Incense (Olibanum)
55 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Amber, Resinous / Balsamic, Smoky, Incense, Oriental, Spicy oriental
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- Latin name
- Boswellia sacra, Boswellia carterii, Boswellia serrata
- Family
- Torchwood family (Burseraceae)
- Origin
- Oman (Dhofar), Somalia, Ethiopia, India
- Parts used
- resin oozing from cuts in the bark
- Raw materials
- essential oil, resinoid, CO₂ extract
- Extraction
- steam distillation or extraction of the resin
- Olfactory group
- resinous, amber
- Position in the pyramid
- from top to base
- Synthetic substitutes
- smoky and resinous accords based on Iso E Super
Frankincense (olibanum), listed in pyramids as “incense”, is the hardened resin of small drought-resistant Boswellia trees growing on the rocky slopes of Arabia and the Horn of Africa. Shallow cuts are made in the bark, a milky resin seeps out, and over a few weeks it hardens into translucent “tears”.
How it smells: in perfume, incense is not just smoke. At the start it is fresh, lemony-peppery and coniferous, then resinous, warm and “churchy”, and in the base dry and smoky. It brings mystery, stillness and space to a fragrance.
Frankincense is one of the oldest aromatic substances: for thousands of years it was burned in the temples of Egypt, Rome and India and in the Christian tradition. The Incense Route from Arabia to the Mediterranean was one of the richest trade routes of antiquity.
What it pairs with: with rose and oud — oriental solemnity, with myrrh and benzoin — deep resinous compositions, with citrus and pink pepper — fresh, transparent incense, with vetiver and cedar — dry woody fragrances.
Good to know: the most prized frankincense is the whitish-green Omani Hojari from the Dhofar mountains: in Oman it is still sold in markets like a spice and burned at home for its scent.
Fragrances with Incense (Olibanum)
