What We Learned About Palo Santo from ARTTA Trading
Last Tuesday, we were fortunate enough to have our friends from ARTTA Trading join us in the studio for a Palo Santo Demo Night! If you’re familiar with Palo Santo, you can only imagine how beautiful it smelled when they brought out all of their products to display.
But if you’re not familiar with Palo Santo, you’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Luckily, our friends at ARTTA Trading are passionate about informing people about Palo Santo, its uses, and the importance of sustainability — here’s what we learned!
It’s not a myth — Palo Santo really is endangered. There are two botanical species of Palo Santo, and one is seriously endangered from unethical and unsustainable harvesting practices. Thankfully, the kind that is used in the products ARTTA sources is not endangered, and as long as it continues to be harvested sustainably, it can stay that way!
There are a lot of snake oil sales people out there when it comes to Palo Santo. The increase in popularity in North America in recent years has brought out some less than honest people who are passing off other materials — mainly sandalwood— as Palo Santo. It’s important to ask questions to your vendors. You can even ask to see certificates of authenticity if you have any concerns.
Asking questions is key when it comes to purchasing trustworthy Palo Santo. If you are purchasing Palo Santo, the person you are purchasing from should be able to tell you where it comes from, which botanical species is used, and to show you the certificate that proves it has been sourced ethically and sustainably.
Palo Santo helps to support communities in South America, which is why it’s so important to make sure you are buying it from a reputable source.
Palo Santo trees must die naturally and rest on the forest floor for 3-5 years for the oils to develop. Only after this happens can the Palo Santo be considered high quality.
That’s only a fraction of what we learned during demo night, so if you didn’t get a chance to drop by for the ARTTA Palo Santo Demo Night, you can watch the recording of our Instagram Live Interview that we did with Oswaldo, the founder and owner of ARTTA, over on our profile! And while you’re there, don’t forget to follow them at @artta.trading.
We’re so grateful to have the opportunity to carry ARTTA Palo Santo products in The Aura Store! Make sure to ask about them next time you’re here :)
Written by Maya Price-Baker
