A heady, earthy, alcoholic, powdery sweet, bakhoor aroma on the stick. Lots of fumes. Almost intoxicating. Muslim Indian incense tends to be Arabian in nature, and if it says oudh, it will be a bakhoor style oudh - quite heady, rich, cologne soaked, rather than the drier, woody agarwood inspired oudh favoured by Asians in general.
The scent on the burn develops that on the stick - it is heady, alcoholic, powdery sweet, with florals, particularly rose, prominent above the sweaty, earthy, musky base. There's a lot of fairly sharp top notes - fairly aldehydic; perhaps that is the intended "silky" aspect. If so, it makes it feel sort of old fashioned, and a little too bright and sparkly for me. I'm not against aldehydics, but here I find it something of a clash with the earthy woody base. But I like the idea of a silky oudh, and there's much about this that I find both charming and compelling.
The scent on the burn develops that on the stick - it is heady, alcoholic, powdery sweet, with florals, particularly rose, prominent above the sweaty, earthy, musky base. There's a lot of fairly sharp top notes - fairly aldehydic; perhaps that is the intended "silky" aspect. If so, it makes it feel sort of old fashioned, and a little too bright and sparkly for me. I'm not against aldehydics, but here I find it something of a clash with the earthy woody base. But I like the idea of a silky oudh, and there's much about this that I find both charming and compelling.
Available from Misbah at 500 rupees for 100g (India only). It occasionally turns up on eBay - worth doing a search. 250 rupees for 50g from Aavyaa, who are no longer doing free international shipping. I spoke with Vishesh, and because of the expense of international shipping he is now charging. If you get together a list of what you want and WhatsApp him on +91 97100 09184, he'll let you know shipping costs.
Steve, you’ve touched upon such an important topic — the use of aldehydes in incense. I’ve noticed that most producers use them in excessive amounts; C10 and C12, in particular, seem to appear almost everywhere. I suppose the idea is that aldehydes add impact and boost diffusion, but many fail to realize that their harsh, piercing edge — when left uncontrolled — can actually do more harm than good to the overall impression.
ReplyDeleteI once listened to the head perfumer of Guerlain speak about this, and he mentioned that the only true way to tame and beautify aldehydes is by pairing them with rose, ylang-ylang, and vanillin. He said that, in his long career, he’d never found a better approach. I completely agree — that’s precisely what fragrances like Chanel No. 5 and No. 22 are built upon. When I experienced them myself, I didn’t find the aldehydes sharp or overpowering; instead, I was transported — especially by No. 22, which leans more heavily on rose and has a beautifully balanced tuberose note.
I really hope Indian incense makers begin to move away from the overuse of aldehydes and explore more creative, harmonious ways to achieve performance and projection.
Chanel 5 and L'Interdit are among my favourite perfumes, and the aldehyde in them is well done to make them feel bright and sparkly. Aldehyde does pair well with floral notes, as in both of those scents, though needs a warm base to keep them from being too bright and austere. My main issue with aldehydes is that because they were used in Fifties perfumes such as 5 and L'Interdit, they can feel a little old fashioned today. And they tend to inhibit a linear approach, which I prefer over having all the scents dumped on me at once.
DeleteAnd in this particular incense there isn't enough floral to really make the aldehydes work, especially when the base is not a simple warm scent, but something rather moist and earthy. Not, for me at least, the best contrast.
I wasn't aware that incense makers used aldehydes - I was making an assumption based on my experience with Fifties perfumes. It's interesting that you say that its use is fairly widespread. I shall keep my nose open for that possibility in future.
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