Incense City

AllSaints Incense City EDP opens with a moderate projection of sweet, incense, and woody notes. The opening is well-balanced, aromatic, projecting, and unique. The incense is a very prominent note, it comes across as smoky wood as opposed to church burning incense, it makes the fragrance slightly dark. The cypress and cedar add a pine-like, resinous, slightly smoky, slightly sweet, and balsamic, not as prominent as the incense but noticeable. In addition to the sweetness of the cypress. The fragrance has an unlisted sweet resinous accord that balances the incense, this note is evocative of amber, sweet, warm, and resinous. The fragrance does not have any significant opening to dry-down changes. Once AllSaints Incense City EDP has reached its full dry-down, it can be summarized as a moderate projection, sweet, ambery, and incense fragrance with woody, piney accords. The fragrance feels bold, casual, classy, commanding, dark, elegant, exotic, expensive, formal, fragrant, high-quality, masculine, mature, modern, mysterious, nicely-blended, nocturnal, resinous, refined, rich, smoky, sweet, unique, warm, woody, and very pleasant. CATEGORY: Woody Floral Musk (2018). BATCH REVIEWED: 2020. WOW RATING: 10/10. A great combination of notes creates a well-balanced resinous incense fragrance. DISLIKE RATING: 3/10. The incense is a prominent note. UNIQUENESS: 10/10. The combination of notes and resulting scent are unique. MASS APPEAL: 7/10. A fragrance is more suited for those that appreciate the incense as a note. The sweetness will make it appealing to others. PROJECTION: 4/10. Moderate, about 4 feet around the wearer. SILLAGE: 4/10. Moderate, about 4 feet behind the wearer. APPLICATION: 6 atomizations. LONGEVITY: 5/10. Good, about 5 hours, it projects well for 3 hours. SEASONS: Winter, fall, colder days, and climate-controlled environments. OCCASIONS: Formal events, outdoor gatherings, office, business, casual, holidays, clubbing. This is an office-friendly fragrance. VERSATILITY: 6/10. A great and versatile fragrance for cold weather. GENDER: Masculine, the incense note gives it a masculine character. AGES: 30 and above. The incense, although balanced with resinous sweetness, is traditionally a note for mature wearers. RECOMMENDATION: AllSaints Incense City EDP can be purchased for about $80. Its uniqueness and well-balanced notes make it a great buy for those that enjoy incense. BLIND-BUY: Yes, but only if you are familiar with its main notes. SIMILAR: These are examples of fragrances in the same genre. Amouage Interlude Man EDP is the darkest and greatest fragrance of this house; Amouage Memoir Men EDP is a more wearable dark fragrance with stronger green tones, and outstanding performance; Amouage Epic Man is a great incense, spicy, nutmeg, and leather fragrance; Chanel Les Exclusifs Sycomore EDP, this is a strong oud fragrance with moderate performance; John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider this fragrance is dark with incense, tobacco, and leather notes, but low performance; John Varvatos Dark Rebel is a more wearable woody, leathery, tobacco, spices, and boozy fragrance; Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomade EDP is a fantastic dark, incense, masculine fragrance but with low performance; Bvlgari Man In Black Men EDP is one of the best designer’s leather and dark fragrances, but lacks longevity; Mercedes-Benz Club Black Men EDT is superb, sweet vanilla, benzoin, smoky incense, and woody fragrance; Issey Miyake Nuit D’Issey Men EDT is a highly wearable dark, incense, and green fragrance, very affordable; Mancera Red Tobacco EDP is a strong projection, mildly sweet, ambery, tobacco, oud, cinnamon, and saffron fragrance; Mancera Hindu Kush is an incense, dark woods, and strong green accords fragrance; Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Intense is a pleasant dark, sweet, spicy, leather, smoke, and almond fragrance; Nasomatto Black Afgano is a potent, green, and incense fragrance; Tiziana Terenzi Ecstasy is patchouli, incense, woody, and floral fragrance; Chanel Egoiste Men EDT is bold, black tobacco, and woods fragrance; John Varvatos Oud Men EDP is a low projection dark tobacco, incense, oud, myrrh, and spices fragrance; Montale Full Incense is good wearable incense, dark woods, and green fragrance; AllSaints Incense City EDP is a very good, sweet, ambery, and incense fragrance. SUMMARY: A moderate projection, sweet, ambery, and incense fragrance with woody, piney accords. The fragrance feels bold, casual, classy, commanding, dark, elegant, exotic, expensive, formal, fragrant, high-quality, masculine, mature, modern, mysterious, nicely-blended, nocturnal, resinous, refined, rich, smoky, sweet, unique, warm, woody, and very pleasant.

