Aromatika – Ace Scents: Dragon Blood, Musk, Sandalwood Myyrh
These samples come from my friend and fellow blogger Steve. His reviews can be found here.
The brand Aromatika is sold here and there in Germany, but I couldn’t find the Ace Scents line (which isn’t much of a loss).
In my opinion, these are perfume-dipped incense sticks with a base of dyed wood powder. However, the packs in Steve’s photos read „Natural Masala Incense Sticks”.
Like probably many others, Steve describes incense sticks of this kind as ‘acceptable air fresheners’. I can’t really relate to that and would rather not have these smells in the house, which is why I test them outside on my balcony (and often find them unpleasant enough even there).
Unlike usual, I only gave myself one chance with each of these incense sticks. I couldn’t bring myself to do more.
Dragon Blood
The raw sticks smell like a liquid soap with a sweetish, maybe fruity, indefinable aroma.
Lit, it’s not much different. The smell is perfumey, powdery and sweet, with a certain woodiness that’s probably from the base material. Apart from that, it smells like a reed diffuser or similar: just very synthetic and obtrusive.
Musk
Raw, Musk smells even soapier than Dragon Blood. They’re also sweet, but in a different way, and have a note you could call fresh or clean.
Lit, I smell a woody note from the base, mixed with soapy cleanness.
I think they might smell similar to Aroma Valley – Musk, which I reviewed ages ago. Those also had a somewhat old-fashioned kinda vibe.
Back then I thought they were relatively good, but today I probably wouldn’t like them anymore.
Sandalwood Myyrh
The naming is amusing, but also painful. I don’t know how many times I’ve accidentally spelled the name correctly. Every time I have to type Myrrh as ‘Myyrh’, I die a little.
The cold throw is very perfumey and sweet, slightly piercing, but only a little soapy.
The burning sticks smell intense and extremely sweet. It’s a familiar, vanilla-like sweetness that I’ve already smelled in many ‘Chandan’ or sandalwood incense sticks. I can’t find any aspect reminiscent of myrrh in it – but then again, it is Myyrh; who knows what that smells like.
To me, these are the ‘best’ of this selection.
Conclusion:
While I had one of these sticks burning, two teenagers cycled past on the small gravel path behind our house, and one called out to the other: „Ew, it smells like perfume bullshit here!” 😂
I think that sums it up; I’ll let that stand as is.