Is harvesting Palo Santo legal?

Behind the botanical name Bursera graveolens is, of course, none other than our beloved Palo Santo. A tree that has been known since the days of the Inca Empire and has been used since ancient times, in the form of sticks, as incense – whether to cleanse spaces or yourself, to scent a room, or simply as your favourite talisman that accompanies you to a demanding meeting with clients or your bosses. There are many ways to use it, and who are we to tell you exactly how to use this sacred wood.

With the growing popularity of Palo Santo not only here but across Europe and the USA, the pressure on natural resources is naturally rising. You may also have come across the claim that Palo Santo is on the list of endangered plant species and that its export is banned. That's not entirely true. As is often the case, everything is a little more complicated and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Let's break it down.

As demand grows, so does the pressure on natural resources, and less consideration is given to the natural cycle the tree needs to develop its distinctive aroma. That's the reason Palo Santo smells so wonderful and unforgettable. From our partners in Ecuador, we know that they see the resin as the heart of the tree – el corazón in Spanish.

Sometimes you'll see claims that Palo Santo is protected by law, specifically in Ecuador. We ourselves worked with this information for a long time, but in the end it turned out to be untrue. The reality is that the harvesting and subsequent sale of the sticks is being regulated and restricted ever more strictly, with efforts aimed at more sustainable practices, such as collecting only naturally fallen wood, supporting reforestation, or cooperating with local communities.

These are exactly the aspects we bring you under our brand Rocío. As you may already have learned in a previous article, Rocío bears the name of a particular woman who comes from our partner community – and you certainly won't be hearing about her for the last time.

So how does sustainable/ethical harvesting actually work?

You might be wondering how it all really works. A buzzword like "sustainability" comes at us from every direction and the whole thing is starting to feel a little empty. The essence of the long-term – and hopefully therefore sustainable – use of Palo Santo lies in locality.

Ask your sellers where the sticks come from. If they view their business even a little responsibly, it should be in their interest too to know where their products come from. Do they buy through intermediaries – the so-called middle man – or does the sale happen directly with a specific community? Do they know them? Do they know their approach to work and to protecting nature?

When you buy Palo Santo, a piece of wood comes to you that has, after all, come from somewhere. The generic answer "from South America" is about as satisfying as saying coffee is from Africa. We believe our readers simply want to know more. They care about origin, they care about the people who really stand behind the products, and about the story of their favourite incense stick or essential oil.

You could say that sustainability lies in an informed purchase. We do our utmost so that you can make that decision right here with us.

If you use natural products or materials, you're surely aware of their rarity and limited quantity. Nature is not a factory. We've really grown fond of that phrase.

Some of you may know that after Christmas 2025 we had no sticks available. First, you bought us out, and second, the sticks simply couldn't be found. Our partners criss-crossed the forests, but there weren't enough sticks. What was the poet trying to say? We don't work in large volumes. We're definitely not the cheapest, but hopefully we are – and will remain – the real thing.

To finish, we'd like to share the debunking of one myth that surrounds Palo Santo. We promised you we'd want to educate you, and now is the time for a little knowledge break. Palo Santo doesn't grow in the Amazon, nor in any other tropical rainforest. Its native flora is quite different. It's called the dry tropical forest – but more on that another time.