The maritime pine, also called cluster pine, is native to the Mediterranean region, particularly Southern Europe, Western Asia, and parts of North Africa. It is a tall, evergreen tree with long, paired needles and thick, reddish-brown bark, thriving in sandy, dry coastal soils and remarkably resistant to drought. Europe's largest man-made maritime pine forest, the Forêt des Landes in southwestern France, was deliberately planted in the 19th century to stabilise the region's shifting Atlantic coastal dunes.

For centuries, maritime pine resin was tapped along Mediterranean coastlines — a practice known in French as "gemmage" — and processed into turpentine and pitch, essential materials for shipbuilding, waterproofing, and traditional craft. In Mediterranean folk medicine, the essential oils drawn from its needles and resin have long been used to support respiratory health, and an antioxidant extract from its bark is still marketed today as a dietary supplement under the name Pycnogenol. The Forêt des Landes in the Aquitaine region, covering roughly one million hectares, remains Western Europe's largest contiguous man-made forest to this day. With the rise of synthetic substitutes in the 20th century, traditional resin tapping declined sharply, yet the maritime pine has remained economically important as the basis of the region's timber and pulp industry, and extracts from its bark now also appear in bath and skincare products. Traditionally, the resin was collected through diagonal cuts in the bark, with small collecting cups fastened below to catch the flow. In the 19th century, pine needle baths also became a fixture of European spa and Kneipp-cure culture, believed to strengthen the respiratory system and circulation.

As incense, pine resin releases a warm, clear, resinous-woody scent that immediately recalls sun-drenched pine forests. Its smoke is traditionally associated with cleansing and grounding, considered invigorating for both mind and breath — a simple, uncomplicated fragrance that carries the Mediterranean pine forest into the room. Owing to its deep-reaching roots and resilience on sandy, poor soils, the maritime pine is still planted across much of Southern Europe today for coastal stabilization and dune protection. Many find its scent evokes a direct walk through a sun-warmed pine forest by the sea.