Vinason's (VNS) Frankincense

 

Frankincense is a popular mono-scent for incense sticks, though is also popular when blended with myrrh or other ingredients. This Frankincense is not a pure mono-scent, on the stick there's a masala scent blended in, which has sandalwood and lambs wool (which I associate with halmaddi) elements, along with vanilla/benzoin notes. It's a clean and pleasant fragrance on the stick - not too heavy, not too exciting, not too sophisticated. It's moderate, it's modest. it's nice. 

The fragrance on the burn has more energy and life. It presents stronger and with more vibrancy, and resin notes come to the fore with greater clarity. This does now perform like a frankincense incense, though sweetened by vanilla/benzoin, and softened by pale sandalwood. It is attractive - resinous and woody, though quite soft, and with a delicate sweetness that contrasts with and highlights the resin. I think it is nicely done. There are some great pure resin incense sticks, such as those made by Jeomra in Germany, by IBN in Oman,  and by Pure Yemen in Yemen. This VNS Frankincense is not as pure as those; it presents more like Mount Athos frankincense, which has been blended with other sweet ingredients. And, perhaps to a lesser extent, it also presents like Prinknash Abbey resin blends. I like the way the frankincense has been blended with the sweeter elements and given depth by the woody elements. Yeah, this is very nice. It works for me. 

Vinason's Frankincense sticks are available from VNS at 25 rupees (85p) for 20g. (If you live outside India, to buy from VNS contact Shreyas Sugandhi at vns@vnsons.com).  A sample pack of 35 different VNS masala incense sticks is available from Padma Store for 25 Euros plus shipping. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score:  38

***

Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons
Vinasons

Frankincense

Reviewed in USA

Vrindavan Bazaar Patchouli

 

Incense from Vrindavan Bazaar may be variable and inconsistent, but is generally of a decent standard, and is certainly excellent value. These patchouli sticks are hand-rolled charcoal paste onto a plain machine-cut bamboo splint, and then lightly coated in brown finishing powder which has some sparkly glitter in it. The scent on the stick is earthy, musty, musky, with a faint awareness of mint. It gives the general impression of incense - masala incense. I like it. It doesn't excite me, but it's decent enough. It does the job. I'm happy. 

When lit there is a fair amount of black smoke, but this goes when the flame is blown out. The scent is fairly modest, and remains within the scope of the scent on the stick. It doesn't really develop on from that. It's nice, but  too unassuming to really engage my interest. There is some gentle benzoin (or vanilla), a mineral note, and the general sense of masala incense flavoured lightly with earthy, musky notes that could be patchouli. Gradually the smoky sense of woody masala incense builds up and becomes a little overbearing. There's little sense of patchouli at this stage, just a generic woody incense. In the end I'm a little disappointed. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 24

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Patchouli

Vrindavan Bazaar Jasmine

I'm not a lover of jasmine incense. And these rather ordinary machine-extruded perfumed sticks  have not improved my attitude toward the style. 

To be fair they are not bad as jasmine scented incense sticks go, but there's nothing here to interest me. I am likely to avoid jasmine incense in future; while there have been individual jasmine incenses I've liked, the bulk of them I have not. If I get sent some as samples, fair enough, but I'm not going to select jasmine myself. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 26

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Best jasmine incense

Vrindavan Bazaar Lavender Natural

 

Machine extruded with a dry, clean finish (no powder) onto plain machine-cut bamboo splints. There is a somewhat volatile room freshener lavender scent. There's so much ice in the fumes that it's hard to get at the lavender and enjoy it. It propels more as perfume than a natural herb, though the fragrance could still be a natural essential oil. I do find moments where it does present as a herby lavender. But, yeah, overall just a tad too volatile and perfumed to make me feel positive. And it's also a fairly simple scent. I like lavender, but when it comes to burning incense, my taste inclines more toward intelligently and interestingly constructed accords that are a delight to experience, rather than a simple imitation (however "natural") of something I can bring in from my own garden, or which I can dribble a few drops of essential oil. That's not to say I am against lavender or other mono-scent incenses - it's just that I prefer more thoughtful fragrance accords, so when I encounter a mono-scent I'm not so excited. And even less so when it presents more as a cheap room freshener than earthy incense. 

