Incense perfume samples: what to try

Incense perfume samples are a good way to find out what you think about resin. Incense, frankincense and olibanum are all names for the dried sap of certain trees. In a note list they bring a dry, slightly lemony, sometimes smoky character, and they show up in nearly sixty of our samples, in every position from the first spray to the last. The mood changes a great deal with the company. This guide groups eight by that company, with notes exactly as recorded.

Gentle incense, between citrus and wood

Lattafa Mishlah is the plainest introduction. The top is bergamot and lavender, the heart spices, incense and cedar, and the base amber, musk and powdery notes. Incense sits in the middle, with powdery notes at the base, and the Eau de Parfum is tagged moderate for spring, summer and autumn.

Byredo Gypsy Water places incense in the heart of a woody, aromatic perfume. The top reads bergamot, juniper berries, lemon and pepper, the heart incense, orris and pine needle, and the base amber, sandalwood and vanilla. Pine needle and juniper make the incense feel outdoors rather than in a room.

Maison Margiela Replica Autumn Vibes is an Eau de Toilette tagged moderate. The top is pink pepper co2 essence, coriander essence and cardamom essence, the heart carrot seeds essence, nutmeg essence and olibanum essence, and the base cedarwood heart essence, moss accord and fir balsam absolute. It is a dry, spicy and woody incense for cool days.

Incense almost on its own

Matière Première Encens Suave has a short recorded list: incense oil (oman), labdanum absolute (andalusia), benzoin absolute (sumatra), coffee extraction (venezuela) and vanilla absolute (madagascar). Coffee and vanilla make the incense warm and edible, and it is tagged strong for autumn and winter.

Stéphane Humbert Lucas Black Gemstone puts incense in the base. The top is infusion of 3 cedars and lemon from sicily, the heart myrrh tar, and the base incense, teak and tonka. Myrrh tar and teak give it a dark, woody character, and it carries the strong tag.

Incense with rose, salt and sweetness

Les Eaux Primordiales Rose Supercritique puts myrrh and incense beneath a rose. The top is pink berries and bergamot, the heart rose, blackcurrant and cardamom, and the base myrrh, incense and ambroxan. Rose and blackcurrant above resin make a dark floral, tagged moderate.

Zoologist Squid is the strangest of the eight. Incense opens it: pink pepper, solar salicylate and incense first, then black ink accord, salty accord and opoponax, and a base of ambergris, benzoin and musk. Black ink and salty accords turn the incense marine and mineral.

Mind Games Grand Master sets incense in a sweet base. The top is black currant, rose water and pivoine, the heart rose centofolia vitessence, kona coffee and wild violet, and the base myrrh, incense, panettone and ebony wood. Panettone and coffee make the resin gourmand, and the tags say autumn and winter.

What the eight share

Where incense sits in the pyramid changes its voice. It is a top note only in Squid, a heart note in Mishlah, Gypsy Water and Autumn Vibes, and a base note in Black Gemstone, Rose Supercritique and Grand Master. As a heart note it feels clean and dry, and as a base note it feels deeper and more resinous. Myrrh links Black Gemstone, Rose Supercritique and Grand Master, cedar links Mishlah, Autumn Vibes and Black Gemstone, and coffee links Encens Suave and Grand Master. For more resins in the same register, the amber collection is the nearest neighbour.

How to choose

If you are unsure about incense, begin with Mishlah or Gypsy Water. If you want it dry and spiced, try Autumn Vibes. If you want it warm and edible, take Encens Suave or Grand Master. Zoologist Squid is for the curious. Wear one on bare skin, one spray, and let it settle, because resin often takes time to show its smoke or sweetness. The routine is in how to test perfume on skin, and amber samples and oud samples are close relatives.

All incense samples are collected under incense, and the oriental family holds more. Houses here include Byredo and Lattafa. We fill and label each vial ourselves from the original bottle, and the houses are not involved, with the steps laid out in how we fill your sample, the FAQ and sample sets.

FAQ

Is incense in perfume the same as frankincense?

Frankincense, olibanum and incense are related words for resin notes. Lists use all three. They point to a dry, lemony, slightly smoky resin family, and the perfume around them decides which side you get.

Is incense perfume always churchy?

Not necessarily. It can be dry and peppery, cool and airy, salty or sweet and gourmand. The samples in this guide show these different sides, and only the darkest lean toward smoke.

Which incense sample is the gentlest?

Byredo Gypsy Water and Lattafa Mishlah are both tagged moderate and for spring and autumn, and Mishlah for summer too. They keep the incense in the heart between citrus and wood.