Incense-heavy, but I would not call it churchy; the fragrance starts off strong on the incense note, but on my skin it settles into something almost gourmand and vanilla-like, with notes of fresh laundry. Smells like stick incense burning in a nice appartment —well-constructed brutalism, tropical houseplants. Incense City was my daily fragrance for about four years and I got many compliments wearing this. Probably more of a typical cold-weather scent profile, but I think its heavyness works well in the heat.

What a great bargain find! Smells like church, but warmer. Like smoky incense burning, mixed with that old wood smell you get in church. It reminds me of Serge Lutens Chergui, but without the honey/tobacco notes and with a significantly smaller price tag. It's easy to wear, and smells "different" enough but without the potential to overwhelm/scare people. Moderate sillage and moderate longevity, definitely unisex. I love it for a crisp autumn day.

I quite liked this one, just not on myself. The incense which I love, is front and center from start to finish, making this feel quite linear on my skin. It was very masculine on me as well. Longevity is good, lasted about 6 hours with a decent sillage. Update: Gifted my bottle to my partner, and my god this is fantastic on him. It’s not linear at all on his skin, so I think it was simply a better match for him instead.

I tried everything from the house today including popular ones like Sunset Riot, Metal Rain and Concrete. This was my favorite. This smells like really smooth incense along with papyrus even though it isn't listed. Linear but very nice. Reminds me of Bond Governors Island with amped up incense at a fraction of the price. Drydown is like Gucci Pour Homme 1. Performance is average. Scent 7.5/10 Performance 5/10

Holy grail of perfumes. God I love this. I think it's entirely nostalgia for me, as it smells exactly like church incense. There's something about wearing church incense to feel sexy that feels sacrilegious in a good way. I wish the performance of this was better, but frankly it's pretty manly so maybe it's for the best. Not complex and not strong, but I can't let go of this one.

Despite the name and some of the comments, I do not find this that incense heavy. Incense heavy frags are others, like Montale Incense something that I have and struggle to use. This has some sweat notes helping smooth down the overall smell and to my nose it is pleasing and relaxing.

Incienso suave medio cremoso y con buena duración y buena estela .ideal para otoño invierno.si te gustan los perfumes de incienso no dudes en comprarlo

Very gothic perfume... Something you'd wear at a beautiful abandoned French cathedral at night. Very heavy incense no musk at all.

This is not unisex at all. It does smell like JV dark rebel, unless you think that is unisex than you’re crazy!

The incense in that fragrance is beautiful! Definitely a masculine scent.

Happy to see this added to the database. It's exactly as stated, incense, churchy incense at that. It's unisex and both my husband and I have it in our rotation. If you like CDG Avignon, Penhaligon Elixir, or Xerjoff Zefiro, I think you will enjoy this. It's not the most amazing incense I've ever tried, nothing groundbreaking here, but for the price it was money well spent. I smell frankincense, labdanum and smoke. There's a sweetness to it which I believe to be amber. I've seen reviews that detect vanilla but I'm not smelling any. Wear time is average, on me about 5-6 hours, less so on my husband. He says he gets about 3 hours tops. Sillage is close to the skin, which I actually like. I can smell it on my husband from 1-2 feet away but it doesn't announce itself as you enter the room. I like it on hot days when I want incense but don't want to be smothered by it. This is not beast mode if that's what you're looking for. Nordstrom had a great price for the trio of All Saints perfumes and I bought two since the price was so good. It's an easygoing incense, incense-light you might say. It's a Parfum but smells and wears more like an EDT on both of us.

I was very lucky to pick this up at a warehouse sale where I get many of my fragrances. 3.4 fluid oz. bottle for only 20 dollars! I was immediately drawn to the name, considering I love to light incense around my house from time to time. I sprayed this on a paper strip, and I was completely shocked to find this smells almost (if not exactly) like Juicy Couture Dirty English for Men. I wore that quite a bit in high school, it was a staple of mine and I was so sad when I found out it had been discontinued (though just recently, it was made available on their website). I knew right then that I had to purchase this. It really smells like amber incense on me - sweet, powdery, smokey, and also a tad floral. Projection isn't super strong, and for the most part it stays fairly close to the skin. That being said, I do find it lasts for quite a while - at least 6-8 hours for me. If I spray it on my clothing, They tend to hold the scent even after a few washes. All in all, I am very happy with this perfume.

