Incense

Incense comes from the resin of trees of the Boswellia family. These grow in hot, arid soils such as in Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia. Incense is then collected by cutting into the bark. Incense has existed since ancient Greece. At that time, incense was used for religious rites, then for healing. Along with myrrh and gold, incense is one of the gifts offered by the Magi to the infant Jesus. Incense carries a very strong symbolism and is considered precious. Throughout time, men have understood that burning incense bark releases particularly magical scents.

Incense, the king of oriental perfumes

Incense has a strong but beautiful scent, camphorous, waxy, spicy and even peppery. Its scent can evoke tree bark, or freshly waxed dusty wood, and even the inside of a church. Incense has a psychic, even spiritual, dimension. In perfumery, it is featured in some very great perfumes, essentially oriental ones. One need only mention the legendary Shalimar by Guerlain, the famous Opium by Yves Saint-Laurent or the Lancôme perfume Nuit Trésor. In all these perfumes, incense reigns supreme. In oriental or gourmand perfumes, incense is often paired with vanilla or cinnamon, which gives it a sweet, feminine note. Incense brings to all these perfumes its exotic spicy flavor, a mysterious side, as well as a strong character and a powerful seductive power.

Incense, difficult to blend

Even though incense is part of some very great, well-known and beloved perfumes, few perfumers have taken the risk of placing incense as a heart note. Even as trends change, a composition built around incense remains hard to imagine. One perfume that is the exception to the rule is La Religieuse by Serge Lutens. This lover and devotee of the Orient dared to place incense as a heart note. Here, a contrast is created between the white of the jasmine flower and the black of incense. The result is a genuine contrast between sanctity and blasphemy, between good and evil. In base notes, incense is often paired with a flower positioned as a heart note. This is the case with the men's perfume Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani. Here, the geranium-incense blend gives a perfume of character, but with a very fresh side, a perfume of incredible virility.

Linked to life, to antiquity, to religion, incense is rich in symbolism. It carries behind it a deep history from which it cannot be freed. Its bark has a strong, powerful character. Incense gives off a camphorous scent and often evokes the inside of a church. In perfumery, it has inspired some very great creators. Today it is associated with great oriental feminine perfumes. Often paired with cinnamon or vanilla, incense becomes as sweet and feminine as one could wish. One small caveat to this success: almost no one dares to position incense as a heart note. Too powerful? Too imposing? Too laden with symbolism? Perhaps all of this at once, for incense is unique and unlike any other, and it makes no concessions.