Aromatika Ace Scents Opium

Fourth review  - scroll down for earlier

This is a fresh pack of Aromatika's Opium, though it's not the current pack design, so, even though sealed, the sticks were likely made a year or two ago and are not proper fresh. These are machine extruded perfumed sticks. The pack says "Natural Masala", which challenges my understanding of the way Indians use the term "masala". I see that the current packets (£1.25 a pack from JustAromatherapy) are being sold in hex packs, which are associated with perfumed incense, and the pack now says "Premium Incense Sticks", which is a common term for perfumed incense. But I also note that they are described on various websites as hand rolled. Well, perhaps the current ones are. But all the packs I've had since 2015 have been machine extruded. 

The scent on the stick is very attractive in a cheap perfume way. It is a fragrance step up from home-fresheners and clothes conditioners, and is quite acceptable. It is sweet, sherbet like, hints of Parma Violets,  a wisp of lavender, mostly top notes, but it has a musky awareness with elements of patchouli. It is soft and delightful. Quite floral and citric with that modest but exciting undertone of sexy musk. Yes. Nice. 

The scent on the burn is very similar to that on the stick, though softer and thinner with more space between the fragrance notes as though the accord is not holding together. It hovers around bergamot and lavender and wood - not musky woody fragrance notes, but thinner, sharper burning wood notes. On the whole it is a decent scent: delicate, exotic, Persian, though after the promise of the stick it is a little disappointing. I guess I would be more positive if I'd not engaged with the scent on the stick first. I am familiar with that gap in perfumed incense between the pleasure of the scent on the stick, and the drop in balance and quality of the scent on the burn, so I shouldn't be disappointed. Yet I still am. That  said, this is a nice incense. I'll be curious to try this in the new packaging to see if its the same, or if there has been some development to keep the scent on the burn more alive. I think it needs more fixative to protect the fragrance while it is being burned. 

Date: Sep 2025     Score: 29

Third review

Quiet, grey, sombre, perfumed scent on the stick. Tweed and cologne. A masculine, confident, well dressed woman. Whiff of slightly stale tobacco smoke and table polish. I like it. The scent on the burn is quite mild, sage, soft wood, musk. Yes, pleasant, though also fairly limited.  

Date: Dec 2024     Score: 27

Second review

A mild and pleasant perfumed stick. Machine extruded. The scent is kinda like furniture polish - a mix of beeswax and turps. It's mildly peppery. Pleasant, but modest. It's like a synthetic room freshener. Not unappealing, but neither is it seductive. It does the job. Fair enough. 

Date: April 2024    Score: 29 

First review

Machine made - very even, dried paste on a stick lightly tip dyed a beige/brown. The paste is dyed turquoise. Beautiful scent on the stick. Like perfume. Candy sweet with light touches of camphor, pine, honey and vanilla underpinned by suggestions of musk and sandalwood and patchouli. It's a fairly sophisticated and quite modern aroma based on the Opium perfume. There's a lot going on. Gentle citric tones, just vanishing. Hints of clove and cinnamon. Very nice. On burning, the base material is dominant, and the really delightful notes from the stick are not making themselves felt enough. Some of the base notes - the sandalwood and musk, come through, but the citric fruits and the spices are not quite there. It's certainly very pleasant, but there's a lack of strength and impact, and a lack of clarity and definition. This is certainly a more sophisticated and subtle scent than the Dragon Blood and the Frankincense & Myrrh from the same company, but the lack of impact makes it less appealing to me. It's nice, I like it. But it's not getting me excited. And in this area of modern, perfume-like incense, I think I prefer Cha Cha Dum Dum [now closed]. 


Date: May 2015  Score: 32

***

  Aromatika

Opium