This to me is a modern, woody clean smokey powdered incense on cooled amber. It's having craft cocktails with a few good friends at a local new bar that no one knows about yet- industrial, concrete, repurposed wood and dimly lit with Edison bulbs. Your drink for the night is most likely a whisky sour with a sprig of herb or drop of bitters. Effortlessly cool, and unisex. Update: in the deeper dry down I get a prominent coumarin note, so I do like the beginning and mid much more. As it gets softer still its like the dry dry dry down of TF Vanille Fatale

Smoky incense, not like a church incense, more oriental style for sure. There are some woods in the base, but what I get is a lot of smoke, bit of incense and musk. I can see how the layering mentioned in the comment below could work very well - it has a potential to add smokey quality to your favourite fragrance. Standalone it actually doesnt stand out for me. Maybe I will try to use it to increase longevity of other more fleeting incense frags as the thing lasts pretty long albeit as a skin scent.

This isn’t a mind-blowing niche composition, but it is immensely likable. Woods, smoke and labdanum are balanced exactly as I want them, though none of these elements are rendered in a lot of detail. Allsaints’ Incense is great for when you want to smell good for other people, as it’s rich and mysterious, off the beaten path. Those who like incense fragrances will want to look elsewhere for a more “resin” experience, especially if you like distinct myrrh or frankincense.

Totally smoke show stopper. My October favourite- it just so perfect for autumn I refuse to let myself ware it any other month we of autumn because my other frags need love too. I love to pair this with and all white outfit because it compliments the sweetness of the resins but doesn’t over power the ever present and pungent smoke and give a sultry but danger vibe. The fragrance has strong and powerful longevity and projection it’s very unisex.

This is one lovely sweet incense fragrance that's just about perfect for daily wearing. Office safe, given its intrinsic intimate silage and, almost, inexistent projection. It layers perfectly with more profound fragrances like Afnan Supremacy Incense, for instance, giving depth to the incense note. ethereal and pleasant. Not the clerical type of smokey note, yet truly pleasant to my nose. For the price, it's a winner.

Dark woody incense with a hint of smokey sweetness Smells expensive but the downside is the longevity and sillage it's just sits on average Unisex fragrance both sexes can enjoy this and get away with it...

Wow, what a stunning fragrance. Incense is definitely very prominent. Good lasting power and very nice looking bottle. For this price is definitely worth it

I wish it was more incensy, churchy and smokey. All I get is tons of sandalwood, and it's not even mentioned in the notes xd

Very sweet incense, it’s really nice ! Definitely more of a skin scent.

I've been on the hunt for incense perfumes, and this is the cheapest one I have purchased; you can find it for around £20 these days, far reduced from the original £80. This is a masculine leaning unisex fragrance that really delivers on the potent incense note. It's smoky and woody, devoid of complexity but my desire was to smell like an old church, and this delivered. Admittedly, the first minute is just strong alcohol and I'm hopeful that will mellow as the bottle matures, but it doesn't last long and once it goes away there is a brief hit of cypress before it settles into woodsy incense, eventually mellowing into a muskier, cozier scent but doesnt lose the incense and cedar notes. It's a very gothic and mysterious fragrance, a definite head-turner because of how unusual it is - especially on a woman. Completely devoid of the notes you would typically find scenting a woman, nothing floral or gourmand, just smoke and antique wood. Edit: I received my bottle of Serge Lutens L'Orpheline and did a comparison of it to Incense City. If you do not want to spend Serge Lutens money on a fragrance but want a very similar scent, this is for you. Incense City is sharper, woodier, more synthetic, more masculine, and doesn't meld into the skin as beautifully as L'Orpheline, but it will tick that cold, incense, smoky scent box

Just another relatively non-descript, church-y incense fragrance with some smoky notes. Begins with cedar & balsam notes and morphs into incense with some rising smoke. The smokiness however, is not acrid & harsh like smokiness can be with other "incense" fragrances. This characteristic makes Incense City a tolerable wear, albeit a mediocre one. But in the end, Incense City is still a linear, church-y, incense fragrance with wafts of rising smoke. All-in-all, this is a pass. There are too many nicer & more complex incense fragrances out there for me to settle on this one.

Glad to see the Allsaints fragrances have been added to Fragrantica. I enjoy Incense City. The listed note breakdown is relatively minimal but it's a long lasting & well done "lit incense" solinote type of scent. As it opens I get a burst of realistic cedar, but it's present to bolster the smoky incense. Primarily olibanum alongside that cedar note as well as "smoky" musks. Smoke, dry amber, woods, with bitter, medicinal nuances. The longevity is pretty good for the price, about 6 hrs. There's lots of layering potential. Be creative.

