Opium incense scents

There are a number of incense which are called opium. I don't think that the name is intended to refer to the drug, but rather to the 1977 perfume  by Yves Saint Laurent.

Reviews

* = Reviews over five years old, so may not be reliable

Bhagvati Ppure Nagchampa
Black Opium
May 2017 - Score: 40*

Satya (BNG) Opium (PM)
Aug 2025 - Score: 38

Folkessence Trippy Hippy
Free Spirit (Opium Poppy) (P)
Sep 2025 - Score: 38

GR International 

Opium Incense Cones (P)

May 2018 - Score: 36*

Deepika Black Opium Masala Cones (P)
July 2022 - Score: 32

Temple of Aromas Black Opium (P)
Sep 2025 - Score: 31

Fumino Black Opium Cones (PM)
Oct 2024 - Score: 31 

Aromatika Ace Scents Opium (P)
Sep 2025 - Score: 29↓↓↑  

HEM Black Opium (P)
Nov 2024 - Score: 23 

Tree of Life Opium (P)
Oct 2013 - Score: 20*

Spiritual Sky Opium (P)
May 2013 - Score: 20*

   

Jaycia Passion Opium (P)
Sept 2023 - Score: 19↓

Balarama Divine Spirit - Opium (P)
 May 2013 - Score: 18* 

Reviews: 13 
Top score: 40 
Bottom: 18
Average: 27

***

Best Scents

Folkessence Trippy Hippy Free Spirit (Opium Poppy)

 

"The enchanting and magical scent of opium and blend of poppyseeds will exude confidence from within, giving you a sense of freedom...." Gosh. Sounds like a Chinese opium dealer enticing an addict with his wares. I've tried a few drugs in my youth, and I may well have smoked opium at some point, but if I did I can't recall the scent. Looking on the internet, and taking the first reliable source I could find, it appears that fresh cut opium smells like mown hay. This, though, smells like the Yves Saint Laurent perfume, Opium - a scent I do know, as we have a few bottles in the house. And, a scent that is occasionally used in Indian perfumed and masala incense. 

The scent on the stick is heady, sweet, a little cloying, perfumed, fresh, sharp, with hints of strawberries, and - now that it has been brought up - fresh cut grass. It's a delicious and beguiling scent that covers a lot of ground - there's honey and caramel and other delights in here to discover. It's like that jar of sweets at the fair - "Guess how many sweets in the jar, and you win the prize". Well, guess how many scents are in Free Spirit! 

When lit there is some initial black smoke. I don't know for certain, but I associate black smoke with DEP. But then again, my understanding is that most Indian incense uses DEP (masala incense as well). Incense would be too expensive, and probably too strong without it, as DEP dilutes the liquid fragrance into an affordable and workable solution. I tend to mention DEP in a casually derogatory fashion, as though it were the forced CO2 in beer. But the majority of folks like fizz in their beer, and unless they are drinking unfiltered beer, they will be drinking forced CO2. I find forced CO2 to be sharp and acidic, while the natural carbonation of unfiltered beer I find to be soft and wholesome. Can I actually tell, other than the black smoke, that an incense uses DEP? I'm not sure I can. Sometimes I think I can, but I don't know for sure. So DEP, then, is not as bad - to me - as forced carbonation. And millions of people don't just like forced carbonation, they actually prefer it, given the huge popularity of lager. So perhaps I should stop casually suggesting that DEP is present in an incense, as though it were an obvious evil. 

The scent on the burn is gentle, delicious, fragrant, and manages to evoke the scents on the stick. This is a pretty decent Opium incense. I like this. I like it a lot. But then I like Opium perfume, so I'm already halfway there in enjoying it. 

