Alphabetical list
(No of reviews): Score out of 50
* = Out of business
Namaste India Incense (6): 40
Average score list
Manohar Sugandhi was founded in
Pune in the 1930s, and is a third-generation family-run incense house.
Reviews: 5
High score: 50
Low score: 28
Average: 42
****
Inca Aromas are a Brazil incense house. Their incense can be found on the USA website
Exotic Incense, who export to the UK. I'm curious about the connection between the company and the
Inca Empire culture.
The company was founded in 1993, with the current owners taking over in 2001, and moving the factory to its current location in Brazil in 2009.
Reviews: 3
Top score: 47
Low score: 39
Average: 42
Conclusion: I like this incense house. The incense is a little different, and the association with the Incas is very compelling. The scents are fresh, heady, earthy, natural. I'm interested in exploring more incense from Inca Aromas, and more incense from Brazil.
Reviews: 4
Top: 45
Low: 38
Average: 42
 |
Absolute Bliss (out of business)
American importer and distributor of Indian incense |
Corey Topel imported and sold a selection of branded Indian incense, and was known as the inheritor of Paul Eagle's Happy Hari label, selling a range of incense from the same source(s)
Incense tried: 7
Highest score: 49
Lowest score: 34
Average: 42
Conclusion: An impressive selection of Decent/Heavenly incense.
UK importer The Incense Atelier has rebranded incense made by a second generation incense house in Vrindavan, India.
Reviews: 7
High score: 44
Low Score: 33
Average: 41
*****
New Age are a California based wholesaler founded in 1995. They market bamboo-splint based smudges which are made for them by Native Americans in California.
Reviews: 4
Top score: 42
Bottom score: 35
Average: 40
Conclusion: Natural, indigenous ingredients, and wonderful fragrances. I'm keen to explore more.
*****
Indian Incense are a Bangalore based company.
The company started in 1956, the year I was born, as Sri Srinivasa Agarbathi Company. They changed name to Orkay Incense in 1986, using the Snake Brand trademark, and after calling themselves Indian Incense for a while, now call themselves Namaste India, though still use the Orkay name. They appear to have two main lines, this Namaste India brand which is all masala, plus Indian Soul which is perfumed. There are some
hex packs in the masala range.
Reviews: 6
High score: 44
Low score: 24
Average: 40/50
Reviews: 4
Top score: 48
Bottom score: 30
Average: 39
*****
 |
Goloka
Indian (Bangalore) producer of masala |
Goloka was founded in 1997 in Bangalore, and is a non-profit trust which provides food and education for disadvantaged children, and training and assistance for women who have lost their husbands. Goloka are one of the leading Nag Champa brands - second after
Satya (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya of Bangalore). I like Goloka. I like the availability. I like that the money and reputation goes to Goloka rather than a middle-man. I like that the profits go to help disadvantaged people. I like the low cost and excellent value for money. And the scents are always at least decent, and can be quite heavenly (or divine).
Reviews: 39
High score: 47
Lowe score: 15
Average: 37/50
Conclusion: One of my favourite incense makers.
****
 |
Indian (Bangalore) producer of perfumed and masala |
Koya's was founded in Bangalore in 1970 by Ahamed Kutti, who came from Kerala in Southwest India. The three best selling brands are Vishnu Leela, Maya Supreme and Intimate. They are a well established Indian incense company with a wide range of products including perfumed and natural/masala incense sticks, and currently export to several Asian countries. They don't yet have an export deal with the West, though some incense was available in America through Amazon, and received a positive response.
Their perfumed incenses are decent quality - long lasting, no off-notes, and with attractive perfumes. They are decent everyday perfumed incenses. But it is the masala range that has really impressed me. The everyday masalas are damn good, and excellent value for money based on their domestic prices, while some of the premium masalas, such as their Rasta and Nirvana, are world class, and are either in my Heavenly collection or my Wall of Fame.
Reviews: 16
Top score: 50
Low score: 23
Average: 34/50
Conclusion: One of the top Indian incense houses, yet not available in the West.
*****
Reviews: 5
Top score: 42
Low score: 37
Average: 40
Conclusion: A small but solid fairly typical decent quality Indian incense company.
An Indian trader based in the Home Counties. Says he makes the incense himself in the UK, though there is no evidence to confirm this. Similar to incense sold by
Vrindavan Bazaar.
Reviews: 15
Top score: 44
Low score: 24
Average: 40
*****
Reviews: 26
High score: 48
Low score: 22
Average: 40
Conclusion: Paul Eagle found a quality incense maker, and for over 20 years imported decent incense into the UK. I have enjoyed the incenses I have tried - they are certainly above average, and I am now attempting to grab those scents I haven't yet tried, and to buy a few packets of those scents I like.
***
Reviews: 23
Highest score: 47
Lowest score: 23
Average: 38
*****
Reviews: 3
Top score: 40
Bottom score: 32
Average: 37
Conclusion: I like these Pure Yemen sticks and am very interested in keeping an eye on the company and exploring further.
*****
Reviews: 28
High score: 46
Low Score: 19
Average: 37
*****
 |
UK commissioner and importer |
Oneironaut (which means "
dream traveller") is a funky incense and candle shop founded in 2017 in
Shoreditch, London, just off the trendy
Brick Lane. They have a good marketing concept where you can
sign up for a subscription, and they will send you three different Oneironaut incenses every month. The sticks are 10 inches long - and most of that is incense. It appears that the sticks may originally have been longer, in the Asian style, and the ends have been broken off to make the sticks easier and cheaper to post. The sticks are hand-rolled out of what appears to be mainly wood powder and joss powder, and then immersed in scent. The scent on most of the sticks is quite clean, though sometimes
DPG or
DEP appears to have been used. I think they are more likely to be Asian made than Indian. They are rather likeable.
Reviews: 5
Top score: 47
Low score: 26
Average: 37
Conclusion: Quite variable, and not cheap, but I like the boldness of some of the fragrances, and the cool marketing. The monthly subscription is a nifty idea - and the randomness of it is part of the appeal. When I've reduced my backlog, I can see myself being quite happy having a subscription.
****
Reviews: 5
Top score: 40
Low score: 34
Average: 37
Conclusion: Worth exploring further.
****
 |
Satya
Indian (Bangalore) producer of masala |
Satya Sai Baba is the brand name used by the Indian incense company Shrinivas Sugandhalaya of Bangalore, which was
founded in 1964 by Shri Satyam Setty from small premises in Mumbai. It has expanded to now employ approximately 2,500 workers in manufacturing facilities in Bangalore and Mumbai. Their incense sticks and cones are high quality; hand-rolled from a masala of crushed fragrant ingredients around a charcoal base. They make the world's most famous and acclaimed incense,
Satya Nag Champa.
Reviews: 49
High score: 42
Low score: 18
Average: 36
Conclusion: There is a reason that Satya are both popular and acclaimed: they make quality incense in a traditional manner that people enjoy. They are not exciting - the scents sort of group together in a homogeneous whole with little difference between them; the packaging is plain, unexciting, and uninformative - just different colour shades and the name to differentiate, but they are a reliable company, producing consistently good products. Two of Satya's scents are in my top ten, and the Nag Champa was my No 1 incense for many years - a real life changer. Many of their scents I would be happy to buy again. Somehow, though, despite the quality, I don't rush to buy a new Satya scent because I somehow know how it will smell, so there is a lack of interest and curiosity. And if I am going to buy Satya, I might as well get the Nag Champa - job done. I will, however, slowly make my way through the range, seeing if they can surprise.
