What Does Frankincense Smell Like? - Basenotes
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- Thread starter Thread starter FireSurfer
- Start date Start date Dec 22, 2011
- Tags Tags diy frankincense incense oils resins
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Go Next Last FFireSurfer
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Joined Mar 28, 2010 Messages 26 Reaction score 0 Asking "What does Frankincense smell like?" might seem strange to ask from someone who has burned tons of frankincense. Formerly all I could say was "Frankincense smells like frankincense" which describes absolutely nothing to someone who has never experienced the aroma. After pondering on the aroma I now say "Frankincense has a smell of pine and lemon combined with a dry woody aroma." Would others on this forum agree with me? What do you think frankincense smells like? One reason I ask this question is this: I have an incense formula in which I want the frankincense to be the dominant scent. However, no matter how much frankincense I add to the formula the other scents will not allow frankincense to be the dominant fragrance (I cannot reduce or eliminate the other scents for certain reasons other than fragrance for which they are included in the formula). I have tried adding frankincense CO2 oil and this helps, but it still is not strong enough. Also the oil seems to evaporate after some time passes. I have thought of trying a franknincense absolute. Do you think that would work? Does such a thing as "Concentrated frankincense" or "Concentrated frankincense oil" exist? By asking what frankincense smells like I am looking for the strongest notes in frankincense with the hope that I could accentuate it with a stronger resin. For example : If frankincense smells like pine and lemon, then I could add pine and lemon. Both of these scents are much stronger than frankincense and could boost the frankincense notes in the formula. In conclusion: (1)What do you think frankincense smells like? (2)How can I magnify the scent of frankincense in my formula? Thanks
Chris Bartlett
Basenotes Plus
Basenotes Plus
Joined Jul 17, 2011 Messages 4,116 Reaction score 138 You'll get some help in understanding what else frankincense smells like by looking at the single note thread on it. I've also given some thoughts on how you can go about creating a 'burning frankincense' scent in a perfume in this thread, which started out looking at whether it is present in Aventus. 
gido
Well-known member
Joined May 31, 2008 Messages 2,244 Reaction score 13 for the pine side, i would suggest cypress oil. also, i have found during some experiments that ionone beta can bolster the odor of olibanum. you could definitely try the absolute, in my opinion it smells more like the tears than the essential oil i have does. C 
Conni HD
Well-known member
Joined Jan 14, 2011 Messages 116 Reaction score 2 In my opinion, for frankincense counts the older the better ! I keep a ten years old frankincense resinoid, that smells like fresh lit church incense. Resinoids smell much better to me, more resinous like essential oils. The eo´s smell more fresh and have that piney lemon smell. I was so lucky to get some old frankincense resinoid from charabot. It is thick, sticky, very dark and smells like damp cellar, old church, earthy, piney, coniferous, old wood ( Oud ? ) and pepper. There is also something sweet in it, like dark chocolate and caramel. If you want to use aromachemicals, try oxyoctaline and ambrocenide or both in combination with frankincense resinoid. Conni Chris Bartlett
Basenotes Plus
Basenotes Plus Joined Jul 17, 2011 Messages 4,116 Reaction score 138 Agreed, I've said something in the the single note thread to that effect: my tiny remaining quantity of 30 year old olibanum essential oil is precious and very, very different from the fresh stuff: far more like the burning tears. Interesting choices on the aromachemical front too - dihydromyrcenol also works as an enhancer, but has become so ubiquitous that perhaps it's no-longer a good idea. To lengthen the dark wood/amber element I like norlimbanol: amazing stuff for longevity. 
