Nandita Fragrances of Mumbai offer a full range of natural incenses, including bakhoor and dhoop cups. They also do one of my favourite incenses, Nandita Wood Spice, so I am keen to explore further. The company was founded by Sri. K.Y. Acharya (1928-2010), and is based in Mumbai, with a retail store in Udupi, where Acharya was born.
I like Nandita incense. They do decent proper job masala with an aim to be eco-friendly. And there is something quiet and understated about them. The packaging is always neat and tasteful. They don't tend to do showy incense; they make fairly simple but attractive incense with quality natural ingredients. The scents are traditional in nature, unassuming, and tend to be rather attractive. Not harsh, not assertive, not too sweet nor too woody. Just right. They focus on masala incense in standard boxes, though perfumes/oils are used in the masala sticks.
Nandita are distributed to Western markets by the Shah family who own WonderIncense in the UK and WonderImports in Australia. The packets are made up for the Western market.
It's been pointed out to me that K. Y. Acharya founded Acharya Products, a popular chain of incense shops in Mumbai. Alok Pandey of Malaan Gaudhoop Co who make the awesome
Malaan Gaudhoop Swarna Champa says: "Nandita is a brand by 'Acharya Products' and they are a big retail chain business of incense sticks in Mumbai. They have around 5 stores in Mumbai. They are so famous that people line up in front of their stores. They are also one of the largest distributors of incense sticks in that part of the country. Acharya Products is as old as Satya and they used to be the largest exporters for Satya in the west. I am not sure of the current status, but they share an old affiliation to Satya."
Nandita are distributed to Western markets by the Shah family who own WonderIncense in the UK and WonderImports in Australia. The packets are made up for the Western market.
It's been pointed out to me that K. Y. Acharya founded Acharya Products, a popular chain of incense shops in Mumbai. Alok Pandey of Malaan Gaudhoop Co who make the awesome
Malaan Gaudhoop Swarna Champa says: "Nandita is a brand by 'Acharya Products' and they are a big retail chain business of incense sticks in Mumbai. They have around 5 stores in Mumbai. They are so famous that people line up in front of their stores. They are also one of the largest distributors of incense sticks in that part of the country. Acharya Products is as old as Satya and they used to be the largest exporters for Satya in the west. I am not sure of the current status, but they share an old affiliation to Satya."
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| Nandita's head office in Mumbai |
Reviews
* = Score over five years old, so may not be reliable
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April 2024 - Score: 46↑=↑ |
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Nandita Acharya (PM) Dec 2024 (in) - Score: 46 |
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| Nandita Original Amber (PM) July 2024 - Score: 46↑ |
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| Nandita Wood Spice (M) Aug 2023 - Score: 44↑=↓↓ |
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Nandita Dehn Al Oudh (PM) Dec 2024 - Score: 44↑ |
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Dec 2022 - Score: 43* |
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| Nandita Saffron Sandal (PM) Jan 2025 - Score: 39 |
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| Nandita Laxmidevi (M) Nov 2023 - Score: 39↓ |
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| Nandita Organic Cinnamon Masala (PM) April 2024 - Score: 37 |
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| Nandita Wood Spice Cones July 2018 - Score: 35* |
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Nandita Organic Nag Champa
May 2015 - Score: 33* |
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| Nandita Royal Attar Masala (PM) Dec 2024 - Score: 33↑ [Average: 32] |
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| Nandita Fruit Blast Premium Masala (PM) Feb 2024 - Score: 32 |
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| Nandita Organic Myrrh Masala Incense (M) June 2023 - Score: 31 |
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| Nandita Original Benzoin (PM) Dec 2024 - Score: 30 |
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| Nandita Dragon Blood (PM) Nov 2024 - Score: 29 |
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| (Nandita) Devil's Garden Vampire Blood (PM) Nov 2024 - Score: 28 |
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| Nandita Dream Catcher (PM) Jan 2025 - Score: 28 |
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| Nandita Dream Spirit Masala Incense (PM) Dec 2024 - Score: 27 |
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Jan 2023 - Score: 27 |
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| Nandita Marijuana Natural Incense (PM) Nov 2024 - Score: 26 |
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| Nandita Aura Cleansing (P) Dec 2024 - Score: 25 |
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| Nandita Organic/Original Rose (PM) Jan 2025 - Score: 25 |
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| Nandita Hemp Patchouli (PM) Nov 2024 - Score: 25 |
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| Nandita Arabian Oudh (Ex) Jan 2025 - Score: 24 |
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| Nandita Organic/Original Patchouli (PM) Jan 2025 - Score: 19↓ [Average: 23] |
Incenses reviewed: 26
Highest score: 46
Lowest score: 23
Average top five: 43
Average: 34
Overall score: 39
Conclusion: Recent [2024] export output to the UK has tended to be machine-extruded and perfumed sticks rather than masala. There's also various rumours and reports about Nandita making incense for other houses, and other houses making incense for Nandita. It's difficult for outsiders to know the true relationship between Indian incense houses, and who is actually making what incense. I was for a while quite positive about Nandita, but their recent output is putting me off.
Highest score: 46
Lowest score: 23
Average top five: 43
Average: 34
Overall score: 39
Conclusion: Recent [2024] export output to the UK has tended to be machine-extruded and perfumed sticks rather than masala. There's also various rumours and reports about Nandita making incense for other houses, and other houses making incense for Nandita. It's difficult for outsiders to know the true relationship between Indian incense houses, and who is actually making what incense. I was for a while quite positive about Nandita, but their recent output is putting me off.
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| The Best Incense Makers |
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