The Inspiration Behind Our Top-Selling Scent

Everyday people like, you and me Just want to live naturally... 
–Donavon Frankenreiter, “It Don’t Matter”

Donavon Frankenreiter’s music is the aromatic inspiration for the earth-driven, lightly-citrus Palo Santo-based scent. This signature scent has become one of our most beloved deodorants and a staple since the beginning of Humble Brands product development. The delicately wood-smoked smell of Palo Santo pairs perfectly with the warmth of Frankincense and sweetness of Tonka Bean. Our customers have told us it elevates their mood and their lives!

A tree native to the coast of South America and related to the same family as Frankincense and Myrrh, Palo Santo is a fragrant wood that has been considered precious for centuries. It has been used for everything from important shamanic rituals to simply perfuming the homes of natives in Ecuador. Literally translated as “holy stick”, it has become just that; a recognizable part of many Western yoga studios and home smudging stations alike.

We whole-heartedly agree with Donavon’s lyrics and sentiment. Living sustainably and naturally is something we are always aiming to achieve at Humble Brands headquarters. Catch up with Donavon. In recent years, the sustainability practices of Palo Santo harvesting have come to the forefront of concerns within the wellness community and beyond. Palo Santo oil is a valuable commodity in that its production is extensive. It is a highly concentrated oil that is found only in the interior of the tree’s trunk. Furthermore, it can take up to 10 years for the tree to actually produce the oil. The average life of the tree of Palo Santo is between 80 to 90 years, but due to over-exploitation, only dead branches that fall to the ground should be used for the distillation of this oil.

At Humble Brands, we strive to work with vendors who align with our ethics of respect for our planet and our communities. Our Palo Santo distributor works with an Ecuadorian company owned and operated by an ethnobotanist who is committed to protecting this precious resource. The aged, dead wood is gathered from the forest floor on Ecuador’s Pacific coast which allows for the production of oil without any harm to living trees. Not only do they harvest solely the fallen branches, but they also have created a reforestation project which protects the old trees and the newly planted saplings with the help of the M.A.E. (Ministry of the Environment). This organization is licensed as sustainable and traceable by the Ministry of Environment in Ecuador. Traceability of Palo Santo includes accountability in the following areas: 

• Territorial organization
• Planting
• Forest control
• Analysis of reforested hectares
• Tree quality control
• Collection and exit to the laboratory
• Product evaluation

We never want our customers to feel any apprehension when it comes to using our Palo Santo-based products. We stay accountable and responsible, so you can enjoy the powerful cleansing and grounding properties of this majestic tree.

As perfectly stated by David Crow, a long-time distiller of Palo Santo oil, “When people come in contact with the essence of the tree, whether it is in the form of its essential oil or its fragrant wood, it has a deeply transformative effect, including nurturing, activating and manifesting their creative and spiritual potential.”

Our Palo Santo & Frankincense scent is available in all three of our deodorant formulas: Original, Vegan & Sensitive Skin and organic hemp CBD.