Monsoon Incense – White Musk & Rose

This pack was part of a generous selection of samples sent to me by Eugene Andrushchenko, owner of the brands Bhagwan and Monsoon Incense, in mid-2024. At that time, the brand was still called Good Incense.

A 15g pack contains approximately 13 sticks and costs €2.95, which comes to €0.23 per stick. They are 8″ (about 20.5cm) long and burn for approx. 40 minutes.

It took me a while to find the rose in this composition. I have to stand directly in front of an open window or burn the sticks outside to perceive the soft, very sweet rose scent. But even then, it’s not the kind of rose fragrance I like.
Indoors – no matter how well-ventilated – White Musk & Rose smell tart and soapy, a bit like the bitter taste you get when you accidentally inhale perfume mist through your mouth.
I associate “white musk” with a very soft, smooth, powdery, and subtly sweet musk scent that I find seductive. White Musk & Rose do have a musky aspect and are somewhat powdery, but I wouldn’t think of white musk when smelling them.
Now and then, a really unpleasant, iodine-like bitterness pops up, as if one of the ingredients in the sticks wasn’t properly blended.

Scents like this might be the reason I used to believe I disliked floral fragrances in general. There are certainly people who will like White Musk & Rose, but even outdoors, these sticks make it clear they weren’t made for me.

White Musk & Rose has been reviewed on ORS as well.