cis-alpha-Santalol is the dominant signature sesquiterpene alcohol of true sandalwood oils and one of the best-studied individual sandalwood constituents in the public literature. Compared with many niche aroma compounds, its evidence base is relatively strong for identity, occurrence, fragrance safety review, and preclinical bioactivity, including skin-cell inflammation work and multiple cancer-cell or animal-model papers. Those findings are still mostly laboratory or preclinical data, so the most accurate AromaForge framing is that cis-alpha-santalol is a key sandalwood marker with meaningful safety and mechanistic literature but limited direct human clinical evidence.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem and NIST identify cis-alpha-santalol as C15H24O with CAS 115-71-9. It is the dominant or co-dominant quality marker of classic sandalwood oils in the archive, including 48.8% in the base sandalwood record, 47.62% in a Mysore aged lot, 39.7% in New Caledonian sandalwood, 38.2% typical in Royal Hawaiian sandalwood, and about 17% in the lower-santalol Australian Santalum spicatum profile.
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.
skin cell inflammation
A 2014 skin-cell abstract reported that purified alpha-santalol equivalently suppressed selected cytokines and chemokines relative to beta-santalol and also reduced prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 production.
Measured: cytokine, chemokine, prostaglandin E2, and thromboxane suppression
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
prostate cancer cell apoptosis
A Phytomedicine abstract reported concentration- and time-dependent decreases in viability with alpha-santalol treatment, alongside apoptosis markers, caspase-3 activation, and PARP cleavage in two prostate-cancer cell lines.
Measured: cell viability decrease, apoptosis, caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
xenograft and angiogenesis models
A 2013 preclinical paper reported that alpha-santalol inhibited endothelial proliferation, migration, invasion, and tube formation, and reduced tumor volume and weight in a prostate xenograft model.
Measured: angiogenesis-related signaling and tumor growth reduction
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
enzyme inhibition assay
A 2013 assay paper reported that alpha-santalol was the major sandalwood-oil constituent associated with strong anti-tyrosinase and anti-cholinesterase signals in the tested in-vitro system.
Measured: tyrosinase and cholinesterase inhibition signal
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 assessed
Not assessed in the available record.
Penetration enhancementNot assessed
Not assessed in the available record.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
recorded reference · Fragrance material review on alpha-santalol (PMID 18640222); human maximization test showed no sensitization at 20%A dedicated RIFM fragrance-material review exists for alpha-santalol, giving this constituent stronger public safety coverage than many other archive sesquiterpenes.
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.
The accessible positive literature remains mostly in-vitro or animal work and should not be translated into direct human 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.
No public source located in this pass established a constituent-specific phototoxicity warning for isolated cis-alpha-santalol.
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.
Published diagnostic patch-test and human-maximization data for santalol report positive-reaction incidences of 0.0071-1.53% when tested up to 10%, and no sensitization in a human maximization test at 20%; alpha-santalol was only mildly sensitizing in a guinea pig maximization test at 10% and non-sensitizing in two open epicutaneous tests at 20%, corroborating the archive's existing 20% dermal ceiling for this sandalwood marker.
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
suppression of inflammatory mediators
A skin-cell co-culture study reported that purified alpha-santalol suppressed lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine and chemokine output and also reduced prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 production.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
caspase mediated apoptosis signaling
A prostate-cancer cell study reported alpha-santalol-associated apoptosis with caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage, and attenuation by caspase-8 and caspase-9 inhibitors.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
vegfr2 akt mtor pathway interference
A prostate-xenograft paper reported that alpha-santalol inhibited VEGFR2-related downstream signaling including AKT, mTOR, and p70S6K in tested endothelial and prostate-tumor systems.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
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 (5)
- Human clinical evidence focused specifically on isolated cis-alpha-santalol remains limited compared with the larger in-vitro and animal literature.
- Several accessible positive studies are oncology- or enzyme-assay-oriented and should not be reframed as general wellness or medical claims.
- This pass did not verify a public constituent-specific IFRA use-limit table for isolated cis-alpha-santalol.
- 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.