There's a fair amount of black smoke when lighting up the stick, but when the flame is blown out it all settles down into a quiet and steady burn with gentle grey smoke. The scent on the burn is still a bit perfumed, a bit icy, and a bit sweet for my taste, without the earthy elements that make lavender so cleansing and interesting.  It's OK, a decent aroma, and no serious off notes. But it's no more than an average room freshener. A little underwhelming for a Vrindavan incense. 

After burning it a couple more times, I find I actually like it as a simple pleasant perfumed room freshener. I'd be quite happy to buy this again at the price. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 31

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Best of Lavender

Bangalore Incense Store / Jaygee's / Gurugee

 

Bangalore Incense Store was set up in 2008 by Jaygee Mavalur as an outlet for his Jaygee Industries incense company. He also sells incense under the brand name Gurugee. Jaygee's family have been involved in incense making for 60 years over three generations. 

Reviews

Bangalore Incense Store Jaygee's Heena (PM)

Nov 2025 - Score: 31

   

Bangalore Incense Store Jaygee's Navami (PM)
Nov 2025 - Score: 25

Reviews: 
Top score: 
Low score: 
Average:

***

Bangalore incense Store Jaygee's Navami

 

Powdery sweet with neutral mineral notes supported by a soft pale sandalwood. Some spice. Some  honey. Florals. Herbs. A curious though pleasant melange. Not quite sure what the accord is saying. It's a mild and acceptable "incense" fragrance. Quite soft and restrained. It's not doing much for me. There's nothing here that's offensive or off. It is genuinely quite pleasant, with soft fresh sandalwood shavings, and a general sense of decent incense. It's just that it's not doing much. It's a clean, safe, almost timid aroma. There's no beauty here. No story, Little to interest me. Good stuff. But unexciting. 

The scent on the burn is soft, gentle, inoffensive, and largely indifferent. It's hardly here - shuffling around quietly in the corner, saying and doing very little. Ho hum. 

Available from Bangalore Incense at 50g for £1.07 ($1.41, 125 Rupees). Bangalore Incense ships internationally. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 25 

***

   

Jaygee's / Gurugee

Bangalore Incense Store Jaygee's Heena

 

Bangalore Incense Store was set up in 2008 by Jaygee Mavalur as an outlet for his Jaygee Industries incense company. He also sells incense under the brand name Gurugee. Jaygee's family have been involved in incense making for 60 years over three generations. 

Heena is another name for henna, a red powder dye made from the leaves of the Henna Tree (Lawsonia inermis), which is used to colour the hair, and to create intricate and beautiful temporary tattoos. This powder is bitter, and does not make a good scent. However, the flower of the Henna Tree does have an attractive scent, considered to be sweet, delicate, and floral, with suggestions of tea. Oils made from the flowers are occasionally used in perfumes and incense. 

The sticks are machine extruded from what appears to be a wood paste with a light coating of finishing powder. The paste is dry but crumbly, like a biscuit. There is a gentle and attractive fragrance, slightly floral in the direction of jasmine - waxy white with citric nips. There are some mild petrol or terpene notes, edging toward tar. There is a gentle spice, and a soft sandalwood base. On the whole, the sticks don't look inviting, and the scent is just moderately acceptable: pleasant but not quite attractive.  