Date: Sept 2025    Score: 38

***

Folkessence

Opium

HEM Black Opium

 

I burned some Black Opium incense recently - Fumino Black Opium Cones - which I found quite pleasant. The scent is based on Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium, a variation of Opium, and cloning the perfume is a popular source for Indian incense.  I'm kinda into oils and perfumes at the moment, so I have some sample vials of Black Opium - it's one of our favourite scents at the moment. It's a lovely rounded, musky-vanilla accord, with plenty of activity - floral blossom, patchouli, woods, and faint, bright fresh coffee grounds (not espresso, but proper coffee). This HEM incense smells nothing like that. Sadly. 

The scent on the stick is bright, chemical, more toilet freshener than perfume. All top notes. Somewhat volatile. Not great. The scent on the burn is faint, slightly smoky, somewhat banal, generic perfumed-incense. It does settle into something vaguely musky, but there's not a lot going on here. And I'm getting nothing that resembles Black Opium. HEM are very inconsistent. This is one of their weaker efforts. 

Date: Nov 2024    Score: 23

***

HEM Corporation

Opium

Reviewed in Japan

Fumino Black Opium Premium Incense Cones

Well known perfumes, such as Yves Saint Laurent's Opium and Black Opium, are popular sources of scent in Indian incense, though the makers would never admit they are copying such incenses. But it's an easy way to attract attention and get sales. 

Fumino is the brand name of a British importer and online trader, Inbound To Anglia, who source the incense from India. While not certain, there are indications that the incense may be made by Vivasvan International of Bangalore, who trade as Garden Fresh. Though the company was founded too recently to be "third generation" as claimed in one of Fumino's blurbs. 

The scent on the cone is gently perfumed - spice (nutmeg, cinnamon), citric (orange), licorice, wood, floral. It's professional, well balanced, and pleasant. Some of those scents are in YSL's Black Opium. Each person will recognise and pull out other scents from this incense, and I suspect they will likely also be found in YSL's Black Opium. 

It's a moderately smoky cone with a reasonably assertive presence which I tend to favour. The scents on the burn kinda follow those on the cone, though there's more candy sweet tones, along with more wood and warmth. It's a decent, modern fragrance - quite enjoyable, without being exciting or interesting, or my sort of thing. I like modern scents in incense, though the main reason I burn incense is for the links to tradition, so modern scents are not holding my interest and touching my emotions now as much as they did when I first starting getting into incense just over ten years ago. 

On the whole a decent, good quality, modern style incense, but one that doesn't quite grab me. 

Date: Oct 2024   Score: 31

***

Fumino

Opium

 

Temple of Aromas Black Opium

 

Temple of Aromas is a new UK trader brand selling the same style of incense as the foil wrapped incense supplied by Zam Zam of London, and made by Balarama of Thailand; though the owner, Derrick, who sent me some samples, informs me that he makes the incense himself in London with "natural oils from around the globe". 

Black Opium is based on the 1977 Opium perfume by Yves Saint Laurent. I have reviewed several incenses which use the scent, and I generally like them. This is bang on target. A professionally made scent utilising decent synthetic aroma compounds to replicate Black Opium. There is some cool volatility on the stick, though not off-putting, as it feels appropriate, and also projects the aroma around the stick. Vanilla, milky coffee, white lilies come to the fore, underscored by white sandalwood. Nice. 

The scent on the burn mirrors very closely the scent on the stick, though initially the fragrance is wrapped in the smell of the smouldering wood paste. Balarama generally uses powders of cypress, tabu bark, and Chinese juniper, and there is a citric and pine note to the smouldering wood smell. Initially the fragrance accord is mild and delicate, but as the stick burns (and they do burn for a very long time) the scent builds up. If leaving the stick to burn down fully, depending on individual taste, it may help to have some decent fresh air flow in the room. As the burn progresses some other scents waft in and out, such as black cherry, and fermented fruit. All in all, an attractive incense which I like. 

The same or similar sticks under the brand name of Zam Zam can be bought in the UK from various places including direct from Zam Zam for £1.50. This Temple of Aromas branded stick can be bought from Temple of Aromas for £5. 