I get warm incense, I get wood church pew; what I don't get is them blended together. I detect a vanilla note in the base, but that may be the synthetic wood note. Fades pretty quickly; 45 minutes on a swatch and it faded to next to nothing. I don't think this is good enough to be a reasonable substitute for more expensive incense scents, but your mileage may vary.

Again, I get a strong introduction from not so great ingredients, followed by a more subtle drydown. I don't get much of a sense of composition or dimension here, but then, I have high expectations, having been ruined by the great houses. My advice? Save your money for the best of the best.

Not incense by my definition. Wood fragrance for sure and it’s ok. It’s quite a powerful scent but if you want incense then move along as this is not it. Pay a bit more for Avignon by CDG and you will have the best incense.

Nothing spectacular, but easy to wear. It is linear incense and woodsy. There aren't florals. The incense is like a lighter version used in Dark Rebel and Interlude Man. The sillage subsides quickly.

Came in a trio pack, and maybe I haven't spent enough time with this, but its not for me. Its a pleasant scent but I wouldn't wear it and I don't have anything I would spray it on.

All 3 notes in a very simple way but contrasting one another. I don't get any musk. The incense is not very smoky, actually a little sweetened. There is a woodiness to this but it smells artificial, a little like pencil shavings (although it's not bad), and there's a slightly bitter green cypress note which actually smells like real cypress. It's interesting. Woody, smoky, sweet, and bitter all at the same time. Definitely masculine. From first sniff I like it. Despite only 3 main notes it feels like there's a lot going on, but it doesn't feel too complicated. In the far dry down it's mostly just wooden pencil shavings. I think what might put people off is the cypress note, it almost comes across a little acrid and metallic in the dry down, but personally I don't mind it. The performance pretty good. I sprayed a little on my arm and I've been getting whiffs of it for the last couple hours.

Very odd fragrance, at the start smells like an old leather jacket or incense at a church which I'd see why some people like this fragrance, but as it dries down starts reminding me of smelly socks... Very average sillage and performance, but can't complain when you can pick this up quite cheap

This fragrance is very off putting. it's an incense-heavy middle eastern style oriental that is not pleasant at all.

Oh well, it seems like my nose is insensitive to IncenseCity, or in a sense, has no incentive to smell the incense. But enough with the silly wordplay. All Saints Incense City was on my radar after reading @Ars Amatoria’s comment below saying its very similar to my beloved Serge Lutens L’Orpheline. I was on the verge of blindbuying it because i found it on a discounter for under 30 dollars. Luckily i found someone selling a sample bundle and it contained this aswell, infact it was one of the reasons i’ve purchased the bundle in the first place. Im glad i didn’t order a bottle because it would have been an unsuccesfull blindbuy. L’Orpheline is a composition of a few delicate accords that indeed create a sense of distance, of absence or forlornness, but its a “palpable” scent. The accords and notes, even if gentle and rather simplistic, are there. Incense City on the other hand is almost nothing, only a gentle molecular musk and a feeble woody note that reminds me...of all things...of a sublayer i detect in the original Boss Bottled. Perhaps its the cedarwood note that both have, but I insist on clarifying that they have nothing else in common. Hugo Boss Bottled is a more complex scent in comparition to Incense City and they only share this background musky/woody layer. I wish it had a strong cypress note because its one of my favourites, i can’t pick it up sadly, just as i cannot smell any smoke or much incense for that matter. L'Orpheline has more "body" even if its a ghostly, translucent one. I won’t rule out the possibility that i am incapable of properly perceiving the scent and im nose-blind to it. In that case, my opinion has no value.

I am Mexican-American and I burn incense on my spiritual/ancestral altar. White copal is my favorite as it lighter (myrrh, pinon, and black Mayan copal are heavier) and can even have some citrus notes. Incense City does not have white copal in it, but the lighter, cleaner incense scent reminds of white copal. I think it is the cedar in there. The combination of the incense and the cedar gives me all the feels because I sometimes add other elements to my burning copal (palo santo chips, cedar chips or leaves, and sweetgrass). There are no smokey accords like so many other incense fragrances. I generally don't like clean scents and I despise soapy scents. This is clean but not at all soapy. There are two fragrances that I like to wear while sitting at my altar: Incense City and Montale Full Incense. This scent is so spiritual and instantly calming.