On lighting there is a clean flame, no black smoke, and then the stick settles into a moderate burn with a moderate diffusion and a moderate amount of grey smoke. The diffusion is very soft and gentle. Too much so for my taste, though people's mileage does differ, and there's a lot of people who like soft and gentle. If you like Chinese or Japanese incense, then this may be more your bag than mine. The scent is in the henna ball park, and is moderately attractive with spicy florals over a softly musky sandalwood base. I like it, and I may like it more given time, but it doesn't rock my world on this first experience. Though it cradles it enough, yes, to be happy to burn again.  Moderate, professional, well crafted, gentle, pleasant fragrance, no off-notes. It reminds me a little of  Nitraj. 

Available from Bangalore Incense at 50g for £1.07 ($1.41, 125 Rupees). Bangalore Incense ships internationally. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 31

***

   

Jaygee's / Gurugee

Henna

Vrindavan Bazaar Goverdhan

 

Sold in the holy city of Vrindavan by Vrindavan Bazaar, who ship internationally under the name Hare Krshna Exports (not to be confused with Hare Krishna Das). There is uncertainty as to who makes the incense, or where. The sticks vary in production method and quality, so it is possible (likely?) that they are made by more than one operator. I've not yet found an incense maker in Vrindavan, though there is another outlet in the nearby town of Govardham - which sells incense and dhoop which it says it manufactures itself: Govardhan Wasi. There may be others. This Vrindavan incense is named after the town of Goverdhan because the local hill, Govardhan Hill, is where Krishna wandered with his brother. 

The charcoal paste has been machine extruded onto a smooth machine-cut bamboo splint, and then rolled thinly into a fragrant finishing powder. I've just reviewed some white label sticks made in Mumbai by the Incense Collective for the Nitiraj brand: Purple Champa and Laxmi, both of which were made in the same way. It is of course possible that these sticks were made by the Incense Collective, or some other white label maker, such as HMS or VNS, both in Pune. Who knows. Somebody knows. Who cares. Somebody cares. I'm curious, and slightly frustrated, but it is what it is. 

Scent on the stick is sandalwood, honey, and vanilla/benzoin. There's a mild cool volatility, and a faint sense of resin and rubber oil. It is an engaging, light, and attractive scent which leans toward being commercial, though also has a homely "incense" or "masala" quality which gives it some warmth. 

The scent on the burn is soft and attractive. Similar in many ways to the incense houses in Pune and to Incense Collective (previously Fair Trade).  There's a benzoin quality - vanilla and resin, with sandalwood, and a general sense of "incense". It is a delightful incense without being particularly special. Well made, somewhat well behaved, attractive, and - at a reasonably decent level - quite run of the mill for Indian masala incense. I like it. I'm not blown away, but this is a bloody good incense to have around the house, and is cheap as chips if you buy direct from Vrindavan. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 38

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Nitiraj (Fair Trade/Incense Collective) Laxmi

 

The goddess Laxmi is occasionally invoked in incense titles; and those Laxmi titled incenses I've tried have tended to be sweet and floral. And this Nitiraj branded incense follows the trend by also being sweet and floral.  Nitiraj branded incenses are made by the Mumbai based white label incense company Incense Collective, previously known as Fair Trade Incense Works, and are distributed in North America by Kheops International, in Australia by KO Shop Distributors, and  in the UK by Namaste. Fair Trade's incense tends to be machine extruded, professionally made, well behaved, and made to a budget. They tend to be acceptable, though lacking in interest or character. Gentle, safe, commercial. 

I like the scent on the stick. It is a pleasant blend of sandalwood and floral with some sweet caramel and a little sparkle of benzoin or vanilla. It smells more like a feminine body spray than an Indian incense - warm musk, a restrained hint of patchouli, and delicate late summer florals. Very likeable. Not sophisticated - just a pleasant, low cost, everyday young woman's body spray. And, yeah, there are soapy elements to the scent. 

