Arbutus Wood
Note Profile
About
Arbutus wood is the timber of the strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo. No odour description of the timber was found. Wood data for its close relative, Pacific madrone, record no characteristic odour. An Italian timber guide calls the firewood aromatic for roasting, which describes its smoke, not the raw wood. The honey scent on record for this plant belongs to its flowers, and it is not scored here.
Scent Profile
Arbutus wood keeps its scent mostly to itself. The little evidence there is points to a faint, dry wood smell, plain rather than sweet or resinous. The honey scent of the strawberry tree belongs to its flowers, not the timber, so expect little more than a quiet wood note.
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ScentArt
Origin
The wood of Arbutus unedo, the Mediterranean strawberry tree, corbezzolo in Italian. Acqua dell'Elba, a brand from Elba, where the tree grows wild, lists it as Legni di Corbezzolo. Parfumo's German page names the note Erdbeerbaumholz, strawberry-tree wood. This ties the note to A. unedo, not to A. menziesii, the North American tree behind the arbutus-madrona-bearberry-tree note. The heartwood is red-brown. The tree does not usually grow straight, so the timber goes to small turned work, firewood and charcoal. No supplier selling an arbutus wood oil, absolute or extract was found.
Usage in Perfumery
Parfumo lists 2 perfumes with the note on 2026-10-10, Acqua dell'Elba Sport Eau de Parfum and Essenza Uomo (2021). Both come from one brand. Parfumo says it usually sits in the base. Acqua dell'Elba sets it beside cedar, oak, lentisk and seaweed to give the base more intensity. Treat it as a name printed on a pyramid, not a material with a documented smell.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Arbutus Wood
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Arbutus Wood appears prominently.
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