The Hari Om Fragrance company was brought to my attention by one of my UK readers, who said he'd had one of their masala incense sticks and it was very strong and very enjoyable. I had a look around, but Hari Om scents are not currently sold in the UK, so I got in touch with the company in Bangalore, who sent me a bunch for review. It was the masala sticks I was mainly interested in, but I ended up being quite impressed with some of their perfume dipped sticks as well.
The company was founded in 1990. They seem to be a decent representative of the everyday Indian incense market, as they carry a wide range of scents and types of incense, including masala and perfume-dipped, mainly aimed at the domestic market. They are, essentially, typical of domestic Indian incense. 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. I may not have liked all the scents, but they were all highly fragranced, long burning, and of a consistently decent standard. There is something for everyone in the range they offer, and appear to be excellent value for money. I'm perhaps a little biased toward the company as, though I have to thank Clive Gilbert for drawing them to my attention, I've largely discovered and explored them myself. However, I do think Hari Om is an incense company that deserves to be better known in the West, and would do well in any incense shop. Contact details are on their website: here. [2023: The company website is down - contact details may be found on IndiaMart: Indiamart.com/hari-om-fragrance]
Reviews
M=Masala P=Perfume-dipped
M=Masala P=Perfume-dipped
(Scores from older reviews are in brackets)
* = Score over five years old, so may not be reliable
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| Hari Om Ganesh Arti Dhoop Bathi (M) Oct 2021 - Score: 40 |
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| Dec 2023 - Score: 38 |
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| Hari Om Divine Incense Lavender (P) July 2018 - Score: 38* (38) |
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| Hari Om Vishwa Sai (Fluxo Incense) (M) Sept 2017 - Score: 35* |
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| July 2018 - Score: 35* (31) |
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July 2018 - Score: 35* |
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| Hari Om Fluxo Incense (M) Sept 2017 - Score: 34* |
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| Hari Om Bhakti (M) April 2019 - Score: 33 |
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| July 2018 - Score: 31* (29) |
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| Hari Om Loban Incense Sambrani (P) July 2018 - Score: 30* (35) |
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| Hari Om Divine Incense Rajanigandha (P) July 2018 - Score: 30* (36) |
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| Hari Om The Club (P) August 2018 - Score: 30* |
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| Hari Om Divine Incense Butmogra (P) Oct 2023 - Score: 29↓ (32) |
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| Hari Om 12/- Mangala Jyothi 3 in 1 Flora Sticks (M) May 2023 - Score: 27 (32) (28) |
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| Dec 2023 - Score: 27↑↓ |
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Oct 2018 - Score: 23* (30) (20) |
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| Hari Om Sugandha Mala (P) Nov 2023 - Score: 21↓ |
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| July 2018 - Score: 20* (25) |
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| Hari Om Divine Incense Champa (P) July 2018 - Score: 19* |
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| Hari Om Divine Incense Chandan (P) Jan 2018 - Score: 17* |
Scents reviewed: 20 (Reviews over five years old: 14)
Highest score: 40
Lowest Score: 17
Average top five: 37
Average score: 30
Overall score: 34 - Decent stuff
Highest score: 40
Lowest Score: 17
Average top five: 37
Average score: 30
Overall score: 34 - Decent stuff
***
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| The Best Incense Makers |
Hey Steve.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't Panchamukhi show up on this list? I just want to know if it is an error or of there are two different companies with similar names.
Brilliant! Thank you. I actually went through all my Hari Om reviews yesterday to update this page. I found a couple I had missed, but this one completely passed me by.
DeleteI'm not sure what's happening with Hari Om as their website is down at the moment. I'll send them an email.
I'm in Bangalore at the moment. I've been in touch with them and might even go to visit their factory. Let me know if you need their contact number. I know many Indian businesses are notorious for not replying to email.
ReplyDeleteCool. If you do visit, take some photos.
DeleteHari Om has been in the UAE Market since the late 90’s. My local supermarket in Dubai carries A lot of Hari Om incenses, including from Onam, Cycle Brand, Shalimar, Hem, Liberty, Parimal and Tulasi. I find Hari Om a good incense manufacturers. Their Arti, Sai Bhajan, Divine Sambrani, Divine But Mogra, Tez and Mangala Jyoti nice. I use their Sai Bhajan Sambrani daily for my pooja room as this is the only sambrani readily available in my grocery stores, I find it decent.
ReplyDeleteI understand there is a high percentage of Indians working in Dubai, so I assume your supermarket is catering for an Indian clientele. Do the Emiratis also buy Indian incense, or do they prefer Arab incense, such as bakhoor?
DeleteSend me a photo of your supermarket shelves with incense. I love the idea of going to a local supermarket and being faced with a wide choice of incense. Few supermarkets here sell incense. Those that do will be small supermarkets, little more than large corner stores, which are run by Indians and have Indian customers, and the selection will be mainly Satya and Hem.
I’ve seen Emiratis purchasing incense sticks also, so as Indians purchasing bakhoors. The supermarket I’m referring actually caters to everyone, they also have a huge selection of bakhoors (but are cheap).
DeleteI love it when there's a cultural exchange. It brings the world closer together, and more understanding.
DeleteI went to my local Hypermarket today, so I’ll send you the image of the incnes selection on your email or on reddit.
Delete