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The scent of sandalwood promotes wounds healing and skin regeneration.

Researchers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum discovered that olfactory receptors in skin are activated when exposed to the sandalwood scent. They also found that exposure to the scent also enhances cell proliferation and wound healing.

Lead researchers Dr. Daniela Busse and Dr. Hanns Hatt from the Department for Cellphysiology at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum said that the latest findings could pave the road to discovering better drugs and cosmetics

Skin smells, and previous studies show that we possess olfactory receptors in our noses, sex cells, prostate, intestine and kidney.

Researchers said that the latest study shows that these receptors also exist in keratinocytes , which are cells that make up the outermost layer of the skin.

After studying the olfactory receptor that occurs in the skin, namely OR2AT4, scientists found that the scent of sandalwood activates OR2AT4, which leads to a calcium-dependent signal pathway. Researchers explain that this particular pathway is responsible for boosting proliferation and hastening the migration of skin cells.

Besides OR2AT4, the latest findings also show that there are many other olfactory receptors in the skin.

"The results so far show that they possess therapeutic and cosmetic potential," Professor Hatt said in a university release.

"Still, we mustn't forget that concentrated fragrances should be handled with care, until we have ascertained which functions the different types of olfactory receptors in skin cells have," he added.

The findings were published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.