Pack of five different scents from Poundland under their Coley & Gill brand. The scent names are the same as their big single packs with free incense holder, though the sticks are of a slightly different composition - the Cotton Fresh for example is perfume-dipped charcoal in this multi pack, but perfume-dipped sawdust in the single packs. And the lengths are different - the single pack sticks are 10'', and the sticks in these multi packs are 9''. It is likely that the stick blanks were made by different companies. The box says "Fragrances made in the UK", and there is clear knowledge of the ingredients with lists of the chemicals (such as butylphenyl, methylpropional, benzyl salicylate, etc), so it is likely the blanks were made in India or Asia (possibly Vietnam), then imported to the UK where they were perfume-dipped. Or perhaps the perfume solvents were shipped out to a company in India where the sticks were then dipped. Hmmm.
There are 16 sticks per hex pack, so 5x16 = 80. The single packs contain 60 sticks - though you do get a stick holder, so it's about the same value.
French Vanilla
Vanilla is an effective and pleasant incense scent, and it works OK here. It's not heavenly, but is certainly better than a toilet cleaner incense. You do get the scent of vanilla rather than just the stick core as you normally do on cheap perfume-dipped incense. This is a very decent everyday incense, and is a damn good price. Contains methylcinnamaldehyde which gives it a woody warmth and coumarin, which gives it an organic sweetness.
Score: 27
Sandalwood
This one is less successful. It bears little resemblance to sandalwood, and is quite clearly chemical based. It is a little sharp and hot and reveals some of the charcoal base. This is not a decent everyday incense, this is basic toilet freshener. Contains 4-tert butylcyclohexyl acetate which is meant to give a woody, cedar like smell, but this scent is higher and cleaner and crisper than wood. It's not offensive, but it's not impressive either.
Score: 19
Strawberry Flower & Lily
Charcoal base dipped in a floral scented solvent - quite sharp and harsh. Some smoke and fruit notes when burning. Hints of cherry, but no strawberry. Contains heliotropine (also known as piperonal) which would account for the floral and the cherry notes. This is quite acceptable. I quite like this. It's not heavenly, but it smells clean, fresh and with a lively cherry fruit quality, that it would be acceptable as an everyday incense.
Score: 24
Fresh Lavender
The scent is not that strong on this so some of the sharpness and heat of the base charcoal comes through. Contains linalool, which should give it a woody sweetness, but I'm getting getting much of that. Toward the end of the stick I get a creamy rich warth which is quite pleasant, but it's too little too late....
Score: 20
Cotton Fresh
Oooh I like this. Soft, creamy and very yummy, with musky undertones. Contains a wide range of chemicals that have been blended to create this scent, so this has not been made by some back street manufacturer, but by one of the major companies who have their own laboratories. This is a little removed from romantic images of the artisan incense maker using skills handed on by his father, but the scent is so pleasant and useful and inexpensive for everyday use. I enjoy the variety of types of incense that are available - the rather rough, raw, earthy stuff from Tibet, the sensual Persian tablets, the subtle flowery little Japanese sticks, the everyday perfume dipped cones from the back streets of India as well as the handrolled halmaddi sticks made for the American market.
Score: 36
Overall
This is a decent package, great value for money as everyday incense. There are a range of scents which are OK to burn to freshen up the house, or to cover up a nasty pong in the toilet .Added to which the Cotton Fresh is worth £1 just by itself, so I feel this package is well worth buying again.
Date: April 2017 Score: 30
***
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| Top Ten Perfume-Dipped Incense |
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| Vanilla |
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