The scent on the burn is very gentle - so gentle as to be almost unnoticeable. This is a scent for people who prefer quiet, understated, clean and safe incense. Perhaps more inclined toward Japanese than Indian, but are looking to explore what India has to offer. It does have the "incense" accord - touches of frankincense or mystikal - which puts people in touch with what India has to offer, without being too heady or wild or bold. A safe yet pleasant bet. I'm OK with this. It doesn't rock my world, and it is a tad expensive at the regular price of £5, but is quite a pleasant and acceptable burn. Essentially this incense smells like Teen Spirit, but it doesn't Smell Like Teen Spirit. I tend to prefer Nirvana over Mennen, but there is a place in my heart for a safe and pleasant  moment of teen or Laxmi spirit.  

Widely available from many regular incense outlets, such as $4.25 plus postage from Exotic Incense; £4.95 including postage from Incense Atelier on eBay; £3.98 "special offer" plus postage (£9.99) from Sacred Incense. [When I first posted this, it was pointed out that the Incense Atelier price included postage, while Sacred Incense did not. So I have corrected that. If buying amounts less than 10, then Incense Atelier works out a better deal; when buying more than 10, Sacred Incense works out the better deal, though only as long as the special offer is on.] 

Date: Nov 2025    Score: 31

***

Fair Trade Incense Works

Nitiraj (Fair Trade/Incense Collective) Purple Champa

  

Nitiraj is one of the brands made by the Incense Collective (formally Fair Trade Incense), a white label company who make incense for own brand incense dealers. Nitiraj is a brand name that originated in the UK with a then British distributor, Bombay Incense. [2025: Bombay Incense was run by members of the family who own Incense Collective, including Nitrin Bulsara, who, along with his brother Raj, gave their name to the Nitraj brand]  Rights to the distribution of the brand have been sold to a number of dealers, though I think the incense is still made in Mumbai by Fair Trade/Incense Collective - it is typical of Fair Trade. 

The charcoal paste has been machine extruded onto plain bamboo splints, and then rolled in a thin covering of fragrant melnoorva/masala powder. The scent on the stick is sweet and pleasant - light delicate florals, powdery caster sugar, caramel, and vanilla or benzoin are the main scent notes. It is an appealing and commercial fragrance accord.  There is an underlying woody or resinous note that adds some interest, though it is very faint. A quirky off-note is dried baby sick (it's actually quite cute, and is faint enough not to be unpleasant, but to add to the overall attraction of the accord).

It's a pleasant scent on the burn. Light touches of vanilla and lilac or lotus interwoven with resinous notes which perfumers would call "incense" and which most incense burners would find familiar as the basic masala scent - which would be informed by a resin such as benzoin or frankincense or resin fixative such as halmaddi. It's nice. There's not a lot going on, which I have found with other Fair Trade products, but it is nice. Professionally made with an eye on appealing to a Western market, though, for me, lacking in character or style, and fairly meagre (or careful or judicious) with the fragrant ingredients. There's nothing in here to offend (unless beige offends you), but there's equally nothing in here that would excite or interest someone who is familiar with Indian incense.  The scent is gentle and clean and safe with little in the way of chaos, so would have a wide appeal, especially among those who want an Indian incense, but are made nervous by the real thing. 

This Purple Champa comes from a set related to colours. The set is either being redesigned or being discontinued, as stocks are low, sold out, or discounted in various outlets. I couldn't find any stocks in a quick look in the US. In the UK they are available reduced from £5 to £3 from the main distributor Namaste; or on a multi-buy deal which reduces the price from £3.25 down to £2.60 if buying four or more from the Incense Atelier on eBay. 

Date: Nov 2025    Score: 28

***

Fair Trade Incense Works

Best of Champa

Reviewed in USA

Temple of Incense Big Cleanse

 

A chunky and resinous stick in the currently very popular and trending "resin-on-a-stick" style which appears to have originated with Fred Soll. Attractive and commercial sweet coconut scent on the stick, like a coconut scented shampoo or ice-cream. More like the the coconut ice-cream actually, as it is sweet and gourmandy rather than soapy. There's resins and some vanilla or benzoin notes. Overall an attractive and appealing perfumed smell. For a resin style stick, it disappointingly doesn't smell as natural or resinous as the others I've had.    

