Fumino Wormwood

Second review - scroll down for earlier

  

Sweet, woody, perfumed scent with a touch of vanillin on the stick. A warmer, deeper, and more woody scent on the burn. This is a delicious incense. While the Fumino branded sticks have a close relationship in fragrance - a generic perfumed-masala compound of sandalwood and sweet florals/fruits, some are personally more appealing than others, depending on individual taste. I particularly like this one, and note that I liked it a lot when I first reviewed it in April last year. The combination of  musky wood and sweet floral notes is particularly attractive to me. There's some nice oils in use here, and little to nothing in the way of off-notes, even when getting too close to the smoke. A rounded and delightful incense.  

Date: June 2025    Score: 41

First review

I initially assumed that the wormwood of the title was another name for agarwood, especially as there is an oudh fragrance here, but all the Fumino scents I've burned have had an oudh quality about them, and wormwood doesn't appear to be an alternative name for agarwood.  This wormwood is likely to be the biblical wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, that has been used as a bittering herb for centuries, and is a key ingredient in absinthe. 

There is such a commonality in fragrance with the Fumino scents I've burned that it seems curious that I like some better than others. And that could be down to all sorts of vagaries which may have as much to do with me and the burning environment as to the incense itself. I will be going through all the Fumino scents again in approx one month to see how I react then. Meanwhile, as with the others, I really like the scent on the stick.  It's perfumed, woody, sweet, honeyed, mild fruit - sweet citric like orange, lightly floral (rose with a hint of jasmine) and herby. It edges toward a male cologne - a sort of everyday, low cost oudh, which is not as negative as it sounds. It's a light, refreshing, pleasant oudh, rather than something heavy, rich, or sexy. 

The poetic blurb on the back

As with the other Fumino, the fragrance experience on the burn is not as appealing as that on the stick; however, this experience is very positive with a decent spread of bottom and top notes, keeping it lively and interesting, and more engaging and pleasant than just a room freshener. Pretty much all that is there on the stick successfully makes its way into the burn, though the top notes, the florals and fruit, are less distinct. It is, however, a gently heady experience - which is always going to work with me, and is warm, woody, sweet, musky, and sensual - which again is going to excite me. There is a buttery, subtle oudh quality which holds stable in the base, while small herby notes play around on top. I like this. 

Date: April 2024   Score: 38

***

Fumino