Ceremony

Ceremony’s an unnerving fragrance—largely because it contains a heavily diluted version of the original Incense, presenting it in an entirely doctored form that’s completely alien from what we know the original to be. The crunchy myrrh and ashy copal are flanked in this version by a turpenic pine note, lending it a fresh, chilly aspect and creating the distinct impression of space. Whereas the original pummels you into merciful submission, Ceremony is considerably more sedate—and, as a result, is a more contemplative a scent overall. It sits somewhere between Avignon and Kyoto on the CdG Series 3 scale, but it’s a descendent of Incense first and foremost, the pine notes acting as a crystalline lens through which to analyze the original in systematic detail. It’s more vivid an incense simply because both the scent and the wearer can actually breathe. If you were to take the original and create one of those green-on-black hologram cards from it, Ceremony is what you’d end up with. The problem with Ceremony is that, in total divergence to Incense, it’s gone within an hour—even sooner when not sprayed on fabric. It’s scents like this that make those massive 500ml Norma Kamali flasks seem warranted as this is a perfume you could easily respray as needed or use as a kind of Demeter-esque pick-me-up—you could never do that with the original Incense. Consequently, Ceremony might be read as more brisk and invigorating with none of the oppressive weight of the original. And while Incense remains a top-ten scent for me (and probably the touchstone of the whole incense genre), Ceremony would give it a serious run for its money if it were just a tad less fleeting and a little easier to track down.