Sandalwood, with its oblong light-green leaves and twiggy branches, is a semi-parasitic plant that needs a host tree. It can take up to 30 years for it to be ready for perfume oil extraction. The modern perfume industry originally used sandalwood from India, but starting in 1974, unbridled and unsustainable harvesting practices caused a precipitous drop in supply, likely driving up the cost of the wood. “There was a time when it had basically disappeared for perfumers,” [perfumer Frank] Voelkl says.

— Read more in The Scent You Smell Everywhere Almost Disappeared Forever at Elle.