GR International Opium Incense Cones

I quite like the incense GR International make. It's not grand or fussy, and is  perfume-dipped, but it's done professionally and with care. Solid, everyday incense to create a pleasant scent in your home. These cones are moulded with what appears to be a mix of charcoal and wood paste, and there's a volatile perfume which has been applied at some point in the process - this is normally done afterwards, in what is known as perfume-dipping,  though essential oils or a chemical compound can be added to the paste when being mixed, and either rolled onto the stick or shaped into cones.

The box is aimed at both the UK/USA and Italian markets, so one side is in English, and the other in Italian. There appears to be growing interest in incense in Italy as I have come across a few Italian distributors of premium masala incense such as Fiore d’Oriente, and Indian companies, such as GR, printing their incense packets in Italian. There is an attractive image of a woman playing a harp with a rose bush behind her. I note that the branding is now GR rather than GR International. And they have a new website GRIncense. Ah, and the similarity to SAC Sandesh, which I noted the other day, is made clearer, as they were both founded in 1970 by D.N.P. Guptha,  and they have the same address in Bangalore.

This is a pleasant musky everyday scent. It can be a little hot if placed too close, but at beyond arm's length it is a decent and attractive musky incense with notes of vanilla and white chocolate. It's a bit of a grower this one. Initially it's all about the sandalwood and especially the sweet musk, but there's also the high notes which are mildly flowery, balsamic, bergamot, quite summery. Yeah. I like this.  There are a number of incense which are called opium. I don't think that the name is intended to refer to the drug, but rather to the 1977 perfume  by Yves Saint Laurent.


Date: May 2018   Score: 36

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Incense cones

GR International 

 

Opium