Hem White Musk

 

Third review - scroll down for earlier

Nice fresh hex pack of HEM White Musk. A soapy sandalwood and chalk dust scent on the stick. Quite perfumed and volatile. 

The scent on the burn is mild, also a little soapy, and edging a little more toward sandalwood than a traditional musky scent, though there are musk elements. It's quite floral as well - waxy white florals - jasmine and lotus.  

Yeah, it's a pleasant everyday room freshener. Perhaps a tad too floral and soapy for my taste, but generally acceptable. 

Date: Feb 2026   Score: 22

Second review

Standard HEM everyday synthetic perfume room freshener charcoal stick. Musk scents are always copies, as the authentic musk scent comes from animals, and the animal needs to be killed. Scents are either copied from plants, such as the musk mallow,  or are created in the lab. They are widely considered to be acceptable scents. Almost all musk scents in incense will be synthetic rather than musk mallow. And even when musk mallow is used, it is likely that a synthetic musk will be blended in to give depth. This stick is likely purely synthetic. 

The scent on the stick is soapy, synthetic, slightly volatile. Faintly and mildly pleasant, though not evocative. Charcoal dust gets on my fingers while handling the sticks. Not nice. The scent on the burn is loose and obscure, wandering around in a haphazard manner. Sometimes fake bacon, sometimes synthetic florals,  some warm charcoal, and possibly a bit of musk. The impact of the fragrance is rather less than it was 16 months ago. 

Not great, but not offensive either. Score remains at the bottom of my Modest Everyday category. 


Date: Feb 2024  Score: 20 

First review

Standard everyday HEM perfumed-charcoal incense sticks. These are not profound or special, but they do the everyday job of fragrancing a room, and they do it cheaply and do it well. Scent on the stick is sweet and perfumed, more flowery than musky, though there are some deeper notes in there. The scent on the burn is strong, offering good  value if you want an impactful fragrance in your house, though some may be uncomfortable with its bold assertion. It burns evenly and at a decent speed. The scent feels mawkish and old fashioned with a sense of talcum powder on old ladies - there's something unpleasantly damp and greasy about it. It's slightly overwhelming, as with cheap ladies who splash on too much powerful but cheap scent.  I'm not a fan of this.  I'm not anti-HEM; I really enjoy some of the scents they produce, but I am really put off by others. I am not totally appalled by this White Musk, but it's certainly not working for me. 

I had reviewed this scent in the cone version: Hem White Musk Incense Cones. 

HEM products are easily available all over the world, either online or in your nearest incense shop or even corner shop. They are generally around £1 a packet of 20 sticks. 

Date: Oct 2022   Score: 20

***

HEM Corporation

Musk

Reviewed in Japan