*****
The Balaji company was founded in Bangalore in 1957 by a Mr Gupta, who had previously been involved with the Sri Srinivasa Agarbathi Company in Chintamani near Bangalore which had been formed in the 1920s. They sell a range of incense sticks and dhoops, a mix of
natural/masala and
perfumed charcoal, as well as soaps and perfumes.
Reviews: 29
High score: 50
Low score: 10
Average: 36
Conclusion: A damn fine producer who makes heady and colourful incense for the Indian and global market, some of which I find delightful, though are probably too rich for most folks in the Western market, so I'm possibly in a minority. They are, though, wonderfully inconsistent, and can make some rather dry and mean budget stuff along with the expansive and passionate premium stuff. On the whole I find Balaji one of the best incense makers. Their masala incense is well worth seeking out.
*****
 |
Bangalore, India |
Vijayshree was
founded in 1990, and has three sites in the incense capital of the world, Bangalore. They use all natural ingredients, such as
halmaddi (allanthus manbarca), nagchampa (mesua ferrea linn), sandalwood, and loban (boswellia sernata roxb). They claim to have over 500 workers making 200,000 packets of incense a day!
Reviews: 17
Top score: 42
Low score:24
Average: 36/50
****
 |
Nandita
Indian (Mumbai) producer of masala and perfumed |
Nandita Fragrances of Mumbai offer a full range of incenses, including bakhoor and dhoop cups. They also do one of my favourite incenses,
Nandita Wood Spice, so I am keen to explore further. The company was founded by Sri. K.Y. Acharya (1928-2010), and is based in Mumbai, with a retail store in
Udupi, where Acharya was born.
Reviews: 32
High score: 49
Low score: 19
Average: 34
Conclusion: Comfortable everyday incense.
****
 |
Indian (Bangalore) producer |
Parimal Mandir are a well established Indian incense company, founded in 1942 in Bangalore by Sunku Gundaiah Setty as the “Gandhi Flour Mills & Perfumery Works”. The company is domestically successful with some exports to Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Africa, and there is at least one family member still on the executive board. They have a useful video detailing both their history and their production methods: Documentary Release (2014). They mainly use the "Parimal" brand name, but also have a "Shubh Labh" brand name for use on at least one incense.
Scents reviewed: 5
Top score: 47
Low score: 25
Average: 37
Conclusion: I'll need to revisit this maker.
*****
Germany based independent craft maker of Indian style incense sticks using (mostly) pure natural ingredients.
Reviews: 4
High score: 50
Low score: 27
Average: 35
****
Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi of Pune (HMS) have a long established presence as an Indian incense house, though are best known in the West as the supplier for a number of own brand importers such as TOI, Happy Hari, Primo, Gokula, Bhagwan, etc. They are also recognised for their heavy use of vanilla crystals to strengthen and prolong the incense scent, which tends to give most of their incenses a sweet vanilla base.
Incenses: 7
Top score: 44
Low score: 26
Average: 34
****
Incense reviewed: 3
Highest score: 39
Lowest score: 28
Average score: 35
Conclusion: Decent, low price everyday incense, both perfumed and masala. I'd be happy to explore further.
****
 |
Misbah's Fragrance
Young Indian (Bangalore) producer
of masala, luxury boxes, and other incense |
Misbah is a relatively young company - they appear to have been
formed in 2018, and are still quite small. They are
based in Bangalore, the incense capital of the world. They claim to have
over 200 different incenses, and a glance at their products show they have the usual range of everyday
perfumed-charcoal,
dhoops,
sambrani cups,
masala,
flora, and
luxury boxes, etc, with the familiar clones of
Sri Sai Flora and
Sugandha Shringar, the two most significant Indian incenses, the basis for much modern Indian incense.
They are a domestic Indian company with nobody commercially importing them into Europe, UK, Australia, or the USA, but boxes can be purchased from
eBay (expensive) and from
Aavyaa (cheap and big range).
Reviews: 3
Top: 38
Bottom: 21
Average: 35
Conclusion: Decent quality masala style incense - worth exploring further.
*****
A small traditional Indian producer with a shop in Avenue Road, Bangalore, founded in 1882. They sold incense to the local Mysore king, exhibited in a British Industries fair in Olympia in 1930, and were a founder member of the All India Agarbathi Manufacturers’ Association, so this is a company with a long, and at one time distinguished, history. They have not prospered over the years, so have not expanded or modernised. They continue to make incense in the traditional manner, partly because they do not have the money for investment, and partly because that is what their small market expects. They wish to modernise and expand, but are constrained both by their lack of money, and by the expectations of their market. People buy from them because they are traditional. Some of the recipes and ingredients have been modernised over the years, mostly because of dwindling supplies and rising costs, though sometimes because they genuinely feel that a modern method or ingredient is beneficial to the incense, and acceptable to the customer. So they are not completely locked into the past.
They are not a well known company, but have got a small and loyal market of buyers who enjoy traditionally made Indian incense. They group their incense into dry and wet masala. The dry masala is cheaper and contains little to no essential oils - relying on dried ingredients - leaves, petals, tree bark, resin ,etc; the wet masala adds essential oils to the mix. In my experience it is the wet masala incenses that produce the richer, sweeter, more attractive scent. The wet masalas, however, are not thick and damp like flora or fluxo incenses; they are more in line with the modern perfumed-masala incenses.
Scents: 6Highest score: 43
Lowest score: 28
Average: 35
Conclusion: I like Shroff. I like their history, and their struggle to make a place for themselves as a small traditional company in a modern market; and I like their wet masala incense. I am less keen on the dry stuff. I think to appreciate Shroff it is better to pay a few dollars more and get the wet stuff.
*****
Incense imported from India, rebranded, and sold in Germany only by small shop, Koh Do, in Berlin.
Reviews: 5
High score: 40
Low score: 28
Average: 35
*****
Reviews: 4
Top: 48
Bottom: 27
Average: 35
Scents: 5
Highest score: 40
Lowest score: 20
Average: 34
 |
UK based importer of Indian incense |
Reviews: 3
Top score: 45
Bottom score: 27
Average: 34
***
Scents reviewed: 9
Top score: 47
Bottom score: 24
Average: 34
*****
Reviews: 3
Top score: 39
Bottom score: 24
Average: 33
*****
Scents reviewed: 5
Top score: 40
Bottom score: 25
Average: 33
Conclusion: Decent quality perfumed eco-friendly everyday-incense. I like the young, modern, progressive set up. Scents can be a little generic and unadventurous, but are generally pleasant enough, and some can be rather good, so I'm happy to continue exploring.
*****
 |
|
Indian (Mumbai) producer
Gamta Organic Incense are based in Mumbai, and appear to have been founded in 2021. Their marketing focus appears to be that they are making
Panchgavya products - which means they utilise cow by-products, such as milk, urine, dung, ghee, and curd, according to
Ayurveda principles. The liquid fragrances, on the other hand, are harsh with chemicals.
Scents tried: 5
Top score: 39
Bottom score: 28
Average: 33
Conclusion: The use of panchgavya paste is intriguing, though the intrusive chemical element to the liquid fragrance is off-putting. On the burn the incense is decent everyday room fragrance. I'd be OK with trying more Gamta incense, though wouldn't seek it out.
 |
Indian (Mumbai) producer of masala and perfumed |
N. Ranga Rao & Sons Exports of Mumbai have been selling incense since 1948, and export to 60 countries. They use Flute, Cycle, Lia and Angel brand names, and also make Woods and Rhythm brand incense. They make dhoop, perfumed, and masala style incense. Cycle is the most respected brand, and the one that I find tends to make the better incense, mostly, though not exclusively, masala. Flute is a popular brand that mostly makes perfumed.
