There's a funky shop in Shoreditch, London, just off the trendy Brick Lane. It sells candles, oils, resins, and incense; and is called Oneironaut, which means "dream traveller". It was founded in 2017 by "a gyal and a boy" who, seemingly inspired by the brilliant novel Perfume (if you haven't read it, get it now - it's extraordinary, and you'll learn a lot about the nature of scent), wanted to work on a "concept of scent that's devoted to develop spiritual intelligence". Cool.
They have a good marketing concept where you can sign up for a subscription, and they will send you three different Oneironaut incenses every month. They appear to have 29 incenses currently. I signed up for two months at 3 incenses a month, and got one of the incenses twice, so there will be some repetition but it works out cheaper than selecting your own scents. They say that as well as traditional Indian and Japanese scents, they also commission their own blends, and that their sources use natural ingredients and sustainable practises.
The sticks are 10 inches long - and most of that is incense. It appears that the sticks may originally have been longer, in the Asian style, and the ends have been broken off to make the sticks easier and cheaper to post. The sticks are hand-rolled out of what appears to be mainly wood powder and joss powder, and then immersed in scent. The scent on all the sticks is quite clean, so it appears that DPG or DEP have not been used. I think they are more likely to be Asian made than Indian. They are rather likeable.
They have a good marketing concept where you can sign up for a subscription, and they will send you three different Oneironaut incenses every month. They appear to have 29 incenses currently. I signed up for two months at 3 incenses a month, and got one of the incenses twice, so there will be some repetition but it works out cheaper than selecting your own scents. They say that as well as traditional Indian and Japanese scents, they also commission their own blends, and that their sources use natural ingredients and sustainable practises.
The sticks are 10 inches long - and most of that is incense. It appears that the sticks may originally have been longer, in the Asian style, and the ends have been broken off to make the sticks easier and cheaper to post. The sticks are hand-rolled out of what appears to be mainly wood powder and joss powder, and then immersed in scent. The scent on all the sticks is quite clean, so it appears that DPG or DEP have not been used. I think they are more likely to be Asian made than Indian. They are rather likeable.
Reviews
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| Oneironaut Cinematographic Still No 28 (P) Mar 2025 - Score: 47 |
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| Oneironaut In The Branches No 09 (P) Mar 2025 - Score: 37 |
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| Oneironaut Outdoors No 25 (P) Mar 2025 - Score: 35 |
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| Oneironaut Whitechapel No 13 (P) Mar 2025 - Score: 33 |
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| Oneironaut Dickens No 10 (P) Mar 2025 - Score: 26 |
Reviews: 5
Top score: 47
Top score: 47
Bottom score: 26
Average: 36
Conclusion: Quite variable, and not cheap, but I like the boldness of some of the fragrances, and the cool marketing. The monthly subscription is a nifty idea - and the randomness of it is part of the appeal. When I've reduced my backlog, I can see myself being quite happy having a subscription.
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They kinda make me curious. Will you include some samples of those?
ReplyDeleteAlready in your box.
Delete:D
Delete"They say that as well as traditional Indian and Japanese scents, they also commission their own blends, and that their sources use natural ingredients and sustainable practises."
ReplyDeleteHave you read that somewhere, or did they say that directly to you?
On their website, it says, "handcrafted in Shoreditch".
I emailed them, but they didn't respond.
DeleteI got that from somewhere in their promotional literature. Can't remember where. Possibly on the packet, or on a promotional insert, or on their website.
I really wanted the incense to be made in London. I loved that idea. I'll take a look at some point as to where I got that from. And also make another attempt at contacting them. I'll probably phone them. Or take a visit to their shop! The incense is decent, and I love the subscription idea.
DeleteOk, thanks Steve!
DeleteThere's barely any info on the package (you sent me one), so it must have been on an insert.
Maybe you find out until I have my review ready to launch. (There are already reviews scheduled until the start of November and about 30 more waiting for translation, so there's plenty of time. ;) )
Yesterday, a post on Oneironaut popped up on Reddit, which made me take them out. :)
I've now commented on that thread. I noted that you didn't mention me by name, so I didn't reveal that I was the friend in case there is some forum regulation regarding this matter.
DeleteI tend to be cautious about forums where there are rules I don't know or understand. I linked some statements to this blog, but then wondered if that was against the rules. If it is, let me know, and I'll edit my post.
I had no specific reason why I didn't mention you by name. It's just that I got a little reluctant to always mention and link you (or others) after that certain incident.
DeleteGuess my social anxiety kicked in a little.
You can link whatever you want on your blog. The only thing you shouldn't link, is your incense sales page/eBay shop, but IDK if you even still have that.
I was going to link to the Zam Zam shop, as I'd recommended that anyone who liked Oneironaut or Kuumba incense may also like Zam Zam (at a much lower price), but wondered if sales links were allowed, so I didn't.
Delete