Les Encens Du Monde (Aromandise) – Karin – Pearl

At the end of 2024, I lucked out by finding four varieties from this line on Kleinanzeigen for a price that, even with shipping, was still lower than buying a single new box. The previous owner liked the scents but wanted to sell them due to an upcoming move.

Since I wrote the first two reviews; I created an overview page for the Karin line, including price details and some additional information.
Pearl are ‘smokeless’ incense sticks. Another special feature of these sticks is their square profile. The hole in the included incense holder is large enough to comfortably hold this shape. With other holders that have a slightly tighter fit, you can usually still insert them carefully with gentle pressure.

Regarding the ingredients, I’ve found differing information.
Anandam lists coconut ash (Cocos nucifera), katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), sandalwood (Santalum album), tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), and “other natural aromatic ingredients“.
At the Aromandise shop, the description states: “Releases delicate floral accents of tuberose on an elegant base of white sandalwood, accompanied by the marine freshness of coumarin.”

For smokeless incense sticks, Pearl are relatively potent. The extremely low smoke output is generally achieved through a large proportion of high-quality charcoal, which allows the stick to burn very cleanly; however, this often results in a weaker scent.
Aromandise describes it as a “microcapsule technology that enables very little smoke emission.” Certain highly porous minerals could possibly be another element of this special formulation.

Pearl smells floral, fresh, and green to me, with a chlorophyll-like, piercing green note reminiscent of fresh foliage or grass, which aligns with the green tea mentioned by Anandam. Beyond that, I find the scent rather perfumey in a vaguely floral way. It’s not unpleasant, but I just can’t quite connect with it.

Interestingly, in my mother’s living room, an ambery and powdery note emerges; something I haven’t noticed in any of my rooms or at Max’s place (where I also tested them). Pearl comes across as noticeably rounder and more balanced there. The green note feels pleasantly fresh rather than sharp as it does in my space. The scent takes on a rather different character overall.
At Max’s place, Pearl smells particularly perfumed, which neither of us were thrilled about.

I find it difficult to recommend Pearl, as their scent profile seems highly dependent on the environment they are burned in. In any case, it’s quite a modern incense fragrance.
Since Pearl smells best at my mother’s place, they are now hers.