  

Available from ToI at £12 for a box of 12 sticks

Blurb: "Big cleanse incense sticks do exactly that, cleanse your home to a whole new level. Made from camphor, benzoin, frankincense and a mix of sacred woods and oils that are created especially to ‘BIG CLEANSE’ your home." 

There is an immediate resin hit on the burn, a little vague as to character, but distinctly resinous. A bit smoky, and a tad crude compared to other resin sticks I've had, but nevertheless attractive in a simplistic way. As the burn settles, the off notes fade, and there is a general resinous vibe, leaning toward frankincense - warm, gently citric, a mild woody sweetness. I'd like a bit more oomph, and if we're to burn resin on a stick, with the opportunity to blend, rather than burn resin direct on charcoal or a burner, then I'd like some interesting elements to enhance and contrast and develop a story, or just to give more pleasure. I like this, but it does underwhelm given that it is a resin on a stick, with all the opportunities that offers. Jeomra in Germany show what can be done with this style: Weihrauch Rose (Frankincense & Rose) is an awesome resin-on-a-stick. Pure Yemen Frankincense Incense Sticks are brilliant. New Age in California do attractive and very natural sticks, such as New Age Black Copal. And there's a number of companies in South America who are really stepping out with this style, such as Inca Aromas White Breu. Indian makers are giving the style a go, such as whoever made this, and Banjara. It's an interesting style, and worth looking into. This is an OK stick, and if you like it, it's worth checking some of the others. And if you didn't like it, don't dismiss the style, as you may find that some of the others are more to your taste.  

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 33

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA

Temple of Incense Bombay Blues

 

All the Temple of Incense sticks I've had have been pleasantly perfumed on the stick, most have been modestly dusted, and some have been extruded, such as this one. This stick is gently perfumed - quite herby, grassy, faintly resinous, intriguingly elusive; possibly the most interesting and sophisticated of the scent fragrances I've yet encountered from ToI. Generally they tend to be quite up front, sweet, and commercial - immediately likeable. This one doesn't quite have that immediate appeal, but instead has the more lasting and satisfying (for me) attraction of a fragrance that doesn't blurt everything out at once, but unfolds in a quiet, subtle, and interesting manner.  Over time the vanilla comes through, but in a benzoin manner rather than straight vanilla; though the herbaceous qualities are still present, hovering between a fresh lawn on a spring morning, glistening with dew, and a bag of home-grown marijuana. There's also milk chocolate and mint. The nature of the scent puts me in mind of some incenses by Naturveda, a Pondicherry based incense house. Indeed, thinking back, there was a Pondicherry quality to some of the other ToI incenses I've reviewed recently, some burned - a dry, twiggy quality, with the sense of re-used resin. 

  

Available from ToI at £10 for a box of 20 sticks
or from Exotic Incense for $13.50.

The ToI blurb is: "Bombay Blues incense sticks are best for relaxation. They’re very grounding, especially for those times of contentment and contemplation. The sun is setting and there’s finally a little space to think. Super zen, super chilled. Soft, dry with a sweet note. Light patchouli, geranium, khus and a lift of mint."  Khus is vetiver, which is used in perfume and incense as a fixative, though has a woody, earthy, musky quality of its own. I've only occasionally seen it named as an ingredient - though it may be used fairly frequently for its fragrance, but not identified as such because it has qualities akin to patchouli and amber and musk and woods. When I have seen it named, it has been in incenses, such as this Bombay Blues, aimed at the Western market. 

The fragrance on the burn is pleasant though modest. I find it very likeable and, as the blurb says, relaxing. For me it presents as a soft benzoin incense, touched with gentle woods and florals, that don't quite come into the open, but soften and enhance the benzoin. There's a lot to like about this Bombay Blues, and I suspect it's one that I would like even more with repeat burnings. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 36

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA