Temple of Incense

 

Temple of Incense (ToI) is a British incense retail brand set up by two British-born women of Indian heritage, sisters Simi and Sam Aydee, in 2012 on a market stall in Portobello Road. ToI follows in the tradition of Paul Eagle and his (now closed) Happi Hari brand - the two women import Indian made incense, and sell it under their own brand; and it is widely regarded that they use some of the same sources as Paul did. And those same sources were used by Corel Topel for his Absolute Incense brand (now closed, but stock bought by Corey and sold under the Happy Hari brand are available on Padma Store, while other Absolute Incense stock may be available from Everest Trader in America), and by Eugene for some of his Bhagwan Incense.  The Olfactory Rescue Service have a list of incenses they feel ToI have in common with Absolute. All these individuals try to keep the sources secret for business reasons, and there has sometimes been friction when sources are shared as they all want to keep exclusivity and so better profit. Also sharing some of the sources is the British based Gokula, who is less known than the others, yet has been quietly selling top quality Indian incense at "earthly prices" for years. One of the known sources for all these retailers is Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS), who have been a very popular white label source for retailers in India and beyond for many years. 

Simi and Sam Aydee, owners of ToI

ToI has been successful, and is particularly popular among those who consider themselves connoisseurs of incense. ToI prices are higher than average; though connoisseurs of any product do tend to prefer paying more than average for what they consider to be refined quality. Part of ToI's success has been their careful selection of scents, and it is scents that are key to the success of most incense brands aiming for the top end of the market. Also, they concentrate on sticks that have a traditional masala appearance. They are very good at subtle and attractive marketing. They don't overdo the emails. They use email selectively and professionally. 

Temple of Incense v. Blue Pearl

  

I've reviewed 12 different Blue Pearl and 18 different ToI, and find a lot of similarity between the brands. Both are white label brands based in the West, but sourcing from India, both have a variety of hand-rolled and machine-extruded, both tend to have sweet, commercial, attractive fragrance blends, though both also have incense inclined to dry woods, both tend to have vanilla notes, both have a style and fragrance similar to incense made by HMS in Pune, a well known white label company.
ToI has better marketing and better packaging and better incense names, and a greater range which the girls update and keep fresh, though on a stick by stick comparison ToI are a tad more expensive.
The general impression I get is that ToI is more vibrant, modern, fresh, and upmarket. Blue Pearl feels a little casual, stuffy, and old fashioned. Yet when it comes to the scents, there's really not a lot of difference.

Reviews

Temple of Incense Oudh (M)
Feb 2025 - Score 47=

Temple of Incense
Orange Blossom & Lemongrass (M)
Jan 2025 - Score: 40

  

Temple of Incense Dancing Sufi (PM)
Nov 2025 - Score: 38

  

(HMS) Temple of Incense Patchouli Woods (PM)
Jan 2025 - Score: 37

(HMS) Temple of Incense Radha (M)
Jan 2025 - Score: 37

   

(HMS) Temple of Incense Purple Rain (M)
Jan 2025 - Score: 37

   

Temple of Incense Myrrh (PM)
Aug 2025 - Score: 37

Temple of Incense Bombay Blues (P)
Nov 2025 - Score: 36

Temple of Incense Perky Pandit (PM)
Feb 2025 - Score: 35

   

Temple of Incense Amber (PM)
Feb 2026 - Score: 34

Temple of Incense Amber Supreme (PM)
Feb 2026 - Score: 34

   

Temple of Incense Big Cleanse

Nov 2025 - Score: 33

Temple of Incense Bengal Beauty (PM)
Nov 2025 - Score: 32

  

Temple of Incense Banaras Sandal (PM)
Feb 2026 - Score: 30

Temple of Incense Indian Rose (PM)
Oct 2023 - Score: 29

  

Temple of Incense Arabian Attar (P)
Feb 2026 - Score: 29

   

Temple of Incense Rose Absolute (M)
Oct 2023 - Score: 28  

Temple of Incense Coconut Dream (P)
Nov 2025 - Score: 26

   

Temple of Incense Benzoin Absolute (P)
Feb 2026 - Score: 26

Temple of Incense Om Masala (PM)
Feb 2025 - Score: 25

    

Temple of Incense Pineapple (PM)
Jan 2025 - Score: 24

Reviews: 21
Top score: 47
Bottom score: 24
Average: 33

Note: It is not revealed who makes incense for the Temple of Incense brand; however, a number of the incenses are similar to those made by HMS of Pune.

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