Palo Santo is a woody note from Bursera graveolens, a tree of dry tropical forests in Latin America whose aged heartwood is burned as a ritual incense. Its scent is bright and resinous: sweet citrus and mint-like freshness over pale, balsamic wood with a gentle smoky finish, placing it between the woody and resinous families.

What does Palo Santo smell like?

Freshly split palo santo smells surprisingly zesty, with lemon and orange peel, a cool, minty-camphorous lift and a sweet, creamy resin reminiscent of frankincense. As the note dries down it becomes softer and woodier, with a faint coconut-like sweetness and a light smoke. When the wood is burned, the smoke is sweeter and more balsamic than church incense. It is quite different from guaiac wood, a smoky, rosy oil from the unrelated Bulnesia sarmientoi that is also sometimes called palo santo.

Where Palo Santo comes from

Bursera graveolens belongs to the same plant family as frankincense and myrrh, the Burseraceae. It grows from Mexico and Central America to Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, and on the Galápagos Islands. The aroma develops as the wood ages, so traditional practice uses branches and trunks that have died naturally and lain for years; the oil is steam-distilled from this aged wood.

• Also known as: Holy wood, Bursera graveolens
• Fragrance family: Woody, resinous
• Type: Natural (also recreated with accords)
• Main origins: Ecuador and Peru
• How it's obtained: Steam distillation of aged, naturally fallen heartwood; wood sticks burned as incense
• Key aroma molecules: Limonene, alpha-terpineol

Palo Santo in perfume history

The name means holy wood in Spanish, reflecting a long history of use in cleansing rituals and folk practice in South America, where the wood is burned to purify spaces. For most of its history it was a regional material; only in recent years have palo santo sticks become a global wellness product and the note begun to appear by name in niche and then mainstream fragrances.

Palo Santo in modern perfumery

Global demand has raised real sourcing concerns. The IUCN rates the species as Least Concern overall, but Peru listed it as critically endangered in 2006 and allows only dead, fallen wood to be collected; illegal logging is still reported in the north-west of the country. Ecuador runs reforestation programmes. Buyers are increasingly advised to look for traceable oil from legally collected dead wood, and many perfumes use an accord instead.

How Palo Santo wears and what it pairs with

Its citrus-mint opening is fleeting, but the woody, resinous core carries into the base. It pairs well with frankincense, cedar, vetiver, sandalwood, cardamom, vanilla, lemon and tonka bean.

Safety and regulation

Palo santo oil contains limonene, an EU-declarable fragrance allergen that can become sensitising when oxidised.