Aromandise – encens ecologique: Palmarosa, Rose Geranium, Ylang-Ylang
You can read the main article about the encense ecologique line here, there you will also find information about prices and possible sources of supply (in Germany).
Aromandise‘s extremely friendly and helpful customer service provided me with a list of ingredients for all varieties of this line. Again, many thanks for that!
Palmarosa
Ingredients: wood powder, resins, natural minerals, palmarosa essential oil, balsam of Peru and geranium essential oil.
Palmarosa is one of those scents that I know by name but have no real idea of what it smells like – or should smell like. That’s why I borrowed palmarosa oil from my mother’s essential oil collection to familiarize myself with the scent. I also googled the matter. Palmarosa’s botanical name is Cymbopogon martinii. I always thought it was a flower, but it’s actually a grass from the lemongrass genus. It got its name due to its floral scent, which stems from the plant’s geraniol content.
I’m not particularly enthusiastic about the essential oil, but I find these incense sticks quite pleasant. The smell is fresh and floral, but also has something slightly powdery about it. For me, it gives a slight association with “white flowers”. At the same time, the freshness has something clearly green and, when diluted with air, develops an interesting, spicy note.
Rose Geranium
Ingredients: Plant powder, wood powder, benzoin resin, geranium essential oil.
Rose Geranium starts with a relatively generic base smell. As the scent evolves, the smell of roses or geranium becomes more and more noticeable until it almost completely covers up the base scent. I feel like I smell a hint of tart, tangy bitter orange oil in these incense sticks too, even though it’s not mentioned in the ingredient list.
I find many rose scents to be too sweet and obtrusive. Although Rose Geranium do not represent the most authentic rose scent, they are very pleasant. The sweetness doesn’t stand out, it doesn’t dominate. The scent character has a tendency towards herbaceous-green and the fruity, slightly tart note, which I think I identify as bitter orange, combines these two aspects and rounds them off.
In terms of strength, I find it also very pleasant. They are present but unobtrusive.
The cones were not included in the ingredients table that I received. This could mean that they have been discontinued.
I found the cones quite pleasant too (burnt outside). But from the second third of the cone onwards, the smell decreases in quality.
Ylang-Ylang
Ingredients: wood powder, benzoin resin, natural mineral, ylang-ylang essential oil.
Ylang-Ylang starts off very smoky and dull smelling, but then develops into a bright, nectar-sweet floral scent, heady and ethereal. The aroma has a fresh component that sometimes seems almost green. There’s a spiciness to it that I’ve noticed in other ylang-ylang incense sticks, but with these, it’s most pronounced.
The cones list as ingredients: wood powder, plant powder, natural mineral, Peruvian balsam, essential oil of bitter orange, palmarosa and ylang-ylang.
The Ylang-ylang cones smell more intense than the sticks. Unfortunately, I also start to pick up an ashy note with this variety very early on, which I even notice outside on the balcony.