This was my first incense fragrance that I bought blind and I must say it's a disappointment. For me there is no smokey burned incense or balsamic frank incense at all. This is not a bad fragrance but if I look at the All Saints rather bold rock&roll fashion collection this doesn't match with that image because this is a rather dull and non offensive fragrance. The incense note is toned down so much that it becomes almost a soft woody leathery fragrance. And the performance for an eau de parfum concentration is poor. You have to spray a lot to get some kind of sillage and longevity. I can imagine this is for a younger audience because it is not heavy and balsamic but almost childish and tame. I rather grab a bottle of Zadig&Voltaire Just Rock! because that frag rocks and rolls with a nice dark and sweet incense smell.

I really wanted to like this...but ... it's like they created one fragrance by mixing 2 very different fragrances together (a very feminine one and a very industrial one - something like Jovoy Rouge Assassin coupled with the smell of an old super 8 projector after the valves have warmed up and have started toasting the dust accumulated inside). The opening has a distinctive masculine note which recalls incense (and that is the note which resembles a super 8 projector, which I really really enjoy) however this disappears after half hour and what you are left with is a lipstick smell which lingers until the end. This is a bit like you have layered Jovoy's Rouge Assassin with La Liturgie. I am not convinced a man could pull off the dry-down ... I am a bit disappointed

I love this! I’m sure there are much more interesting and complex incense fragrances on the market but for the price, you really can’t beat it. It’s a very classic incense scent for me, it’s slightly sweet and animalic especially in warm weather but the scent itself is not at all warm, it’s a very cold smell like incense and cold concrete (yes, like a church). It’s beautiful both in the summer and winter time and while I’m not a big layerer of perfumes, this does layer beautifully to add a Smokey depth to some otherwise bland/fruity/freshies, or even to contrast something warm and Smokey with something a little cooler. When I’m not sure what to reach for, this is my go-to! Works for all seasons, all genders, day and night!

I love incense in fragrances. Encens Satin is my favourite incense of all time, so when I saw that others seem to think this smells similar, I knew I had to try it (especially given that you can buy a gift set right now for £20!!!). I got a sample from my local All Saints store and, wow. I have to say this is a huge let down for me. The opening smells of alcohol, followed by a creamy, woody, slightly sweet incense that lasts for about 5 minutes. After that it dries down to barely a skin scent and this rubbery, plasticky note comes through that reminds me of toys I would play with as a child. I hate to be so negative, maybe Allsaints frags just don't mix well with my chemistry.

I seriously wish it will get stonger with use, because it's beautiful. The titular incense is joined, then quickly overshadowed by a lovely cacophonia of balsamic accords. Nothing stands out, it's like a second skin to me, which may be the reason why I feel it too weak, it probably melts into my skin and nose. I'm really fascinated by this house. With most of their fragrances, the reviews are so all over the place, as if people were not smelling the same thing. It beckoned me to buy them blind, and they are really interesting. This is the kind of fragrance I would absolutely adore if it were stronger.

Despite the simplicity of the notes I can't stop smelling this one! My skin projects a smokey, woody incense almost neglecting the musk which I don't seem to mind. For this style of fragrance it is soft and delicate yet bold and seductive, a fragrance that is not mainstream yet not unique. It has niche qualities but there are elements missing, either way for the price I am very impressed. I feel that this would be perfect for Autumn mornings on a forest walk.

Definitely lives up to its name. Its a nice calming incense, smooth smell without the harsh “burning” stench..similar to a room where incense was lit, not the literal smell of burning incense. Slightly similar to Margiela’s whispers in the library minus the sweetness from the vanilla + stronger. It’s smells nice but idk if I would wear this as a perfume as a woman. MAYBE a guy can pull it off. Makes more sense as a room spray if you like the scent of incense.

Incense City opens up with clear, smoky frankincense, with a dry cedarwood base. Picture yourself in an old wooden church with a tar roof in Finland. This EDP is elegant, unisex, very well-balanced, and not too overpowering. It's not very long-lasting but affordable. A no-nonsense fragrance that you can wear anywhere.

Lovely unisex incense that works well for me on country walks. Think this one is really going to shine in autumn and winter. Picked my bottle up for £19 which is incredible for something that smells more niche than high street. I've had no trouble with longevity but I'm a heavy handed oversprayer.

In addition to the notes advertised I get an occasional waft of burning tires, a bit of florally clove-carnation, sandalwood, and amber. Masculine presenting. Dark and warm. Addicting.

I find this weirdly sweet...not what I was expecting. also lasts about 5 minutes.

I got a sample of this. It smells great!! It lasted all of 20 minutes. 😢 Sad

me like alot- but me not like price at all!