Date: Sept 2025    Score: 31

***

   

Foil wrapped incense

Opium

Temple of Aromas

Deepika Black Opium Masala Cones

 

Highly fragranced cone from Deepika. The pack does say masala, though this presents closer to a perfumed incense. I think the distinction between perfumed and masala incense blurs on occasion, as a number of masala incenses do use liquid scents - anything from essential oils, through perfumes, to DEP (or agarbatti oil). When a masala incense relies heavily on liquid scents I tend to refer to them as perfumed masala. 

Cones are harder to detect the difference between masala and perfumed because they tend to look the same as they are approximately made they same way: the ingredients are made into a moist paste, which is then shaped (by hand or by mould) into a cone and left to dry. 

I like the scent of this. It is not shy at making itself known, but is not loud or aggressive. It's an attractive, characterful scent. There are a number of opium or black opium scents. They are based on  the 1977 perfume  by Yves Saint Laurent. That this is based on a well known perfume indicates even more that this is a perfumed cone rather than a masala, despite what the box says (I have learned over the years to not accept indiscriminately as fact what an incense manufacturer says).

Date: July 2022     Score: 32

***

Deepika Fragrance

Opium incenses

Aromatika Ace Scents Opium

Fourth review  - scroll down for earlier

This is a fresh pack of Aromatika's Opium, though it's not the current pack design, so, even though sealed, the sticks were likely made a year or two ago and are not proper fresh. These are machine extruded perfumed sticks. The pack says "Natural Masala", which challenges my understanding of the way Indians use the term "masala". I see that the current packets (£1.25 a pack from JustAromatherapy) are being sold in hex packs, which are associated with perfumed incense, and the pack now says "Premium Incense Sticks", which is a common term for perfumed incense. But I also note that they are described on various websites as hand rolled. Well, perhaps the current ones are. But all the packs I've had since 2015 have been machine extruded. 

The scent on the stick is very attractive in a cheap perfume way. It is a fragrance step up from home-fresheners and clothes conditioners, and is quite acceptable. It is sweet, sherbet like, hints of Parma Violets,  a wisp of lavender, mostly top notes, but it has a musky awareness with elements of patchouli. It is soft and delightful. Quite floral and citric with that modest but exciting undertone of sexy musk. Yes. Nice. 

The scent on the burn is very similar to that on the stick, though softer and thinner with more space between the fragrance notes as though the accord is not holding together. It hovers around bergamot and lavender and wood - not musky woody fragrance notes, but thinner, sharper burning wood notes. On the whole it is a decent scent: delicate, exotic, Persian, though after the promise of the stick it is a little disappointing. I guess I would be more positive if I'd not engaged with the scent on the stick first. I am familiar with that gap in perfumed incense between the pleasure of the scent on the stick, and the drop in balance and quality of the scent on the burn, so I shouldn't be disappointed. Yet I still am. That  said, this is a nice incense. I'll be curious to try this in the new packaging to see if its the same, or if there has been some development to keep the scent on the burn more alive. I think it needs more fixative to protect the fragrance while it is being burned. 

Date: Sep 2025     Score: 29

Third review

Quiet, grey, sombre, perfumed scent on the stick. Tweed and cologne. A masculine, confident, well dressed woman. Whiff of slightly stale tobacco smoke and table polish. I like it. The scent on the burn is quite mild, sage, soft wood, musk. Yes, pleasant, though also fairly limited.  

Date: Dec 2024     Score: 27

Second review

A mild and pleasant perfumed stick. Machine extruded. The scent is kinda like furniture polish - a mix of beeswax and turps. It's mildly peppery. Pleasant, but modest. It's like a synthetic room freshener. Not unappealing, but neither is it seductive. It does the job. Fair enough. 

