalol decreased viability in both prostate cancer cell lines and induced apoptosis with caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage.
Measured: cell viability, apoptosis, caspase-3 activity, PARP cleavage
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
breast cancer cell cycle and apoptosis
A 2013 PLOS One paper reported that alpha-Santalol inhibited proliferation in ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cells, induced G2/M arrest, and activated both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways.
Measured: G2/M arrest and apoptosis
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
migration signaling
A 2018 Anticancer Research study reported that alpha-Santalol reduced migratory potential and wound-healing behavior in breast cancer cells, with beta-catenin pathway involvement proposed as part of the mechanism.
Measured: migration and wound-healing reduction
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
autophagy related research
A 2021 study reported autophagy-like responses after alpha-Santalol exposure, including LC3 recruitment and suppression of activated AKT and mTOR signaling in prostate cancer cells.
Measured: autophagic markers and AKT-mTOR signaling
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
unverified reference · No source provenance attachedA published RIFM fragrance material review exists for alpha-Santalol, indicating that toxicologic and dermatologic assessment has been performed in a fragrance-use context.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
An AICIS (Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme) human health tier II assessment of Australian sandalwood essential oil states that the EU SCCS has categorized Australian sandalwood oil as an established contact allergen in humans based on its content of well-known allergenic compounds (santalols), with diagnostic patch-test positivity rates of 0.0071-1.53% reported when santalol was tested up to 10% concentration; this corroborates sensitizing:true for alpha-santalol but does not establish a specific numeric dermal-use limit for the isolated constituent.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
The accessible activity literature is dominated by cell and animal disease models rather than human clinical use studies, so consumer-facing copy should not translate these findings into therapeutic claims.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
These are research candidates recorded in the interaction matrix. They do not add a proven-amplification bonus to the score.
beta-SantalolAmplification candidate
Candidate in the research matrix. A coefficient alone does not establish amplification at the dose, route or goal of your blend; no proven amplification is inferred from this row.
animal · effect
No source citation attached.
Read beta-Santalol report →beta-SantalolAmplification candidate
Candidate in the research matrix. A coefficient alone does not establish amplification at the dose, route or goal of your blend; no proven amplification is inferred from this row.
in vivo nonhuman · whole_oil
No source citation attached.
Read beta-Santalol report →(Z)-epi-beta-SantalolAmplification candidate
Candidate in the research matrix. A coefficient alone does not establish amplification at the dose, route or goal of your blend; no proven amplification is inferred from this row.
in vivo nonhuman · effect
No source citation attached.
Read (Z)-epi-beta-Santalol report →How the effects were investigated
caspase mediated apoptosis
In prostate and breast cancer cell models, alpha-Santalol was reported to activate apoptotic signaling including caspases and PARP cleavage.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
g2 m cell cycle arrest
Breast-cancer cell work linked alpha-Santalol to G2/M cell-cycle arrest with changes in checkpoint and cyclin-regulatory proteins.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
akt mtor and beta catenin pathway modulation
Later preclinical papers reported AKT-mTOR suppression in autophagy-related prostate work and reduced breast-cancer cell migration with beta-catenin pathway involvement.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (7)
- No human clinical efficacy studies for isolated alpha-Santalol were verified in this pass.
- Most mechanism and activity claims come from oncology-oriented preclinical models rather than aroma-use studies.
- sensitizing:true is now corroborated by an AICIS/SCCS regulatory assessment, but no authoritative numeric IFRA or Tisserand dermal-limit percentage specific to isolated alpha-santalol was located, so dermal_limit_pct (20) remains an unverified default and dermal_limit_verified stays false.
- 2026-07-13 re-verification (worker c3): follow-up search for IFRA/Annex III numeric dermal limits for alpha-santalol confirmed the AICIS/SCCS sensitizer finding but again found no numeric IFRA/Tisserand dermal-limit percentage; dermal_limit_verified remains false.
- The numeric dermal reference lacks source provenance; a verified flag alone is insufficient.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.
- Interaction candidates lack an attached source citation and remain unqualified.