Season 7 Ep 15: Holy Smoke! Our Favourite Incense Fragrances

Incense is having a real moment and in this episode we're exploring why and also talking through some of our favourite incense scents.Why is incense so popular again? Incense has moved from temples and churches into living rooms,studios and perfume wardrobes; it’s become a chic, modern ritual asmuch as a smell.Trend reports link the boom to the hunger for spiritual and holisticpractices – incense is an easy way to pause, “set an intention” andcreate a little ceremony around everyday life.Incense vs frankincense “Incense” is the whole blend you burn – it might be on a stick, cone, coilor rope – and can contain resins, woods, herbs, spices and florals. “Frankincense” (also called olibanum) is one particular resin, tappedfrom Boswellia sacra trees in Oman, Yemen and parts of the Horn ofAfrica. Etymology you can play with: “frankincense” comes from Old French“franc encens” – high quality or “pure” incense – while “incense” itselfgoes back to Latin for “to burn.” When a perfume lists “incense” as a note, it may mean a full accord ofresins (frankincense, myrrh, opoponax, labdanum, elemi, woods,flowers) or a composition that highlights frankincense alone.What incense actually smells like Frankincense: resinous yet airy; earthy, piney, slightly smoky with asurprising citrus brightness. Myrrh: darker, spicier, slightly medicinal and very “churchy”, oftenassociated with ritual and antiquity. Opoponax: honeyed, vanillic, balsamic and comforting – it softens theharsher edges of smoke. Labdanum: rich, ambery, leathery and almost animalic; gives incenseperfumes that plush, warm body. Elemi: sharp, lemony, peppery resin that brings sparkle and lift to thesmoke. Woods (sandalwood, cedar etc.): add dryness, creaminess orpencilshaving smokiness and form the backbone of many incenseheavyfragrances.Quotes from perfumers: Francis Kurkdjian on why he loves Japanese incense at home: partlypracticality, because “it fills the room in five minutes, whereas candlestake ages.” Yasmin Sewell on the moodshift: “Where a candle may take twentyminutes to resonate in your space, when you light incense there is animmediate scent that fills the room.” Sewell again on why incense made more sense than candles for herbrand’s next step: “I felt that incense really connected with our values,since it’s been used in spiritual rituals for so long,” and “what I reallylove about incense is that it shifts the mood instantly.” Lyn Harris on her daily ritual: “It sets a spiritual tone to my day,” andincense is “an ethereal veil that lingers in the air.” She burns it in themorning to set her mood, sometimes midday to reinvigorate her senses,and even before bed so “there is a sensual haze passing over mynostrils before I sleep.” Chris Rusak on the psychology of burning it: incense is “a great vehiclefor empowerment or catharsis via controlled destruction” and “incenseuse is intentional. It requires fire or directed heat for full expression,which we must effect, contain, and control, in order to destroy it but notourselves.” How it’s harvested: frankincense resin oozes from cuts in theBoswellia sacra tree and dries into golden “tears”, sometimes called“frankincense tears” or “olibanum tears”. The jinn love story: a girl from the jinn falls in love with a human boy –forbidden, of course. As punishment she’s turned into a tree; her griefbecomes crystal tears that people burn on coal for healing smoke with abitter taste that mourns lost love. Ecology: frankincense forests in northern Ethiopia are under threat asthey’re cleared for agriculture, with scientists warning production couldhalve over the next 15 years. Mood altering science: frankincense contains a compound calledincensole acetate, which has been shown to have pain relieving andpsychoactive effects – helping with depression and anxiety andactivating a warmth perception channel in the skin. That might explain why those “sexy church smells” (as Alice du Parcqso memorably terms them) can feel both spiritually elevated andphysically comforting – sacred, nostalgic, a bit forbidden and strangelyswoony all at once.Suzy’s faves: @amouage Purpose 50@jeroboamperfumes Ambra extrait@eaudeboujee Gilded @vancleefarpels Perfume Extraordinaire Encens Précieux@ataratmalondon Aroha [email protected] BerberaNicola's choices:@aromariamx giant incense sticks@the_virtue Holy Smoke@lartisanparfumeur Passage d'Enfer@matierepremiereparfums Crystal Saffron