What it is
Guaiacwood used in perfumery is strongly associated with the aromatic wood of Plectrocarpa sarmientoi, a South American tree long known in trade and older botanical literature as Bulnesia sarmientoi.
Kew currently accepts Plectrocarpa sarmientoi and treats Bulnesia sarmientoi as a synonym. Older supplier documents may therefore use a botanical name that remains commercially familiar even though the accepted taxonomy has changed.
What to notice
Guaiacwood can suggest:
- dense warm wood
- smoke
- tea
- soft rose-like facets
- balsamic sweetness
- faint tar or rubber
- creamy depth
It is usually rounder and less pencil-dry than a Virginia cedarwood reference.
How it appears in perfumery
The wood can be distilled to produce guaiacwood oil, a viscous material useful in woody, smoky, rose, leather and incense-style compositions.
It can add body without the sharp coniferous lift of pine or the earthy rootiness of vetiver.
A naming caution
“Guaiacwood,” “guaiac” and “palo santo” can be used ambiguously in commerce for different aromatic woods. For this archive, the botanical source should be retained whenever it is provided rather than assuming every product carrying one of those names is Plectrocarpa sarmientoi.
REFERENCE SOURCES
Kew Science · Plectrocarpa sarmientoi↗Kew / CITES and Timber · Bulnesia sarmientoi↗