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What Is Red Sandalwood?

Our red sandalwood is the heartwood of Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub., an accepted species in the Fabaceae family. It grows naturally from Nigeria through West and Central Africa, including Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other names include African padauk, African coralwood, Gabon padauk, barwood, and ngula.

The name can be confusing. Pterocarpus soyauxii is not white sandalwood, Santalum album. It does not provide the santalol-rich essential oil associated with classic sandalwood perfume. Its value is in the red heartwood itself, which has a faint natural woody scent and an unusually rich collection of pigments and other plant compounds.

Freshly cut heartwood is vivid red and deepens toward orange-red, purple, and brown with light and time. Researchers have identified natural red compounds including santalin A and santarubins A and B, along with pterocarpin, formononetin, prunetin, vestitol, mucronulatol, benzofurans, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, coumarins, tannins, and other phenolic compounds. This is much more than a simple botanical colorant.

I infuse the heartwood into the tallow and oils used in Grounded Tallow Balm, then filter the infusion completely before it becomes part of the finished balm.

Traditional Use and Cultural History

Across Central Africa, Pterocarpus soyauxii has a beautiful and unusually specific history in oil-based body care. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, red heartwood was mixed with oil to make ngula, a traditional body cosmetic. Among Kuba peoples, finely ground red heartwood was mixed with palm oil to make tukula paste, which could be used as a cosmetic, textile dye, paint, and culturally important gift.

In Gabon, historical accounts describe the powdered heartwood combined with palm oil, raffia oil, or vegetable butter in preparations used on the skin and wounds. It was also used around skin conditions that were understood at the time as ringworm, yaws, and other skin diseases. The oil-and-butter preparation is a remarkable match for the way we work with the heartwood today, and that long record is part of what makes this ingredient so special.

The red wood also carried cultural meaning beyond everyday skin care. It colored Kuba and Kasai textiles, hair, carved objects, and ceremonial body preparations connected with initiation, marriage, childbirth, mourning, and other passages of life. Its color, symbolism, artistry, and body-care use were all intertwined.

Why We Love It

Provides Strong Antioxidant Activity

The clearest modern benefit in the research is antioxidant activity. A 2013 study of four Cameroonian woods found that an organic-solvent extract of Pterocarpus soyauxii heartwood had strong free-radical-scavenging activity, with a DPPH EC50 of 5.5 milligrams per liter. A later study of plants used in Congolese skin care found the red wood especially active in both ABTS and DPPH tests, with IC50 values of 3.26 and 11.69 micrograms per milliliter. Among the six botanicals tested, only Cannabis sativa ranked ahead of it.

Researchers connected that activity with the heartwood’s abundance of phenolic acids and other antioxidant compounds. A separate water-extract study also measured polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins and found activity across DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The studies used different extracts, but I find the repeated antioxidant results across several methods especially compelling. Antioxidants help defend skin and formula oils from oxidative stress, which is one reason this heartwood makes sense in a rich balm.

Shows Anti-Inflammatory Potential

A 2024 laboratory study found that an aqueous Pterocarpus soyauxii heartwood extract reduced nitric-oxide production and inhibited 5-lipoxygenase activity in concentration-dependent tests. Both pathways are connected with inflammatory signaling. The study was not a topical skin trial, but it adds a fascinating scientific layer to the heartwood’s traditional use around uncomfortable skin and tissues.

I find this especially interesting beside the heartwood’s traditional use around uncomfortable skin. It gives the species a scientific basis for calming support, while the balm itself is designed to nourish and comfort the skin.

Offers Natural Astringent Support

Pterocarpus soyauxii wood extract is recognized in European cosmetic ingredient references as an astringent, meaning it can create a gently toned or tightened feel on the skin. The heartwood’s tannins and polyphenolic compounds fit well with that traditional reputation.

Astringency does not mean permanently shrinking pores or drying the skin. In a tallow-and-oil formula, I value it as a balancing quality surrounded by deeply emollient fats. That pairing gives the ingredient a very different feel from a strong water- or alcohol-based astringent.

Carries Far More Than Natural Color

Chemical studies of the heartwood have found a remarkably varied group of compounds. One analysis isolated three previously undescribed benzofurans, a new isoflavan, and twenty-one known compounds. Another identified five new isoflavonoids and a new 3-arylcoumarin alongside seventeen known compounds.

That complexity is why I do not see red sandalwood as a decorative pigment. The color is beautiful, but the heartwood brings an established cosmetic history, strong antioxidant findings, anti-inflammatory potential, natural astringency, and a chemistry all its own.

Quick Answers

Is red sandalwood the same as white sandalwood?

No. White sandalwood is usually Santalum album and is prized for its fragrant, santalol-rich essential oil. Our red sandalwood is Pterocarpus soyauxii, a red African heartwood valued for its pigments, extractives, antioxidant compounds, and traditional body-care use.

Is this the endangered Indian red sandalwood?

No. The IUCN lists Indian red sandalwood, also called red sanders, Pterocarpus santalinus, as Endangered. Ours is the distinct African species Pterocarpus soyauxii. African populations of the Pterocarpus genus are covered by CITES Appendix II trade controls, but Appendix II regulates trade and does not classify every listed species as endangered.

Is African red sandalwood inferior to Indian red sandalwood?

Not at all. It is a different botanical with its own strengths. Pterocarpus soyauxii has species-specific antioxidant and phytochemical research and, most importantly for the way I formulate, a documented African tradition of blending the red heartwood with oils and plant butters for skin care. It should be understood on its own terms rather than judged by research that belongs to Pterocarpus santalinus.

Why do you infuse it into tallow and oils?

Oil infusion honors the ingredient’s documented preparation history while fitting naturally into our anhydrous formulas. Beginning with finely milled heartwood gives the fats plenty of contact with the botanical. After infusion, I strain the solids out completely, leaving a smooth infused oil without grit or suspended wood particles.

Can red sandalwood help eczema-prone or rash-prone skin?

The traditional record includes use around several uncomfortable skin conditions, and modern laboratory work shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. I find that combination promising for skin that needs comfort and support. We do not yet have human trials showing that Pterocarpus soyauxii or its oil infusion treats eczema or a rash.

Is red sandalwood antibacterial or antifungal?

Traditional sources describe its use around ringworm and other skin concerns, but the evidence depends heavily on the plant part. Antifungal findings have been reported for the bark, while a 2020 red-heartwood extract was inactive against the three bacteria tested. That makes antioxidant and astringent support much better reasons to value our heartwood infusion than a broad antimicrobial claim.

Does red sandalwood affect hormones?

Researchers have observed estrogen-like effects when an aqueous heartwood extract was given orally to ovariectomized rats at medicinal doses. While that was an oral animal study of a water extract, I find it interesting as information about the botanical as a whole. It does not show that a fully strained topical oil infusion changes human hormone levels.

Can red sandalwood stain skin or fabric?

Its red pigments are naturally strong, so concentrated raw material can stain and a finished infusion may tint pale fabric before it has absorbed. The fully strained balm should feel smooth, but it is still wise to let it settle into the skin before dressing.

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Red Sandalwood