Date: April 2024    Score: 29 

First review

Machine made - very even, dried paste on a stick lightly tip dyed a beige/brown. The paste is dyed turquoise. Beautiful scent on the stick. Like perfume. Candy sweet with light touches of camphor, pine, honey and vanilla underpinned by suggestions of musk and sandalwood and patchouli. It's a fairly sophisticated and quite modern aroma based on the Opium perfume. There's a lot going on. Gentle citric tones, just vanishing. Hints of clove and cinnamon. Very nice. On burning, the base material is dominant, and the really delightful notes from the stick are not making themselves felt enough. Some of the base notes - the sandalwood and musk, come through, but the citric fruits and the spices are not quite there. It's certainly very pleasant, but there's a lack of strength and impact, and a lack of clarity and definition. This is certainly a more sophisticated and subtle scent than the Dragon Blood and the Frankincense & Myrrh from the same company, but the lack of impact makes it less appealing to me. It's nice, I like it. But it's not getting me excited. And in this area of modern, perfume-like incense, I think I prefer Cha Cha Dum Dum [now closed]. 


Date: May 2015  Score: 32

***

  Aromatika

Opium

GR International Opium Incense Cones

I quite like the incense GR International make. It's not grand or fussy, and is  perfume-dipped, but it's done professionally and with care. Solid, everyday incense to create a pleasant scent in your home. These cones are moulded with what appears to be a mix of charcoal and wood paste, and there's a volatile perfume which has been applied at some point in the process - this is normally done afterwards, in what is known as perfume-dipping,  though essential oils or a chemical compound can be added to the paste when being mixed, and either rolled onto the stick or shaped into cones.

The box is aimed at both the UK/USA and Italian markets, so one side is in English, and the other in Italian. There appears to be growing interest in incense in Italy as I have come across a few Italian distributors of premium masala incense such as Fiore d’Oriente, and Indian companies, such as GR, printing their incense packets in Italian. There is an attractive image of a woman playing a harp with a rose bush behind her. I note that the branding is now GR rather than GR International. And they have a new website GRIncense. Ah, and the similarity to SAC Sandesh, which I noted the other day, is made clearer, as they were both founded in 1970 by D.N.P. Guptha,  and they have the same address in Bangalore.

This is a pleasant musky everyday scent. It can be a little hot if placed too close, but at beyond arm's length it is a decent and attractive musky incense with notes of vanilla and white chocolate. It's a bit of a grower this one. Initially it's all about the sandalwood and especially the sweet musk, but there's also the high notes which are mildly flowery, balsamic, bergamot, quite summery. Yeah. I like this.  There are a number of incense which are called opium. I don't think that the name is intended to refer to the drug, but rather to the 1977 perfume  by Yves Saint Laurent.


Date: May 2018   Score: 36

***

Incense cones

GR International 

 

Opium

Satya (BNG) Opium

 

Opium is a reasonably popular incense scent, based on the 1977 perfume by Yves Saint Laurent.

The scent on the stick is gorgeous. Sweet and highly perfumed, feminine and sultry with a yummy musky and woody base and enlivened with vanilla and florals - it follows the tradition of Nag Champa in that it has a woody (sandalwood) base with floral top notes, but is a lot busier and more subtle and interesting than that standard Indian incense base. Very commercial and appealing, but also quite fascinating. A brilliant promise. 

The scent on the burn is surprisingly gentle and laid back. It takes its own sweet time to drift around the room and start to meet the promise on the stick. I like my incense to be quite bold and up front, and I tend to expect that of Indian incense in general. Satya is not the boldest of Indian incenses, though it's generally not shy either - usually saying hi quite early on in the burn. However, after a little while, it does come across, and is warm, spicy, sweet, with sandalwood and floral notes in harmony. There are hints of what is available on the stick, though over several burns it doesn't quite deliver that early promise. However, it is a sweet and attractive incense, and I like it a lot. There's subtle citric and fruit notes to keep it fresh and lively.

Even knowing that most perfumed incenses don't quite perform in the burn as they promise on the stick, so I do expect that the burn fragrance will underperform the stick fragrance, it is still a little disappointing that this one underperforms because the promise was so exciting. The burn hints at that thrilling promise, but falls so far sort, that there is a sad sigh in my heart.  