It is a respected company that is one of the larger incense companies, and is popular domestically, as well as having a decent international market, though nothing as compared to Satya, HEM, etc.
Listed as
Number One brand in India in January 2019.
Scents tried: 20
Highest: 40
Lowest: 24
Average: 31 (Decent quality scents)
Conclusion: I find them a solid, dependable, decent quality company, with the best incense nudging or getting into Heavenly, and the lowest never falling lower than Average Everyday. I am interested in exploring further.
Reviews: 4
Top score: 42
Low score: 27
Average: 31
*****
Hari Om Fragrance was founded in 1990 in Bangalore. They copy existing popular brands such as
Moksh,
Sugandha Swarna, and
Sri Sai Flora, but also have their own brands which are well established, such as
Sai Bhajan, and some scents which appear to be original and quite divine, such as
Hari Om Tez. The quality of packaging is good, and the incenses, be they perfume-dipped or masala, are also all of a decent standard.
Top scents:
Hari Om 12/- Tez (38);
Hari Om Vishwa Sai (Fluxo Incense) (35);
Hari Om Fluxo Incense (34);
Hari Om Divine Incense Butmogra (32);
Hari Om 12/- Pankudi (31)
Scents reviewed: 20 (Reviews over five years old: 14)
Highest score: 40
Lowest Score: 17
Average score: 30
Conclusion: They seem to be a good representative of the everyday Indian incense market, as they carry a wide range of scents and types of incense, including masala and perfumed, mainly aimed at the domestic market. They are, essentially, the quintessence of domestic Indian incense.
*****
Founded 2008
Reviews: 12
Top score: 40
Low score: 22
Average: 30
*****
Incense reviewed: 5
Highest score: 39
Lowest score: 28
Average: 33
Incense made in Bangalore, India by
R M Enterprises who trade under the name Banjara. The incense is in the increasingly popular and trending resin-on-a-stick (ROAS) style started by Fred Soll in New Mexico, and now being made in California and across South America, often promoted using Native American and South American cultures - as is the case here
Reviews: 4
Top score: 38
Bottom score: 27
Average: 33
Conclusion: Attractive and decent quality resin-stick incense.
*****
Reviews: 5
Top: 41
Bottom: 29
Average: 33
*****
Fumino is the brand name for incense and home décor items imported by
Inbound To Anglia Ltd, a one man company based in Southampton. The company sells mostly via
eBay and
Amazon. The incense is sourced from "a team of expert ladies at our third-generation family factory in Bangalore", which could apply to a number of companies, including
Satya.
Six pack deals on Amazon are available for under £10. All the sticks appear to be
masala style, and they look and behave like Satya sticks, though the fragrance is clearly based on some form of
perfume rather than dried fragrant ingredients.
Scents: 6
Top score: 45
Bottom score: 20
Average: 33
Conclusion: On the whole the sticks are decent, good value room fresheners, and the best are more satisfying than that. The experiences do vary, however, and will come down to personal taste.
*****
Top scent:
Blue Pearl Classic Champa Dec 2022 - Score: 41
Reviews: 12
Highest score: 41
Lowest score: 27
Average: 33
Conclusion: Approachable. Naughty and nice. Not top level, but decent everyday burners, with the Champas being the best. The single scent woods are OK, but the weakest of the range for me.
*****
Top scents:
Green Tree Palo Santo Incense Cones (36); Green Tree Californian White Sage (
34) Incense reviewed: 11
Highest score: 39
Lowest score: 25
Average score: 33
Conclusion: Own label distributor of decent, professional masala incense. Not that interesting, but OK
Mount Athos is a Greek religious area with 20 monasteries. The monks specialise in
frankincense. The Boswellia tree, from which the frankincense resin is harvested, doesn't grow in the Mount Athos region, but the monks there have developed their own recipes for grading and blending the resins with fragranced white powders.
Reviews: 5
Top score: 40
Low score: 12
Average: 32
Monks at the Prinknash Abbey moved from Calder Abbey in 1928 to continue a tradition started in 1906 of blending Arabian frankincense with scented oils. Popular with churches throughout Europe. As of 2025 there
are five main blends.
Reviews: 3
Top score: 34
Bottom score: 29
Average: 32
Conclusion: I find the oils produce sharp vapours so a good sized room, and/or good ventilation is best. If using an electric burner/heater, water can be mixed with the resin to reduce the fumes. The fragrances are pleasant.
Chinese company based in the Fujian region. I don't know the name. They are sold via Temu, Shein, and AliExpress.
Reviews: 5
Top score: 40
Low score: 25
Average: 32
Conclusion: A decent company making delicate and attractive Asian incense. The small sticks are a little inconvenient and mild for most uses, but for days when I want something mild or delicate, I could see myself turning to this Chinese company.
*****
Zam Zam is an Islamic store and online shop. The store is on
Green Street in East London, and was founded in 1980. They sell
Foil Wrapped incense sticks branded Zam Zam, but made by
Balarama Enterprises Thailand, who also make the incense sold by
Kuumba. The sticks are long burning and very pleasant, and some of the scents are fascinating and very attractive.
Reviews: 12
Top score: 38
Bottom score: 18
Average: 32
Conclusion: Great fun perfumed incense by Balarama, sold in UK at bargain prices.
*****
Amritha is the incense brand of E B Creasy, a long standing large Sri Lanka company (founded in 1878) which sells a range of products and services. Creasy took over another long standing Sri Lanka company, Darley Butler, in 1967, and both names appear on the packaging. The incense is very much in the Indian tradition; which is appropriate as
Sri Lanka (formally Ceylon) is an island country very close to India.
They make
scented/perfumed incense sticks, which are machine extruded onto machine cut bamboo splints. There is generally a fragrant synthetic scent of citric fruits, or heady florals, or creamy woods - often quite bright, high notes, some alcohol chemicals, some interesting earthy herbs and woods to ground the flying top notes. It's generally decent everyday single scent stuff, though on their own blends, Original and Gia, they can raise their game to something quite significant. They make their own incense in a facility in Padukka, which is a small town on the outskirts of
Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
Scents tried: 5
Top score: 43
Bottom score: 24
Average: 31
Moksh Agarbatti of Bangalore was founded in 1996 and makes Swarna Champa, a brand it is proud of, but which doesn't appear to be available in the UK. It claims to be the "world's largest selling agarbatties", with over 35 different fragrances, which they advertise on TV in India - here's a
Moksh TV Advert from April 2015. They have three manufacturing unites in Bangalore.
All the sticks I have tried so far have been reasonably pleasant everyday perfume dipped charcoal sticks. Not special for meditation or for guests, but decent everyday stuff to brighten up and freshen a room.
Incense reviewed: 9
Highest score: 36
Lowest score: 23
Average: 31
Conclusion: I am OK to use Moksh for my everyday incense - they are brightly perfumed; but are not special.
*****
New Moon Aromas is a relatively recent brand. A number of internet shops around the world list New Moon incense, and they can be bought for less than
£2 a box on Amazon. The website for the brand (
newmoonaromas.net) is registered, but not fully active. The brand is owned by
Wonder Imports, an Indian owned Australian wholesale company, and their UK branch,
Wonder Incense. Navan Shah from the company has been in touch to tell me they have their own manufacturing premises in India, so Wonder Incense can be classed as producers rather than just distributors.
The incenses are machine made masalas which have been perfumed with fragrant oils, which seems to be a type of incense I have been encountering a lot recently, and which I am identifying on my Incense List as perfumed masala (PM). Navan is unable to tell me what proportion of "agarbatti oil" (DEP) is blended with essential oils. New Moon Aromas are distributed in India, Europe, and Australia.
