Les Encens du Monde (Aromandise) – Karin – Perfumed Prince

Update: 2024-10-17 – added pictures

I received a few of these incense sticks in my first incense exchange, along with Moonlit Night, another of the six varieties of the Karin line.
They are sold in pretty little boxes of 30 sticks (12g), with an approximate burn time of 30 minutes. The price typically ranges between €9 and €13. A small porcelain tile holder is included, whose design is occasionally changing.

As is often the case, there is some ambiguity regarding the ingredients. Aromandise itself only describes the scent: “Its ambery, floral, and woody accords make its formula elegant and sensual.”
However, some shops do list ingredients: Cocus nucifera (coconut), Cercidiphyllum japonicum (Katsura tree), Anis stellata fructus (star anise), and honey; another shop additionally mentions Dryobalanops camphora.
For some reason, German retailers seem to be inconsistent about the name, with variations such as Prince Perfumé and Parfümliebender Prinz.

Perfumed Prince has a sweet, warm scent. Amber is indeed an excellent description. It also has a somewhat darker component that is vaguely in the vein of pipe tobacco. It’s the tobacco note sometimes found in perfumes: aromatic, slightly tart, and with a faint tendency towards acidity. I also detect a spicy note, which I initially thought was cinnamon, but in combination with the previously mentioned sour component, star anise makes a lot of sense.

I really love amber scents, and Perfumed Prince does smell excellent, but they are a bit too subtle for my taste. They are strong enough to leave an “idea” of the scent in a ventilated room, but that’s not quite enough for me. However, if you are looking for amber sticks that are relatively understated, Perfumed Prince might be just right for you.