A customer was recently disappointed with the ephermeral nature of the palo santo essential oil she bought from us and I want to share my answer to her, telling you some things about palo santo essential oil.

Good morning,

Thank you for leaving the voicemail about the Palo Santo oil.

I am not sure what the situation is, but the oil evaporates within 30 minutes. There’s absolutely no scent left at all when applied to the skin. None at all.

The scent is different, and I can get past that. However, I can’t get past the fact that it evaporates so quickly. To me, something that is they are gone within 20 to 30 minutes is not a quality product.

I really appreciate that you feel the product is authentic. But I’ve never had an essential oil evaporate within such a short period of time. Is it possible that the oil that you are receiving has been diluted?

Either way, we leave it at that. I see that you have returned the oil. To suggest that your product is the only authentic oil that is not on the black market, but yet it evaporates and such a short period of time, it is hard to understand the claim.

Either way, I respect that is the way you do business and we will just leave it at that.

Hi Jacqualine,

I am saddened as a lover of plants that you are displeased. Palo santo essential oil is not a product, and it is not branded, but rather the distilled resin of a tree with its own nature.

All essential oils evaporate at their own rate. Palo Santo essential oil is a top to middle note with a medium aroma and a thin consistency. Top notes evaporate the most quickly. Harvesting is from fallen branches only and distillation is tightly regulated by governments - in Ecuador by an indigenous cooperative. All other palo santos are pirated, adulterated or synthetic.

Regarding putting the oil directly on the skin, please do not do this. The label instructs you to dilute to a maximum of 5% in a carrier oil. Perfumes in jojoba oil may be up to 20%. Instructions are typically "Dilute well before use; for external use only. A dermal irritant, it may cause skin irritation in some individuals".

I am happy to provide you with these documents

MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet
C of A - Certificate of Analysis
GCMS - Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Quality & Regulatory Info

I believed that your student came with the oil to find out if anything was wrong with it. She said you found it evaporated quickly (which is true because it's a top note) and that the scent did not linger like the wood. If you would like to return it for a refund, we will do this for you of course, but I know that you will find all palo santo essential oils to be the same thin consistency and volatility.

Thanks!
Tracey, Certified Natural Health Practitioner, Founder, Teacher

Here is a video about how palo santo is distilled:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCSVv1WNZRE
https://youtu.be/xCSVv1WNZRE