Incense reviewed: 6
Highest: 39
Lowest: 25
Average: 30
Wicked Dragon is an independent UK clothing retailer. They sell Balarama foil-wrapped incense sticks under their own brand name.
Scents: 3
Top score: 34
Bottom score: 25
Average: 30
Conclusion: Just another outlet for the Balarama foil-wrapped incense.
Heera is a brand of
P&B Foods Ltd, a large and successful importer and distributor of goods to the Asian community in Europe and the UK. Heera pay an unknown white label Indian incense house to make their incense. The scents may be commissioned and unique, or - more likely - bought off the shelf, and simply packaged under the Heera name.
Reviews: 9
Highest: 36
Lowest: 20
Average: 30
Conclusion: Decent everyday masala sticks and perfumed cones. Good quality incense, and excellent value for money, but fairly standard. There's nothing interesting here, and it's likely the same sticks are sold elsewhere under a different brand name. I'd pick up some more packs if I'm in a local Indian shop that sells them, but I wouldn't seek them out.
 |
Hari Darshan
Indian (Delhi) producer of perfumed, masala and dhoop |
Hari Darshan of Delhi are one of India's oldest and most successful incense companies, though little known in the West until relatively recently with their Tribal Soul range. They have been making incense for
around 70 years (some sources
say 100 years, though on a pack of their incense they have a seal saying "Pure Fragrance since 1970"), passing through four generations, and offer a wide range of incense products: dhoop, masala, perfumed, etc.
They advertise on Indian TV with the tag line Ghar Ko Mandir Bana De ("Make the house a temple") as
shown here.
Incense reviewed: 20
Highest score: 44
Lowest score: 15
Average score: 27
Conclusion: Well established Delhi based manufacturer of a wide range of incense. Was little known in the West, but has been exporting, via
Green Tree, their Tribal Soul and Native Soul perfumed masala brands. Mostly average to decent stuff; nothing distinctive or exceptional - one or two nice scents though.
****
Balarama of Thailand. Balarama produces incense for companies in Europe and America, and they are one of the main sources for the modern Spiritual Sky incense (which used to be awesome in the 70s). While not 100% certain, they are highly likely to be the source for Kuumba incense.
Scents reviewed: 19
Top score: 37
Low score: 17
Average: 30
Conclusion: Borderline Average/Decent everyday modern room freshener perfumed incense made by a Thailand company which specialises in producing room fragrance incense for various retail companies. Generally likeable, fun, and good value (unless buying under the Kuumba brand name).
 |
Gonesh
American maker in Chicago
established over 100 years ago |
Gonesh is a popular US made everyday room-freshener perfumed-incense company based in Chicago. The company behind the brand are the Radkins family - third generation Lithuanian immigrants who
in 1923 took over an existing American incense company called The Hindu Incense Company, then formed
Genieco Inc. as the holding company. This means the company are over 100 years old - so are one of the oldest continuously operating incense companies in the world. They have thrived, and are now one of the most popular incense brands in America. Gonesh is a variant spelling of
Ganesha, the popular Hindu elephant head god, who is revered as the bringer of luck and intelligence, and the remover of obstacles.
Scents reviewed: 5
Top score: 34
Bottom score: 23
Average: 30
Conclusion: Acceptable decent quality room freshener perfumed-incense. Interesting as a long established (over 100 years) incense maker, and as a rare example of successful commercial incense making outside of Asia. It's likeable stuff, but it doesn't really grab me. Now I've explored a few packs, I'll not be seeking out new ones, unless they come my way cheaply.
Veer Incense is the brand name of Viral Enterprises based in Valsad (Gujarat, India). They were founded in 2015 by Viral Shah and employ up to ten people. They were the first company I imported incense from. They were new at it and made mistakes meaning the boxes arrived damaged. Plus the boxes were too big to sell via mail order, so I made a loss on the deal. However, their incense sticks are decent quality everyday incense.
Top scents: Veer Special Loban (Score: 39); Veer Special 3 in 1 (Score: 30)
Incense reviewed: 7Top score: 39
Low score: 28
Average: 30
Conclusion: A pleasant top end everyday perfumed incense company. Not that adventurous, and poor quality packaging, but cheap and cheerful.
 |
Indian (Bangalore) producer of dhoop |
Sree Yadalam Dhoops Industries of Bangalore (or Bengaluru) were founded in 1999, and use the Gomaathaa trademark. Gomaatha is the Indian name for the cow as the holy mother, and a cow is used in their trademark. Their dhoops were popular and sold in the UK and USA, though they also sold joss sticks or agarbatti. The company went bankrupt in 2012, with the Central Bank of India
selling off some of the companies assets.
Scents tried: 8
Highest Score: 37
Lowest Score: 20
Overall Score: 30 (Borderline decent everyday dhoop)
****
Reviews: 5
Top score: 34
Bottom score: 20
Average: 28
Conclusion: Modestly likeable, but not an incense company that gets me excited. And I don't like when a company makes inappropriate claims. This company was founded in 1965, and perhaps can claim 1944 or 1883, but claiming 1575 because they bought the ailing Kojo company is misleading.
Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH) was
created in 1992, and by 2023 had an annual turnover of £65 million.
Zed Black is their main brand, and has been named as one of the
top brands in India. MDPH also make incense for own label Western companies, such as Fleur De Vie for the Dutch company
Eastern-trading.
Reviews: 4
Top score: 33
Bottom score: 20
Average: 28
Scents: 3
Top score: 33
Bottom score: 25
Average: 29
*****
The
Mysore Sugandhi Dhoop Factory of Bangalore was formed in 1934, and claims to be the first exporter of incense from India - their name means the fragrant incense factory of Mysore, and their Chandon Dhoop was made under the patronage of the Maharaja of Mysore.
They used to provide some incense for Aargee - the Aargee tube series are regular Sugandhi products under a different wrapper.
Scents reviewed: 7
High score: 33
Low score: 22
Average: 27
Conclusion: Everything I have tried by Sungandhi so far has been perfume dipped, but highly scented, making them moderately attractive, even if somewhat limited.
*****
 |
Aromatika
Indian (Jaipur) producer of perfumed and masala |
An Indian company based in Jaipur who have been making incense for over 30 years.
Top scents:
Aromatika Ace Scents Dragon Blood (45);
Aromatika Sacre Coeur Sandalwood (42); Aromatika Ace Scents Frankincense & Myrrh (40);
Aromatika Vedic Marie Qui Defait Les Noeuds (35)
Scents tried: 19
Top score: 45
Low score: 13
Average: 28
Average masala (out of 7): 36 (Decent Stuff)
Average perfumed (out of 12): 23 (Everyday)
Conclusion: The masala incense is good, and I'm happy to seek out new Aromatika masala incense. The perfumed incense is average - I wouldn't avoid it, especially if there's a good deal, but I wouldn't seek it out.
*****
The Sandesh Agarbathi Company (SAC) was
founded in 1970 by D.N.P. Guptha in Bangalore, the centre of India's incense industry. They started as a cottage industry, but are now a significant exporter around the world, with over 250 different incense products, many of which are listed on the American retail site
Incense OnTheWay. The company is a member of the All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association. Products are mostly everyday perfume-dipped. Quite competent. They also do several acceptable masala.
Scents reviewed: 20
Highest: 35
Lowest: 18
Average: 27
A decent everyday incense company who make cheap perfume-dipped and masala incense. I'm quite happy to explore further.