orangeblossomspecial
Member
Joined Jan 27, 2011 Messages 17 Reaction score 0 It was on this board that someone said frankincense and rosemary reinforce each other, and I've experimented with that a little. Also I have a fragrance oil called "copal" from Save on Scents which smells much more like frankincense than their frankincense F.O. I have never smelled real copal resin but maybe that's something to incorporate in your incense? Chris Bartlett
Basenotes Plus
Basenotes Plus Joined Jul 17, 2011 Messages 4,116 Reaction score 138 The use of rosemary makes perfect sense: they have a lot of elements in common and work well together in fine fragrance. Copal is one of those terms with a fuzzy meaning - it is sometimes used generically to mean 'a hard tree resin' in which case it could include olibanum, myrrh and others - however usually it means the resin, often incorrectly called a gum, of South American origin and used in traditional ceremonials in some early SA cultures. It is also sometimes called 'young amber'. Even then, to my knowlege it can refer to several species of tree including Copariflora officinalis, Copaifera guibourthiana and Bureseru microphylla. I've not come across essential oil made from any of these but it should work in a similar way to steam distilling olibanum and yield a similar, but different oil. I imagine the resin could also be tinctured, though as I understand it is a sub-fossil, that might involve solvents other than just alcohol, such as acetone. Long story short, it should work very well in this context. Looking at the Save on Scents website however, what they are offering is a fragrance oil - so it will be a synthetic imitation, which is fine except that you don't know exactly what's gone into it and how that might combine with your other ingredients. F FireSurfer
Active member
Joined Mar 28, 2010 Messages 26 Reaction score 0 Thank you very much Chris and everyone else. Wow! What a plethora of information. This is very much appreciated. I will experiment with some of these suggestions. CCeridwen
Active member
Joined Jan 21, 2012 Messages 44 Reaction score 8 Mmmmmmmm frankincense - so so wonderful. You could make it smell warmer by adding a tiny amount of labdanum I suppose. A good frankincanse smells sweet, honey-like,woody, with some lemon top notes. TTallat
Well-known member
Joined Aug 28, 2012 Messages 89 Reaction score 2 it is posibul to ass some frankincense in rady made perfume oil so that my perfume last long. like........i have have a perfume oil of blue d chanel its a good oil but not very last longer does frankincense make it beater? as i have been told that its a good fixative (espashly for citrus perfumes)
David Ruskin
Well-known member
Joined May 28, 2009 Messages 11,997 Reaction score 6,908 There are many different Frankincenses, and all have different properties. Try mixing several together. Definitely get some Olibanum Absolute. Also, have you tried mixing a little Myrrh or Opoponax into your formula? For a more smoky, "burning" effect, there are a couple of products which are effectively cracked Olibanum. One called "Vieilles Eglises" which smells just like old churches. R Renegade
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Joined Jul 30, 2011 Messages 959 Reaction score 11 David, what is "cracked Olibanum"?
jsparla
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Joined Jun 5, 2011 Messages 855 Reaction score 34 David Ruskin said: For a more smoky, "burning" effect, there are a couple of products which are effectively cracked Olibanum. One called "Vieilles Eglises" which smells just like old churches. Click to expand...For this effect i also recommend this tincturing trick.
Worked for me! David Ruskin
Well-known member
Joined May 28, 2009 Messages 11,997 Reaction score 6,908 Renegade said: David, what is "cracked Olibanum"? Click to expand...Several resinous materials (including, Styrax, Olibanum and Labdanum) may be treated in such a way as to produce a smokier, darker version. I don't know how it is done, but it smells as if the material has been subjected to an almost destructive distillation (in the same way that Cade Oil, Birch Tar and Coal Tar are produced). It is not done to such an extent, but a rich, dark and definitely smoky note is produced. Look out for "Styrax pyrogene", for example R
Renegade
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Joined Jul 30, 2011 Messages 959 Reaction score 11 Oh, sounds fantastic.
pkiler
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Basenotes Plus Joined Dec 5, 2007 Messages 15,976 Reaction score 5,710 David, What Suppliers might you suggest that I ask about this Cracked Olibanum "Vieilles Eglises" type? Updated Editing: Since Frankincense is a distilled EO, the shorter the distillation time, the more topnote heavy the oil. Conversely, the Longer the Distillation time, the heavier it gets. Frankincense Absolute lasts longer than the EO. The Resinoid lasts longer still, (in all probability). And crushed, dissolved, strained (Tinctured really) Frankincense tears lasts long as well. Last edited: Apr 9, 2013 R Renegade
Well-known member
Joined Jul 30, 2011 Messages 959 Reaction score 11 I did some searching on this the other day and I found that Payan Bertrand offer a "pyrogenated" Olibanum essential oil, "obtained by special destructive distillation from olibanum gum". No description of the smell but it sounds like what we're talking about. pkiler
Basenotes Plus
Basenotes Plus Joined Dec 5, 2007 Messages 15,976 Reaction score 5,710 Renegade, Excellent Research, Thanks! 
Mark
Well-known member
Joined Jun 22, 2005 Messages 174 Reaction score 7 Renegade said: I did some searching on this the other day and I found that Payan Bertrand offer a "pyrogenated" Olibanum essential oil, "obtained by special destructive distillation from olibanum gum". No description of the smell but it sounds like what we're talking about. Click to expand...This sounds good, I wonder how it compares to choya loban and I wonder if it would be possible to try for a sample.
pkiler
Basenotes Plus
Basenotes Plus Joined Dec 5, 2007 Messages 15,976 Reaction score 5,710 Payan Bertrand is sending me samples of their pyrogenated Cracked Olibanum "Vieilles Eglises" Frankincense, Styrax, and a few others (some pyrogenated too...) that came to the mind of my USA Rep, when I told him I am looking for Leathery things for my line. I hadn't actually ever gotten him on the phone, but we must have known each other otherwise, since he already had my address, and knew me from my activity on LinkedIn forums as well. We also talked about the West Coast USA perfumers going crazy, Robertet, the Salon events, etc... A very nice Brit chap. Great Smoky Frankincense, I mean REALLY great Materials have been my quest for many years, maybe these will fit the bill. I got to smell some very nice frankincense at the Natural Products show in Los Angeles when Mike Storer and I went a month ago. I really want to give a Hand clap :thumbsup: to David and Renegade for helping my find this... - 1
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