This is an interesting incense, made by Bosen of Taiwan, in the Tibet style of incense; it is quite spicy and raw, with notes of cannabis and high-alpha hops. It doesn't smell refined or heavenly, it's a little rough in the style of Tibetan incense. Not really my thing, but I was interested in buying it because of strongly positive reviews on the Olfactory Rescue Service website. I think, from other reviews on that site, that we don't share the same tastes in incense. It was £11.95 from Bosen's Amazon shop. Not cheap for what it is, but cheaper than some of their other products. There's some sharp notes, and despite claims that it doesn't irritate the nose and eye, it actually does. Each to their own, but I'm not seeing much here that I like. While not refined or indulgent in itself, it is a little more refined and interesting than some of the cheaper Tibetan incense, but it is firmly in that burning dried herbs sort of area. I don't really want to spend too much time with it, or get too close to it to get more scents out of it, but I suppose the most prominent and favourable are fresh pencil shavings - like cedar wood. On the whole, it's a bulky, manly, sweaty sort of incense. Perhaps girls will be more drawn to it than men.
I like that the manufacturer has put down the actual ingredients, and these are in marked contrast to some ingredients I was reading in some recent reviews, which were all chemical; but while the attractiveness of those incense fragrances did vary, I didn't find any of them as harsh, smoky and irritating as this one. I prefer natural, but not this.
Anyway - the dominant ingredient is hinoki (50%), which is a wood oil derived from the Japanese cypress tree, and which tends to be used in men's cologne. No doubt that's what gives it a manly cedar wood scent. It doesn't appear to be an expensive scent, and can be bought online as an essential oil for around the same price as other essential oils. The next ingredient is "high mountain medicinal plants" (25%), which is typically what goes into Tibetan incense, and no doubt is the source of the burning herbs and cannabis/hops aroma. 15% of the ingredients are "Tibetan Dharma medicines and nectars", which again seems to be standard Tibetan incense ingredients. The box claims that the "formula contains heavier density of Phytocid". I'm not sure what they mean by Phytocid, which appears to be a registered trade name for "a synergistic formulation derived from naturally occurring turmeric extract (Curcuma longa) & ginger extract (Zingiberofficinale) which naturally treats indigestion & gas." I expect it's a misprint for Pythoncide, which is in the incense name, and is an active substance given off by some plants to prevent them from dying. These substances are used in some traditional Asian medicines under the theory that what protects the plant will also protect the human. The binding powder comes from an Asian laurel tree, Machilus, which also can have medicinal qualities, such as being an anti-inflammatory. None of these ingredients seems to account for the high price. Perhaps Bosen are creating their market, and aiming for image and style.
Given the name of the product, and the ingredients, and the blurb on the back, and recalling blurbs on other Tibetan incense, I think the aim is to promote this and other Tibetan incense as being a form of aromatherapy. The medicinal qualities are promoted far more than the aesthetic quality of the scent. It's each to their own, but I burn incense for a variety of reasons, none of them to do with health or aromatherapy. Though I will take whatever health benefits come from burning incense, as a bonus, it is not among my main reasons, which are to create a pleasant mood or atmosphere, to enjoy pleasant scents, to mask bad odours, and to repel insects.
OK, so job done, I've sampled a range of Tibetan incenses, and this is one of the most highly regarded, and none of them attract me. So I think I am done with exploring Tibetan incense. It doesn't work for me. Smarting eyes and a headache, combined with the earthy aroma of burning herbs and cow dung is not my idea of fun. I have a few Tibetan incenses still in my box, some I've not yet tried, so I will try them now and again, but I'm not going to be buying any more - not when there are so many incenses out there still to explore which are more to my taste.
Date: June 2017 Score: 19
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