The Mother's India Fragrances Aditi

 

Fluffy and cute. Scent on the stick is sandalwood soap with some florals hovering on top. Attractive, though more reminiscent of clothes conditioner fragrance than traditional Indian incense. Gradually the sandalwood and warm lambs wool becomes more prominent, leaving the soapy aspect behind, though it still trails along in the distance like an abandoned dog. 

  

The scent on the burn is a tad smoky - a bit like smouldering damp leaves. There's also odd off-notes like school glue and fried fish. As the stick has been burning I've looked for an image of the Aditi packet (my sticks are from a sample pack), and when I find an image I note the scent description on the packet says "Gentle lavender, purifying green sage, and earthy patchouli", none of which I've yet got. I check the sample pack, and the Aditi is clearly marked. So, unless the  stick was misplaced in the sample pack, I have the right one.  I find a different sample pack with some Aditi sticks, and try those. The scent on the stick is very similar, though more volatile and with salted caramel, vanilla, and, yes, a suggestion of patchouli (or am I finding a ghostly suggestion?). On the burn I am finding this stick more pleasant than the one from the other pack. But still no lavender. It is caramel and vanilla and sandalwood. I consult with Chrissie, who grew up with lavender in Provence.  She smells it blind and says caramel - caramel tea, and I get that. I absolutely do. When I say that the main note is meant to be lavender, she doesn't reject it. She says that while it doesn't have notes of the flower, it does remind her of the leaves. I go into the garden and bring in some lavender leaves. They remind me of sage. And I'm not getting that from this stick either. 

You know, I was happier just with the name, Aditi (a Vedic goddess), than with the description of this being lavender, sage, and patchouli. I'm now looking for those scents, even though I had decided a while back just to concentrate on the scents that emerge from each encounter, rather than trying to tease out what should be there, and may not be. Having said that, I'm now in the stage where I am getting sage notes, and perhaps an edge of lavender. But are those genuine fragrance encounters, or are they ghost suggestions?  Whatever. Either way, I'm not thrilled by this Aditi. This stick from the second packet behaves much better than the fishy one from the first pack, and is quite acceptable, if a little spicy and prickly. But on the whole, not an incense that I get much pleasure from. 

Date: Oct 2025   Score: 25 

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The Mother's India Fragrances