GR International is the same company as SAC so I'm keeping them together (it's cool that I gave them the same score!)
*****
Indian (Bangalore) producer
Sagun Incense were founded in Bangalore in 2014. They appear to make a standard selection of incense, some copied from successful brands, and they export to quite a few countries across the world. The incense is well made and quite decent, though can be a little pedestrian. The packets are a little midway between standard Satya style boxes and the impressive
luxury boxes.
Scents tried: 3
Highest: 30
Lowest: 25
Average: 28
Conclusion: The incense is well made and quite decent, though can be a little pedestrian. The packets are a little midway between standard Satya style boxes and the impressive
luxury boxes.
*****
 |
Padmini
Indian (Bangalore) producer of perfumed and dhoop |
Padmini were founded in the 1960s. Apparently
they became known in the US for their little dhoop sticks. The company is not that well established in the UK, though
Aargee import the little dhoop sticks,
Gold Statue and
a few others. The website emphasises that Padmini make "aroma chemicals", and details the various compounds they make.
Scents reviewed: 6
Top score: 40
Low score: 18
Average: 29
Conclusion: A modest everyday perfumed incense producer.
 |
Berk
German distributor |
Reviews: 6
Top score: 37
Bottom score: 19
Average: 29
Conclusion: Acceptable incense, but from two of the main sources of own label Indian masala incense, so not a brand I'm interesting in exploring further as the incense is quite common, but given different brand names - so I could be buying the same incense several times over.
Reviews: 7
Top Score: 35
Bottom score: 26
Average: 29
Conclusion: These are pleasant enough everyday incenses. Though, as they are made by HMS whose sticks are sold by so many own brand traders, I have little interest in exploring further. I would much rather get HMS incense in HMS branded boxes so I know exactly what it is I am getting.
****
Spiritual and ritual herb-based incense sourced and hand-crafted in Israel by Benyamin Shoham.
Reviews: 4
Top score: 34
Bottom score: 25
Average: 28
Conclusion: My heart goes out to a maker like Benyamin, but this is not my sort of incense. I prefer fragrance based incense over spiritual focused incense.
*****
Fragrances & Sens was a fragrance company set up in 2015 by a business woman in
La Mure in the south of France. She dissolved the business in 2020/2021. Ethnic Vibes was the incense brand, and was made by an unknown
white label incense house in India - possibly
Hari Darshan.
Scents reviewed: 3
Top score: 30
Bottom score: 27
Average: 28
Conclusion: Pleasant room freshener incense in attractive packaging by a white label Indian incense house for a now closed French distributor. Decent enough, but I'm not interested in seeking out any more.
 |
Aargee Incense
(out of business)
UK importer and distributor
of Indian incense |
British based company founded in 1978. They didn't directly make incense, but imported it, and had incense made for them under several brand names including Stamford, and Imperial. They used a range of incense companies, including Goloka, Tulasi, Padmini, and Satya (
Shrinivas Sugandhalaya). The quality was as variable as the intended markets, but included some of the best masala incense made, and didn't often sink very low. The company split up, with the incense importing division continuing as Stamford London, but only dealing in scented incense. Top scents:
Stamford Chakra Ajna (Third Eye) (42);
Stamford Chakra Muladhara Root (40);
Aargee Imperial Bharat Mata Bouquet Fragrance (39);
Aargee Laxmi Pooja (38) ;
Stamford Midnight Calm (by Satya) (34);
Aargee Patchouli (33);
Aargee Imperial Raja Rani Lavender Fragrence (33);
Ganesh Flora by Aargee (32);
Stamford Earth Angel (32);
Stamford Magic Angel (31);
Aargee Jasmine (30)
Reviewed: 57
Highest score: 48
Lowest score: 12
Average: 28
Conclusion: Aargee were a significant wholesale importer of incense into the UK, and commissioned some excellent masala incense and sweet, heady commercial scented incense. Though they continue as Stamford London, they now only sell the scented incense, so the excellent masala incense is no longer available under the Aargee name except in places where there is some old stock left.
*****
 |
HEM Corporation
Indian (Bangalore and Mumbai) producer of perfumed with some masala |
The HEM Corporation has incense factories in
Bangalore, Mumbai and Bhiwandi; it was founded in 1975, and is one of the largest incense companies in the world, with over 100 different incense products which are exported to over 50 countries around the world. Most people will have heard of HEM and tried their sticks. For some people, HEM will be their main or only knowledge of incense. The incense mostly synthetic-perfume based - the sticks are hand made by rolling a charcoal paste onto sticks, which are then dipped into chemical perfumes. But they also do some decent masala, the range of which has been increasing of late.
Top scents:
HEM Frankincense-Myrrh (40);
HEM Blueberry (36);
HEM Cherry Vanilla (32);
HEM Precious Mogra (Jasmine) (31);
HEM Strawberry (30)
Reviews: 84
Highest score: 40
Lowest score: 08
Average score: 27/50
Conclusion: Not my favourite incense maker by any means; the scents are inconsistent, and can sometimes smell of some vile chemical based "floral" scents, but on the whole they do produce some cheap and attractive synthetic scents for everyday use as room fresheners or quick mood lifters. I am inclined against them, but will succumb to cheap deals, and I'm sometimes surprised by how much I enjoy some scents. They also make masala, which is becoming more available in the West as Indian incense houses note the success of Satya and Goloka. Their masala incense is pretty solid.
*****
Moroccan Bazaar is a UK importer of Moroccan goods. The
UK website also sold foil wrapped incense under their Moroccan Bazaar logo, but made by
Balarama Enterprises Thailand, who also make the incense sold by
Kuumba. The Moroccan Bazaar UK website has the same UK address as the current .com website, though claim to have been founded in 1946, and no longer sell incense. The same incense is available from other UK websites, such as
ZamZam.
Scents reviewed: 5
Top score: 33
Low score: 17
Average: 27
Conclusion: The Moroccan Bazaar brand may have stopped selling incense, but the incense is made by Balarama, so continues in other brands, such as Zam Zam.
*****
Started up in London in 2022. Says he makes the incense himself, though they are just like the sticks that Zam Zam sell.
Reviews: 5
Top score: 34
Low score: 21
Average: 27
Conclusion: More expensive than all other Zam Zam / Balarama outlets, so no interest in exploring further.
*****
 |
| American importer and own brand seller |
Prabhuji's Gifts is a spiritual American based organisation who commission incense from an unrevealed manufacturer in India. The incense is one of a number of products the organisation sell in order to assist in spreading the teaching of their founder, the Chilean born mystic, Prabhuji. The profits help found their Hindi temple in the Catskill Mountains, and assist their mission to help the local people in Upstate New York.
They sell 65 different incense sticks, which they categorise by ingredients, fragrance notes, and intention (cleansing, relaxation, etc). They also organise by "lines" such as Meditation, Devotion, Chakra, etc.
Scents: 6
Highest score: 35
Lowest score: 20
Average: 25
Conclusion: Decently made
masala style incense; fairly average, leaning on a fragrant/essential oil for the bulk of the scents, and with evidence of the wood resin
halmaddi in the charcoal paste mix, which is not to my taste.
*****
UK based
Sifcon International company are a wholesalers dealing in household goods. They import a range of incense sticks and cones, such as Bhagvati Ppure, plus unbranded incense which they have packaged for themselves.
Scents rated: 15
Top score: 36
Low score: 19
Average: 27
Conclusion: Sifcon incense products are decent value for money. They mainly deal in low cost everyday incense, but also bring in decent masala incense under the Bhagvati Ppure brand.