Date: Aug 2025 Score: 38

***

Satya (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya)

Opium

Sky Aromatherapy Variety Pack No. 1

 

Companion to Sky Aromatherapy Variety Pack No. 2 which I reviewed in March 2017. It appears I have had this pack since then, and it's time to dust it off and give it a review. I know that Sky incense products are still for sale, I see them now and again, and my review of the No 2 Variety Pack still gets readers. The sticks are made in Thailand for the Salco Group (who may have just gone out of business). There are four different fragrances - Sandalwood, Opium, Patchouli, and White Musk, each in their own packet, and the four packets are kept in another packet, which is tightly sealed, and has to be cut open. There is an April 2011 date inside the packet. 

The sticks are gaily coloured - very bright and cheerful. There is a light, delicate, fresh perfume on each of the sticks, but the scents are not distinctive. They smell pretty much the same, and I'm not interested enough to work at it to note any differences. 

The orange stick is White Musk. A synthetic scent created by Albert Baur in 1888, and much used since for its clean, inoffensive lines, which are very popular. The scent is clean and light, with an awareness of fresh linen, though also some scorched paper notes from the cheap wood paste used. I am more tolerant these days of such incense as I have burned a lot of Chinese and Japanese incense since 2017 when I reviewed Variety Pack No. 2. However, while I don't find the scent offensive, I don't find it especially pleasant or interesting. 

The green stick is Sandalwood. There's little if any sandalwood scent here. Some white wood, yes, but not fragrant. It's mainly a scorched paper smell. 

Red is Patchouli. Some volatility on the stick - cool, crisp, though more like vinegar than diamonds or frost. Perhaps something floral or linen-like. The scent on the burn is mild smoke.

The purple stick is Opium. Mild plum and musk notes, but mostly burning wood. 

While I am more tolerant of wood based Asian incenses these days, this is still a poor lot. Granted the sticks are old, but I can't imagine that even when fresh that this was a delightful product. Anyway, that's another packet removed from the current clutter on my desk. Given that we have plenty of room freshener type incense for the outhouse where we feed the cats, and much of that is actually quite pleasant, I think I'll skip the outhouse and put these straight in the bin. 

Date: Feb 2026   Score: 19/50

***

Variety Packs (3-in-1, etc)

Incense Around The World
(Thailand)

Jaycia Passion Opium

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

Running out of casual incense for the outhouse, I grab this everyday perfumed charcoal incense which is distributed by a UK wholesale company,  Jaycia, based in Birmingham.  It doesn't appear that the company distributes this anymore, but some sites, such as JustAromatherapy, still have stocks, so it's not quite a Vintage incense yet. It's not clear who makes this for Jaycia, but it is very basic bargain basement stuff. There is a crisp burning scent, with little awareness of the perfume that I found modest but pleasant two years ago. That is a particular down side to cheap perfumed charcoal incense, the scent evaporates quite quickly. 

This is basic stuff. The sticks are 10 inches long with 8 inches of hand rolled charcoal paste which has then been dipped in a chemical perfume. There is a claim of the use of "natural essential oils and medicinal herbs" with oils such as sandal, geranium, benzoin, etc, mentioned. Yeah, a few drops of oil in tub of diethyl phthalate (DEP) most likely. Cheap and nasty. Could have been made anywhere in Southeast Asia - quite possibly Vietnam. I'm not impressed. This is now more in the area of toilet cleaner than outhouse incense. I'll see what the cats think, and it it makes the outhouse too unpleasant, I'll just dump them. 

Not recommended. 


Date: Sept 2023   Score:  19 

First review

Perfume-dipped charcoal incense commissioned and distributed by a UK wholesaler, Jaycia.  

Modest but pleasant scent. Warm, almost seductive. It sits in the background, quietly dark and mysterious. It'll do as a gentle inoffensive room freshener, but little more than that. Could be used to subtly inform a room before a potential lover arrives. It's discreet enough not to draw attention to one's desire, but will help create the right atmosphere.

Date: Jan 2021   Score: 26

***

Opium

Passion by Jaycia