5 Ways To Identify High Quality Incense

The allure of incense spans continents and epochs, offering a sensory journey that transcends mere fragrance. 

Yet, in the labyrinth of incense offerings, not all incense is created equal. This article delves into the art of identifying high-quality incense, exploring five essential criteria that distinguish the sublime from the mundane. 

Whether you seek to enhance your meditation practice, elevate the ambience of your home, or simply indulge in sensory elegance, understanding these markers will help you to choose incense that resonates with true olfactory bliss. 

1. INGREDIENT LIST 

Ask for the ingredient list. The best incense is composed of pure plant matter: wood and herbs. Most incense on the market is scented with synthetic fragrance or essential oils and glued onto a stem, and will not deliver the therapeutic benefits it's designed for.

"Not a day has gone by when someone hasn't walked into Heartwood and said: I feel so calm in here - and it's all because of our most popular product," says Heartwood Founder Alex Wilson. 

"The difference between Heartwood's sandalwood incense and others on the market is that ours is made only of Heartwood from our sustainably farmed Indian sandalwood trees, which is ground down into a powder and bound together with Namu bark.

"The heartwood, found at the centre of the sandalwood trunk, is where all the fragrant and therapeutic properties reside. When inhaled, compounds known as santalols within the heartwood of sandalwood enter the blood stream and possess the ability to calm the nervous system and enhance focus,” says Alex

2. WHITE SMOKE 

Pure incense burns with a whiter smoke or an elegant 'cloud' as the ancients used to call it.

"Using only naturally fragrant wood is the most arduous way to produce incense, but it truly delivers the calming therapeutic benefits for which all incense is designed, delivering a beautiful white smoke," says Alex.

3. PRICE 

Authentic Indian sandalwood is almost extinct in the wild and takes up to 20 years to grow before it's harvested, which is why it is so expensive. If someone is selling sandalwood incense cheaply it’s probably too good to be true and you are buying a counterfeit product. 

4. AVOID BAMBOO

Look for a solid stick of pure rolled plant material. Avoid incense that is rolled onto a bamboo core, which is usually coated with an un-aromatic filler and then dipped in perfume or essential oils.

5. AVOID 'DIPPED' INCENSE

Most incense on the market is dipped in essential oils and synthetic fragrance, which may smell lovely, but will not offer the calming benefits that high quality incense is designed to deliver.