*****
Ekom are a new incense company founded in 2022 in the young city of
Chandigarh with its
bold modern architecture by Corbusier. This year (2023) Ekom have won an award for being the "
Sustainable Incense Brand of The Year". Their products are organic, with no charcoal, or potassium nitrate, or chemicals. The aim is to produce a modern, natural, gentle and subtle incense.
Reviews: 4
High score: 32
Low score: 23
Average: 28 (Modest or average incense)
Conclusion: I like the sustainability and purity, however the mildness, dryness, and simplicity of the scents is not to my taste. I will certainly try any samples or offers that come my way, and also keep an eye open for future developments (the company is still young), but for the moment this is not an incense house for me.
****
Reviews: 5
Top score: 38*
Bottom score: 15
Average: 27
Conclusion: I'd been curious about F d'O since trying Angels Gabriel in 2015, but was put off exploring further by the price. I've now learned that the incense is made by NIC, and that NIC does focus on traditional methods and ingredients. However, for me, the resulting incense is too dry and unexciting, and perhaps contains too much halmaddi resin. I am
one of those individuals who is sensitive to the
terpenes in the resin. I'll not be hunting any more D d'O (or NIC, unless they don't use as much halmaddi for other clients), and am even hesitant about the idea of trying any free samples.
 |
Indian (Mumbai) producer of masala |
Incense reviewed: 6
Highest score: 37
Lowest score: 20
Average: 27 (Everyday Incense)
Conclusion: A modest but pleasant maker of natural incense. Nothing particularly special, but sold by Gokula at a modest price, and worth trying. Much of what I have tried has been around a while, so will try a fresh batch or two of some of the more promising scents to see what they are like new.
Mahendra Perfumery Works of Bangalore were formed in 1921. Betco International is their export division.
Top scents:
Betco Hanuman (35);
Mahendra Bhajan (33);
Betco Saraswathi (33);
Betco Bouquet (31);
Mahendra Arora (30);
Betco Rose (30)
Scents reviewed: 10
Top score: 35
Low score: 17
Average: 26
Conclusion: A well established perfume-dipped incense maker who make pleasant enough products for everyday use. While nothing special, the scents are a little better than average. I'll continue to explore.
*****
 |
Native American producer of sage smudge and perfumed |
Sage Spirit are a company founded in 1995 by a Native American tribe, the
Jicarilla Apache, who live on the Jicarilla reservation in New Mexico, not far from the border with Colorado. Burning sage smudge sticks is part of Native American rituals, and the company make and sell traditional sage smudges, but have also branched out into making Asian style perfume-dipped incense sticks.
Top scents:
Blue Corn Flower (38);
Cedar (36)
Scents reviewed: 5
Highest score: 38
Lowest score: 16
Average: 26
Conclusion: I went overboard with Sage Spirit when I first burned them. Then I felt I had over-rated them, and scored them down. And then I felt that the scents, though soft, had a unique and delicate touch that actually I am quite fond of. At this point I don't know where I am with them. I guess I shall keep exploring them until I make up my mind!
*****
 |
Indian (Mysore) producer of mostly perfumed incense |
Aravinda Parimala Works of Mysore were founded as a small local company in 1963 with
Sugandha Shringar - apparently the first blended (as opposed to single scent) incense sticks. The company has developed its exports and now has several export awards and a range of scents,
most of which appear to be
perfumed, though some appear to be
masala. It has a
Facebook page.
Scents tried: 8
Highest: 30
Lowest: 20
Average: 26 - Modest everyday or average incense
Conclusion: Other than the historic and cultural significance of
Sugandha Shringar, I have found little of interest in the company's output.
****
Deepika Fragrance is based in
Bangalore, and is run by a Hindu family, headed by Harish Gupta, with the contact person being Ajay Gupta. They have a shop on 1st Block, Rajajinagar, in Bangalore.
Scents reviewed: 5
Highest: 32
Lowest: 21
Average: 26
Conclusion: The Deepika boxes say they are masala cones, but they present and burn as sawdust cones with perfume. On the whole they are lower end everyday incense, borderline toilet freshener.
Fair Trade Incense Works are based in Mumbai and mostly make incense for others to brand as their own, though they did have some brands of their own which they distributed themselves, Om Incense, Nitiraj Incense and Natural Incense. Of those, only Om and Nitiraj appear to still be available under individual distribution deals. In the UK, Bombay Incense - a British based company who do most of their business in America, used to distribute Nitiraj and Om in the UK and America, though by 2018, Ian Snow had taken over the UK distribution. However, as of 2021, Ian Snow no longer sell Nitiraj or Om. Distribution is now handled by Namaste in the UK, and by Kheops International in North America.
Fair Trade make masala incense using fragrant oils or perfumes, but the ingredients tend to be thin, poor quality. They tend to use machines. This is a reliable and economical method of making incense sticks.
Incense reviewed: 10
Highest: 35
Lowest: 20
Average: 25 (Everyday Incense)
Conclusion: I tend to quite like Fair Trade products, but never get excited by them. They are always decent scents, and the incense is well made, professional, and consistent. But there is not much excitement, creativity, or heart about them. This is professionally made incense, made with a clear eye on the profit line. Job done. There is nothing wrong with them, except, like HEM and SAC Sandesh, they lack soul. Companies like this show that it doesn't matter if the incense is masala or perfumed, what matters is the attitude and spirit of the makers.
****
 |
Germany |
Reviews: 10
Top score: 32
Bottom score: 12
Average: 24
Conclusion: I am fascinated by the culture, history and tradition of German cones, including these Crottendorfer with potato starch as a binder. Sadly the cones are so mild, so quickly gone, and have such simple scents that they don't hold my interest.
****
Asoka Trading Company was founded in Bangalore by T. V. Chalamiah Chetty, in 1943, after he had worked some years for other incense houses. They make everyday synthetic-perfumed room fresheners. The company's key product is
Bharath Darshan.
Scents: 6
Top: 37
Bottom: 20
Average: 24
All reviews are over five years old
Conclusion: All incense appears to be synthetic-perfumed, and - other than the flagship
Bharath Darshan - fairly low end. I'm keeping an open mind, but not an incense house I have any interest in exploring further.
 |
New Delhi |
Scents reviewed: 4
Highest score: 30
Lowest score: 17
Average: 24 (Everyday incense)
Conclusion: I've only reviewed four scents - they were all everyday perfumed incense, nothing special. The prices on the website are very cheap - 10 Rupees (10p) for 25g seems to be the standard. I'll keep an open mind, but given that this is not an incense house, and the aim appears to be to sell cheap, I may not come across a decent incense from this company.
*****
Flourish Fragrance are an incense house based in
Ahmedabad on the upper Western coast of India. They produce perfumed and masala style incense. They have experience of incense making dating back three generations to 1965.
Scents reviewed: 6
Top score: 30
Bottom score: 18
Average: 23
Conclusion: The appearance on a number of sticks is that these are masala style; however, Flourish use very noticeable chemicals and synthetic scents which are somewhat harsh and off-putting. Despite that, the musky based scents are reasonably attractive. I'm really put off by the crude use of chemicals, however somewhat intrigued by the musky nature of some of the scents. I'm not going to hunt down any Flourish incense, but I'm keeping my opinion open, and wouldn't reject trying more scents.
*****
 |
Indian (Delhi) producer of perfumed with some masala |
R. Expo / Song Of India is an Indian company based in
Noida, a new city just outside of
Delhi, with a branch in America. They
started out in 1932 as an independent business called
Mathur Perfumery Works hand-making traditional incense, then branched out in 1972 to create a sales outlet in America. Aroma Temple is Song of India's main brand, and is a machine extruded and
perfume-dipped incense. In 2017 they created the hippy-chic brand The Great Indian Caravan making low cost
perfume-dipped incense. They also make modest
masala incense.
