HEM Amber Incense Sticks

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

Volatile chemical note on the stick with a sense of wood and violet-tinged florals, informed with a musky base and sharp, invigorating marine notes. I'm not finding it charming, though yt is what it is, and I can get a sense of what the direction of travel will be when the stick is lit. 

Fair do, when lit the scent does present what can easily be classified as an amber accord. Now, I have recently burned Vinason's Amber Kasturi, and Jeomra's Stabchen Natur Pur Amber - amber incenses made by two incense houses I respect. The Vinason's amber is a well established and popular brand in India, and Jeomra's amber has been made from pure ingredients by a respected incense maker who is very knowledgeable about resins.  I like this (likely) synthetic aroma compound stick from the HEM corporation more than I liked the ambers by the respected houses. Ho hum. Some years ago at a cheese tasting with some friends, we all ended up loving the "smoked" processed cheese that was included as a joke. Yes, the smoke flavouring came from a bottle, and the cheese was waxy and plastic. It was not heavenly, but it did taste good, and it was great, everyday fun. Yeah, like the fake smoked cheese, this fake amber smells good, and is everyday fun. I'd be happy to buy this again. 

Date: Dec 2025    Score: 32

First review

A square pack of HEM Amber.  There is no pretence to this - this is intended to be a cheap and cheerful room freshener using a synthetic scent which HEM have developed in their own laboratories. Amber in fragrances is rarely authentic anyway. There's the amber from the sperm whale, which may turn up on beaches, but is illegal to use in many countries. And there's tree sap amber, which is used for jewellery, but can also be ground down and burned for its fragrance, though from my research it seems this isn't done any more. The amber scent generally comes from a blend of benzoin,  labdanum, and vanilla. I have burned amber resin, but my understanding is that it more likely to be labdabum, or a flavoured gum resin. The Mount Athos monastery does flavoured resins, such as this Vatopedi Amber.  

This amber has a church incense fragrance, inclining - for me - toward frankincense and myrrh. It is woody, sweet, sexy, herbal, calming and yet uplifting at the same time. Not uplifting as in energy, but uplifting as in lifting the spirits, so you feel calm, and confident and somehow refreshed and inspired. 

I like it. I like it a lot. The thought that it's likely an aroma chemical is a bit of a downer, for sure, but the scent itself is damn nice. Yes, it's not complex. Yes, it's not deep. There's a lot missing here. But it has a significant appeal for me. I'm not in love with it; though, rather than put it out for the cats, or in the corridor for casual everyday burning, I think I'll put it aside to revisit alongside some other ambers. See how it stands up when matched against what other incenses houses have decided to create to produce their version of an amber aroma. 

Date: Jan 2024   Score: 35

***

HEM Corporation

Amber