Incense Perfumum

Balenciaga's Incense Perfumum was an instant purchase for me the day after I first tried a collection of these large glossy old-world bottles in-store: a fizzy, lemony myrrh and frankincense to the nose with a beautiful resinous non-smoky note of Peru balsam detectable that's in between semi-fire roasted wood shavings and works well with amplifying one's heated skin musk but its more like black musk than the usual powdery white. What others haven't pointed out is there's no iso-e super or ambroxan detected here. To my nose, Incense Perfumum is thankfully smooth and not scratchy to my nose unlike Avignon by CdG. Bless the team responsible for a respectable wear to a communal-contemplative event with Incense Perfumum. You would think this fragrance would cut cost with its well-cut impression of a flacon, but its perfectly light enough and not barbecued or cooked meat at all (looking at Black by Comme des Garcons or Trudon's Revolution here.) Heavy enough to not fade into air either, Incense Perfumum is just right. Update: I love pairing the Perfumum with my Xerjoff Alexandria III, which gives a complete range of sweet soft buttery opera coat incensed musk to the Alexandria III rose-with-salted oud oil burner scent. Sadly, Alexandria III is becoming rarer and less produced and I sincerely hope they continue its production into the upcoming 2030s. The hyper-real evocations of fragrances in this post-IFRA era is what gives me hope for future olfactory art stuff. [FEB. 2026]

Incense Perfumum is my favourite from this new Balenciaga private collection. I bought a bottle right away, which is very unlike me. Firstly and most importantly, it’s not about incense (unlike the name suggests). So if a smouldering fume of church-like scent is what you’re expecting, don’t go for this. This is an antiqued bubble-bath that’s almost aldehydey and crystalline clean. In fact, the notes of Spanish labdanum with frankincense only add a resinous amber warmth to the fresh woody-green of the cedarwood. This is what The Dark Crystal would actually smell like as it’s precious, mysterious, powerful but translucent. At first sniff it reminded me of a bubble bath/shower gel which I buy in Spain called Classic MOUSSEL. It makes me wonder if Cristóbal himself has an olfactory memory of sinking into this same bath of blissful suds. Incense Perfumum is instantly classic, timeless, mature but clean. It was briefly my signature scent until the longevity of only a few hours got it bumped off my list.

Very beautiful frankincense perfume. Reminiscent of Comme Dea Garçons Incense Avignon but with less depth. In my opinion some aldehydes would go a long way in this perfume. I do love the classic church frankincense accompanied by the slight cedar to give off an authentic incense vibe, but I believe this could use some more depth.

yes, this is a smell of a church. but is it only the smell of a church? no. it is the scent that greets you when you step into a basement, or wander through the damp, stone corridors of an ancient palace or a mosque. so grateful to have a little pieces of this masterpiece.

Incense Perfumum calls to mind folded hands and beautiful whispered prayers, bathed in the glow and flicker of amber candlelight. Reverent and divine.

This isn’t a “churchy” incense, it’s a Gothic Cathedral incense, and it’s glorious. Really beautiful, I bought it after one sniff.

Absolutely photorealistic church like sent, grate for year round ware.

Purely from a smell perspective, this and the Le Dix reimagining are my favorites of the collection. This is a plesant, dry incense with a musky, ambery drydown. This, however, is essentially Avignon from CdG but not as good. Also in the same vein as Armani Prive Bois d'Encens and Le Labo's various incense-heavy molecular scents (Benjoin, Eucalyptus, Vetiver). I guess Avignon is a bit drier...this has more ambery sweetness. I'll wear my sample, but I don't need to go beyond that since those other, better options exist.

8/10 Un encens très chaud, faut vraiment aimer ça, ça tombe bien, j'adore.

I have hoped to be something special , groundbreaking... NOT really to be honest ! IT is is good , okay , a more friendly "approach" to incense. ( call it friendly or get to know..). IT opens indeed incesny and a bit smokey , not too dry or heavy ! Balsamic and sweet-musky after a while, it goes into a similar direction like Encens Suave from MP. I only got a 15 ml decant , and probably would never buy a 100 ml bottle. Would love though to test one day, the others from the line...

This is just a tad bit darker Nou Oliban.

I'm reviewing on this fragrance based on all the new perfumes because wow, ALL OF THESE ARE INTENSE. first off I went into the boutique to smell them, one by one on I went, on stirp and cap to nose. And I can only say one word - STRONG.. every single Balenciaga perfume is super intense and not really in a good way... they all smell dated to me, nothing really "new" or "exciting" but i think that's the point. maybe i would like them more if they all weren't so crazy strong... tbh a lot smelled like cleaner (this one in particular stood out to me the most, very weird, in your face. smells like a church that has been abandoned)

I’m a big fan of woody scent, such as TF Ebene Fume and Santal Blush. I thought I’m gonna love this one but I just can’t. It doesn’t smell like incense at all. It smells like an old bottle of lemon coca cola.

I was really excited about this release. I loved the packaging, the concept of the collection, the inspiration... Since I am obsessed with incense, myrrh and all church reminding scents of course I went for Incense Perfumum. Unfortunately I’m disappointed and I fully regret my purchase. Initially you smell smoke and incense, which I love, but also you feel the alcohol. It seems heavy in smoke but very quickly it turns into a musky soap, very soft. Projection is a light skin scent and in general, even though I use quite a lot on my skin and clothes... after half an hour it is no longer there. Just a vague note of a soapy veil if I push my nose closely to my skin... Also, the box and the cap look really cheap, nothing compared to the price or the presentation. In general I would say this seems like a replica made in China of what coulda/woulda/shoulda been!!!

The color of the juice combined with the name and bottle is incredible, but the scent is a letdown. It’s not that it’s bad, there just isn’t anything new or bold here. A boring aldehydic metallic incense fragrance. Maybe to people who have never smelled an incense fragrance it will be really cool, but people who are more seasoned will just get one of the thousands of other varieties of this style that are better. CdG Avignon, ELDO Rien, Zoologist Macaque Yuzu, and even Dior New Look or Tom Ford Bois Pacifique are more interesting than this release

"Punchy" opening with strong spice and olibanum. The more time passes the more mellow and soft it becomes. The olibanum is always present, mixed with slightly sweet amber. The amber here is more resinous, not vannilic, if that makes sense. Not awfully original, but it does smell nice, taking to account you like incense and "churchy" fragrances.

New look with a slightly less overbearing dose of c-12. A little darker and less crystalline. Still mainly just frankincense (Somalian). Longevity and performance is unfortunately abysmal. I really want to like it more because the bottle is so cool

Inconsequential take on a frankincense fragrance. Not meditative and calming, but aggressive. Better versions of this model have been done better elsewhere with more finesse.

A dry, dusty incense that smells kinda vintage, like flipping through a tattered bible in an old abandoned church.

Just sampling at the store. This is reminiscent of Gucci Pour Homme (2003).