Incense reviewed: 9
Highest: 32
Lowest: 19
Average: 23 (Everyday incense)
Conclusion: Long running producer with a base in America, and a presence in many Western countries. Not a quality incense house. Appears to aim for the Western market with Westernised Indian imagery. More common in America than the UK. Mostly known for perfumed incense, though also have modest everyday perfumed masala.
*****
Cottage Industries is part of the
Sri Aurobindo Ashram in
Pondicherry, India. The history of the Cottage Industries brand is that it was
founded in 1949 by Mirra Alfassa,
The Mother, to provide the ashram with incense. So the aim was for this to be a modest low cost product for their own use. Surplus was sold to visitors, and by 1973 was being exported. It is sold under the Cottage Industries brand name, though originally and for a while it was under the name of the ashram: Sri Aurobindo.
The incense and the packaging are similar to
Auroshika, and
One Aromatics, and
Meadows, and
The Mother's, who all appear to be connected in some way with the ashram in Pondicherry and the community in
Auroville, which was founded by The Mother. Though the companies operate in different places (Auroshika in America, and The Mother's in the UK, etc). This brand, though, is the original, and operates from Pondicherry.
Scents tried: 5
Highest: 28
Lowest: 23
Average: 23 - Lower end modest incense
*****
The Metro Agarbatti Company of Karachi, Pakistan, use an image of a white and ginger cat as their trademark, and call it the Cat Brand. The company was formed in 1970, and are the largest incense company in Pakistan, with 95% of the market. They are working hard to improve their export trade, and have been achieving some success with the Metro Milan.Top scents:
Metro Rose (31);
Metro Three in one (30)
Scents reviewed: 4
Highest score: 31
Lowest score:
Average score: 25
Conclusion: A modest though reasonably attractive basic perfume dipped incense maker.
Krishan Products were founded in 1951, and claim to be India's leading manufacturer and exporter of premium quality incense sticks. They do a range of fruit and other standard scents. Website:
krishanincense.com
Scents reviewed: 4
Top score: 30
Low score: 20
Average: 25
Conclusion: A modest everyday basic perfume dipped incense maker.
*****
Incense company founded in 1973 in Pondicherry, India. The sticks are made from a hand-rolled charcoal base, then dipped in chemical perfume.
Top scents: None
Scents reviewed: 3
Average score: 24
Conclusion: None of the scents tried so far have really impressed, but they have been soft and reasonably pleasant. I am willing to explore further.
*****
Gopal, trading as Joie, make fairly standard cheap incense sticks and wet dhoops. The ingredients they use may all be natural, but the scents are artificial, created out of processing the natural ingredients. The scents are unimaginative - White Rose, Lily of the Valley, Orange, etc. The package decoration is uninspired and poor quality (a blurred image of a bunch of white roses for example). The scents are weak, and will often reveal more of the base burning material than the intended perfume.
The Gopal Group, which sells tobacco, chemicals, industrial perfume, etc, was
formed in 1942. They have incense factories in Delhi, Bangalore and Baddi.
Top scents:
Joie Sea Breeze (31)Scents reviewed: 9
Highest score: 31
Lowest score:
Average score: 22
Conclusion: Not a company I am interested in buying from, but I will continue to keep an open mind.
*****
Sarathi International, trading as Tulasi, have incense sticks available from a number of UK internet sites, such as the
Asian Cookshop and
Incense Essentials, either in hex boxes of 20 or square boxes of 8 sticks for an average cost of around 5p a stick. They produce decent enough scents, and are a fairly consistent if largely unexciting incense company. The sticks tend to be of modest size, and are hand rolled from charcoal paste onto dyed sticks and then perfume dipped. Nothing exciting, but they are cheap, and tend to turn up on market stalls and hardware stores.
I was recently encouraged to try the Tulasi Vidwan, which turned out to be a traditional masala incense - while it's not one of the best, it is a proper job incense. Nice one.
The company was founded in 1945 as a small family business, and has grown to an operation employing over 300 people from a modern 75,000 square ft factory in Bangalore - which it claims is the largest incense factory in Bangalore. The company exports to 45 countries worldwide.
Top scents:
Tulasi Nag Champa (40);
Tulasi Vidwan (39);
Tulasi Nag Champa & Rose (37)
Scents rated: 32
Highest score: 40
Lowest score: 1
Average score: 25 (average everyday incense)
Conclusion: I thought Tulasi were an everyday perfume-dipped incense company until I was turned on to the Vidwan. Now I shall keep an open mind on this, and other incense companies. Their everyday perfume-dipped incense is professionally packaged with a good standard of English, and they are fairly ubiquitous in the UK. At one time it was HEM I saw everywhere, but Tulasi appears to be slightly more common. In 2022 they launched a "Nag Champa" perfumed incense range in Europe - decent stuff. Certainly they are part of the big three incense companies along with HEM and Satya.
 |
Mumbai |
Haria, who have traded as Haria Perfumery Works, Haria Trading Co. (HTC), and Haria Fragrance, are a second generation incense house in Mumbai,
founded in 1968 by Dhirubhai Haria. Dhirubhai's son, Dipesh, continues the business
Scents reviewed: 3
Top score: 30
Bottom score: 18
Average: 23
Conclusion: A fairly average incense house. I've only had the dhoops; they didn't make much of an impression on me. I'm keeping an open mind, but there's nothing as yet which pulls me toward exploring further.
*****
 |
Phool Incense
Indian (Kanpur) producer of incense using recycled temple flowers |
Phool is a young and interesting company based in
Kanpur, in Northern India. It was founded by two young men - scientist Ankit Agarwal and business graduate Karan Rastogi, who had been childhood friends. They
got together in 2015 to look into how they could economically recycle discarded temple flowers, and by 2017 had launched Phool incense.
Scents reviewed: 7
Top score: 28
Bottom score: 15
Average: 21
Conclusion: Beautiful marketing and packaging, ethical production, some acceptable scents, but the production method results in an unpleasant off-aroma. I'm open to trying again, but am not seeking to buy any more at the moment.
German incense company, known for cones and wooden German smokers. Founded 1865. They have a manufacturing unit in Germany, but it is unclear if the cones are made there, or somewhere in India.
Scents reviewed:8
Top score: 26
Bottom score: 08
Average: 20
Conclusion: Knox are a long established incense company, and the most successful and best known European incense maker. But the cones are small, and the scent is small, and they use wood dust and small amounts of synthetic fragrances so the burn scent is average at best. Poor quality all round, and far from value for money.
****
Top-Op are UK based importers and distributors of Asian food and supplies who were founded in 1975. Their own brand masala incense is made in India by any one of a number of white label businesses based in Bangalore or Mumbai. It's low cost everyday incense using synthetics and agarbatti oil/DEP.
Reviews: 5
High: 30
Low: 19
Average: 25
Conclusion: Low cost everyday masala incense marketed at the British Indian community. Acceptable but uninteresting everyday room fresheners. I won't bother exploring further.
*****
 |
GIRI Namo
Indian based re-brander of Indian incense |
GIRI is an Indian online shop specialising in bhakti (religious devotion) supplies. It is based in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, though doesn't make incense itself, so sources from incense factories across India, such as Aadinath Enterprises of Ahmedabad, and Parimal of Bangalore, which it sells under the Namo brand name.
Reviews: 3
Top score: 28
Low score: 22
Average: 24
Conclusion: Standard machine-extruded
perfumed sticks for everyday use. I'm not interested in exploring further.
