The Incense Hunter

Photos used in reviews are taken by me, sometimes supported by promotional photos. Some illustrative images on general pages may be AI-generated or AI-assisted. The use of text-to-image generative tools are not intended to deceive, but to aid me to swiftly and attractively create an image to illustrate and identify general topics, such as Frankincense or Oudh.

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

Bless International Frankincense & Myrrh Incense Cones



We use incense cones as a convenient room freshener, especially in the bathroom; and I am an incense hunter, so when I top up our room freshener cones I do like to look for incenses houses I've not previously reviewed. When topping up this month I came upon Bless International on Amazon, and I was drawn by the name and the packaging, so I bought a pack, but at £4.99 for a pack of 20 cones, I decided to only get one pack, as that is rather expensive for cones.  

Looking into Bless International, I note similarities with Raajsee, whose cones I bought at the same time. They are both based in Jaipur, in north India; they both sell tapestries, and other items, along with incense, and the incense cones are bottom end perfume-dipped wood powder cones, possibly sourced from Asia. There is no evidence that they made the cones themselves. The scents are very generic - Sandalwood, Rose, Patchouli, Palo Santo, etc.  They have a distribution point in the US and in the UK (via Amazon). 

Generic soapy scent on the cone. There is no frankincense or myrrh in this cone - just fragrance aromas blended to give a general scent impression of frankincense and myrrh. The scent on the burn is mostly smouldering wood powder. Placed at a distance away to give the lighter fragrance notes a chance to drift across while the heavier wood smoke scent notes drop away, there is a faint awareness of the soapy smell. It's not great. 

This is low quality everyday room freshener incense. Certainly not worth £4.99 of anyone's money. Decent quality incense cones for freshening the house can be bought from Amazon for less than £2 a pack, such as Satya (assortment of 9 packs for £13), and HEM (assortment of 12 packs for £12). 


Date: May 2026   Score: 13/50
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Raajsee Palo Santo Natural Incense Cones



This carries the name palo santo though I'd be surprised if there is anything from a palo santo tree contained in this cone. This is a blend of fragrance oils which creates a pleasing accord which is intended to give the impression of palo santo. The cold throw scent on the cone is clove, menthol, lemon, caramel, honey and brown sugar with a hint of floral and  patchouli. Some aldehydes. It's actually quite attractive. Indeed, on the whole the cold throw scents of all the Raajsee cones have been pleasant in an everyday body spray or room freshener manner. Unfortunately the hot throw scent on the burn tends to be obscured by the smell of smouldering wood powder and binder.  

And the same is true here. The scent on the burn is unhappily compromised by the use of wood powder. Placed at a decent distance the heavier wood based scent molecules tend to drop and reduce before they reach me, while the lighter fragrance oil scent molecules tend to carry further, and I smell more of them. But, even so, there is still a little too much muddled and harsh bonfire smells for my comfort. 

Bought as part of an assorted pack of Raajsee cones on Amazon: 6 packs for £12. There are better quality and more attractive incense cones that can be bought for £2 a box or less. 


Date: May 2026    Score: 23/50
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Tuesday, 19 May 2026

Raajsee White Sage Natural Incense Cones

 


Quite spicy and herbal. There is some distinct awareness of sage in this cone from Raajsee of Jaipur, which makes it a little better than the other cones from this company. But essentially these White Sage cones are quite basic and crude. They are wood powder based which means that the intended scent gets corrupted by the smell of the smouldering wood powder. And they burn very quickly, so they are not good value for money. 

Bought as part of an assorted pack of Raajsee cones on Amazon: 6 packs for £12. There are better quality and more attractive incense cones that can be bought for £2 a box or less. 


Date: May 2026    Score: 24/50
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Raajsee Frankincense & Myrrh Natural Incense Cones



I like frankincense & myrrh together - it seems to work. This Raajsee cone has a faint cold throw scent which is more aligned with soft camphor and herbs, than frankincense & resin, and when burned is more smouldering wood and paper than proper incense. 

Bought as part of an assorted pack of Raajsee cones on Amazon: 6 packs for £12. There are better quality and more attractive incense cones that can be bought for £2 a box or less. 


Date: May 2026    Score: 13/50
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Raajsee Japanese Rose Natural Incense Cones


I keep saying that rose is not my favourite incense scent, yet there are a number of rose scent incenses I have loved. This Japanese Rose by Raajsee of Jaipur is not one of them. The scent on the cone is powdery Turkish Delight. Quite pleasant without being interesting or meaningful or particularly attractive. The scent on the burn is mostly  smouldering wood powder and binder. There is a faint awareness of powdery rose, but it is minor compared to the smouldering paper smell. Bought as part of an assorted pack of Raajsee cones on Amazon: 6 packs for £12. There are better quality and more attractive incense cones that can be bought for £2 a box or less. 


Date: May 2026    Score: 17/50
***

Monday, 18 May 2026

Raajsee Nag Champa Natural Incense Cones



Quite a cool and pleasant perfume in the general direction of a commercial Nag Champa scent. A little sweeter and more floral than average, with a sharp volatility, but quite acceptable as an everyday room freshener. A little muddled and smoky on the burn if too close, but acceptable at a distance. The after scent or sillage is also sweet, pleasant and acceptable. Quite a modest but pleasant everyday room freshener. 


Date: May 2026    Score: 23/50
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Raajsee of Jaipur


Raajsee are based in Jaipur in northern India, and were established as a business in 1957. They also sell tapestries and handmade wooden items. It looks like they added incense to their portfolio at a later date. Though they say "made from scratch", it is not clear if Raajsee make the incense themselves. They also sell HEM and Satya incense. They have companies with the names J.P. Fashions, and Enn Dee International, which operate from the same Jaipur address. The holding company is Raajsee Pride, which has Nishant Nagpal and Dishant Nagpal ("Enn" and "Dee") as proprietors. 
  
The Raajsee operation centre

I  don't actually know, but I suspect that Raajsee are a distribution operation rather than manufacturing. It may even be possible that the incense is made in an Asian country, as Asian countries tend to prefer the use of wood powder. The scents are fairly generic, and there's no character in these cones at all.  I am listing  Raajsee as an Own Brand Trader rather than a manufacturer. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know. 


Reviews



Raajsee White Sage Cones (P)
May 2026 - Score: 24/50

  
Raajsee Nag Champa Cones (P)
May 2026 - Score: 23/50

  
Raajsee Palo Santo Cones (P)
May 2026 - Score: 23/50


Raajsee Dragon's Blood Cones (P)
May 2026 - Score: 21/50

   
Raajsee Japanese Rose Cones (P)
May 2026 - Score: 17/50

  
Raajsee Frankincense & Myrrh Cones (P)
May 2026 - Score: 13/50

Reviews: 6
Top score: 23
Bottom score: 17
Average: 20/50
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