Incense Perfumes

Olibanic acids: the secret of the church scent

Frankincense, also called olibanum, is the dried resin of several Boswellia species – such as Boswellia sacra from Oman and Somalia or Boswellia papyrifera from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. The trees start producing resin at around eight to ten years old, and it is harvested two to three times a year. The essential oil is rich in α- and β-pinene (C₁₀H₁₆). In 2016, researchers in Nice identified two previously unknown molecules, the olibanic acids, which contribute to the typical ‘old church’ scent – from three kilograms of frankincense they obtained just one milligram of them.

In a fragrance, incense changes with its companions: with citrus and pepper it feels airy and modern, with myrrh and labdanum warm and sacred, with oud, leather and woods smoky and dark. Incense fragrances seem made for autumn and winter, though fresh interpretations also suit cool summer evenings.

In this edit, incense shapes the fragrance – in its name, in the opening, at the heart or as a resinous base.