*****
Passion is the brand name for a range of budget
perfumed-charcoal incense sticks marketed by UK general goods wholesale company,
Jaycia, who were founded in 1991 and are based in Birmingham. They do not appear to currently have an active website, though the company is still in operation. It is unclear if they still distribute Passion, though there still some stocks to be found.
Scents tried: 8
Highest: 29
Lowest: 19
Average: 23 - Modest everyday or average incense
Conclusion - Bargain basement everyday perfumed incense. Nothing remarkable, but not offensive.
*****
One Aromatics is a brand of incense sold by
One Village, a distributor of fair trade goods made in poor or disadvantaged communities. The company was founded in 1979. Their
range of incense is made by the Auroville community in India.
Scents reviewed: 6
Highest: 33
Lowest: 10
Average: 24
Conclusion: The Auroville community is interesting, so I'd like to explore more incense from them. These One Aromatics are not impressive, but at their best they are decent everyday scents - though they can also be a little crude and harsh.
*****
Escential Essences is the brand name of a small company,
MatchlessGifts, which operates out of a PO address in
Laguna Niguel, California. They import packaged incense such as Satya Nag Champa, and loose incense which they bag and sell under the brand name
Mystic Temple, and smudges made by American tribes in New Mexico, such as the
Jicarilla Apache, who make
Sage Spirit. I don't know, but it seems plausible that these Escential Essences sticks are made by Sage Spirit or some other American tribes co-operative for Matchless Gifts.
Reviews: 3
Top: 34
Bottom: 19
Average: 24
Conclusion: The three sticks we sampled are synthetic-perfume incense sticks. The interest for me is that the sticks are made in the US, possibly by American tribes in New Mexico, such as the
Jicarilla Apache, who make
Sage Spirit. However, the incense itself is not of interest - fairly average everyday synthetic room-freshener. And that the seller conceals who made it, so we don't know the actual source, lowers my interest even further. I have no interest in exploring this brand any further.
*****
The Elements brand is part of
Something Different, a wholesalers who deal in cute unicorn, magic, and Indian inspired gifts as well as an extensive list of their own branded incense.
Elements caters to fantasy enthusiasts, with incense packets illustrated with unicorns, mermaids, and angels. They use known fantasy artists and designers such as
Jessica Galbreth, and
Anne Stokes. The incense tends to be everyday
perfumed charcoal - the main buying impulse being the imagery on the packs. The incense sticks are made in India by an unspecified source.
Incenses tried: 4
Top score: 25
Low score: 12
Average: 20
Conclusion: Not a brand that interests me.
*****
The
Juicy Jays company was founded in America in the late 1990s to sell flavoured cigarette papers, and a few years ago - probably 2013, launched their incense series. The aromas have tempting names such as Orange Overload, Funkincense, and Apple Brown Betty. They are cheap and made in Thailand.
Scents reviewed: 5
Highest score: 23
Lowest score: 18
Average: 21
Conclusion: Not a company I'm interested in buying again, though the incense is not evil.
 |
Ancient Wisdom
UK importer and distributor
of Indian and Vietnam incense |
Ancient Wisdom are a UK distributor of gift ware and
incense, based in Sheffield. They import incense from Thailand and sell under their own name, or the brand name Dawn Of Time, or as wholesale bulk lots which are then sold on under names such as Ashley's Workshop.
Top scents:
Ancient Wisdom Red Dragon Incense Tibetan Musk (31)Reviews: 12
Top: 31
Bottom: 9
Average: 22
Conclusion: I love David's emails. Less keen on his own brand incense.
*****
Incenses tried: 3
Top score: 21
Low score: 18
Average: 20
Conclusion: I have little interest in exploring further.
*****
Wild Berry is an American incense which is starting to sell in the UK. The sticks are colourful, and have wacky modern names, like Pounding Surf and Baking Brownies. They have a pleasant aroma on the stick - quite sweet and like apple pie. When burned, they all smell the same - very synthetic.
Top scents: None
Scents rated: 5
Average score: 20
Conclusion: Not impressed by the sticks in open jars, but the shorties and the cones, while not good value, are acceptable everyday incense.
*****
Raajsee are based in
Jaipur in northern India, and were established as a business in 1957. They also sell tapestries and handmade wooden items.
Reviews: 6
Top score: 23
Bottom score: 17
Average: 20/50
*****
Kemet Design was an artisan enterprise based in Dunbar, Scotland, making and selling Egyptian influenced jewellery and incense. It was founded and run by Jenny Hill, who made her own loose incense. The business
closed in 2019.
Reviews: 3
Top score: 21
Bottom score: 18
Average: 19
Sri Sakthi Aromatic of Chennai in Tamil Nadu are a relatively new incense house, starting up in 2004. Their main product is a sambrani cup sold under the name Sai Shree. Since around 2016 they have been using the brand name Ecstasy. They have a small selection of cones and sticks.
Reviews: 3
Top score: 20
Low score: 15
Average: 18
Conclusion: I've not enjoyed the Ecstasy cones. That doesn't necessarily mean that all other products from Sri Ecstasy will be the same low and uninteresting quality, but I'm not encouraged to explore any further.
*****
Address unknown. Imported into the UK in bulk and available in job lots on eBay and other places - you can have 100 boxes
delivered for £35, or collect them yourself from
a distributor in Bolton for 99p. They are not awful awful, but they are not very good either. Low quality bargain basement perfume dipped incense.
Scents reviewed: 11
Highest score: 24
Lowest score: 10
Average: 18
Conclusion: This is generic low-quality bargain-basement perfumed-incense. The packets are cheaply and crudely designed. There has been little effort to make a quality product, and there is no pretence (other than, perhaps, the words "Export Quality") that these sticks are going to be anything other than utilitarian at best. There is in real terms little difference between the scents - some are better defined than others, but all the scents are weak and the smell of the base wood powders comes through rather noticeably - which is typical of poorer quality perfumed incense.
(Possibly closed)
UK importer and distributor
of Indian and Thai incense
are a UK based importing business. They distribute incense, and also have their own brands which are made in India and Thailand. Among the brands they own are the nasty Divine Spirit and the cheap small Spiritual Sky. They have an incense factory in Calcutta.
Top scents: None
Incense tried: 8
Highest score: 25
Lowest score: 9
Average score: 17
Conclusion: Mostly cheap and nasty, but at their best they can be harmless.
****
UK brand started in 1990, taken over by Cha Cha Dum Dum, who closed in 2018. The brand is up for sale. The packets claim to be made in the UK, but the style and quality is more indicative of Asian manufacture - possibly Vietnam.
Incense reviewed: 5
High score: 33
Low score: 20
Average: 28
Conclusion: Modest import brand, no longer in business.
*****
 |
UK importer and distributor of Asian goods and incense |
Cha Cha Dum Dum
was an ethnic gifts company founded in Kensington in 1968 which also distributed incense under their own Ganesha and Mystic Incense brands, and took over the UK Tree of Life brand. Started having problems in 2018, and by 2020 had permanently closed.
Incense reviewed: 11 (including Tree of Life)High score: 35Low score: 20Average: 28Conclusion: A modest importer of budget incense, closed as of 2020. Their foil wrapped Mystic Incense was good value and will be missed, though the importing of foil wrapped has been taken over by Zam Zam.
*****
These companies do not make incense but commission it and sell it under their own brand name. While they are not producers themselves, they can serve a useful function of supporting local producers, and bringing either quality or cheap incense into the UK, Europe, and America. Some distributors, such as Gokula and Happy Hari, source from the same producers.
