Sensory choice
Sandalore
INCI: Sandalore (synthetic sandalwood odorant) · also synthetic sandalwood, OR2AT4 agonist, brahmanol
A synthetic sandalwood aroma molecule, consistent from batch to batch. It is the sandalwood note in Pep Talk.
Why it is here
It is the sandalwood in Pep Talk: a synthetic sandalwood odorant, consistent from batch to batch, from no tree. There is published research on this molecule elsewhere in biology, summarized below for the curious. In our conditioner it is there for the scent, and we make no claim beyond that.
Sandalore is a fragrance material: a designed molecule with the woody, creamy character of sandalwood, without depending on a slow-growing tree. Published research has also studied this molecule in other biological contexts; that work is summarised here for interest and is not the reason it is in our conditioner.
The receipts
The hair follicle epithelium, particularly the outer root sheath, expresses OR2AT4; stimulating it with Sandalore prolonged hair growth ex vivo by decreasing apoptosis and increasing IGF-1, while the antagonist Phenirat and OR2AT4 silencing inhibited growth.
Olfactory receptor OR2AT4 regulates human hair growth. Nature Communications, 2018. ex vivo, n = human scalp hair follicles in organ culture, with receptor knockdown and antagonist controls. PMID 30228264
Against a placebo that smelled identical but does not activate OR2AT4, 1 percent Sandalore reduced hair shedding and increased hair volume and the percentage of anagen follicles, the latter two significantly more than placebo when calculated against baseline; most anti-shedding effects appeared by week 8 and held to week 24.
Topical odorant application of the specific olfactory receptor OR2AT4 agonist, Sandalore, improves telogen effluvium-associated parameters. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021. RCT, n = 60 women aged 18 to 65 with telogen effluvium, 30 per arm, 24 weeks. PMID 32645251
In practice
- Typical use
- Fragrance-level in a cosmetic product, roughly 0.1 to 1 percent. The clinical study used a 1 percent leave-on solution, which is the top of that range and applied differently from a rinse-out conditioner.
- Keep apart from
- Nothing chemically. It is a fragrance component.
- Cautions
- It is a fragrance material, so the usual fragrance caveats apply: a minority of people are sensitised to aroma chemicals. In Human Condition it is used as scent.
Questions people ask
Is Sandalore real sandalwood?
No. It is a lab-made sandalwood aroma molecule, which is why it is consistent from bottle to bottle and why no tree is involved. Real sandalwood oil is scarce and varies by harvest.
Why is Sandalore in Human Condition?
For the scent. It is the sandalwood note in Pep Talk, sitting between the peppermint and a clean musk. We chose it for how it smells and how reliably it smells that way.
What is the research about?
Separate laboratory and clinical work has studied this molecule in hair biology. It is interesting reading and it is cited here for that reason. It is not why the molecule is in our conditioner, and we make no claim about it.