Olibanum

My colleague, a straight male, opened my office door to chat and stopped mid-sentence to say: "You smell divine!". I think I do too! Olibanum is deep, resinous, smoky and intoxicating. The overall effect is comforting but with an unusual and mystical edge. One might think of tar or petroleum, but in an utterly fetching way. Well-crafted incense based scents have a reverence to them and this is no exception. As it develops, an animalic funk comes through upon close sniffing, however, it's never off-putting. In fact it serves to link the holiness to humanity. There is only a subtle nod to the top notes (lemon? pine?), keeping Olibanum firmly planted in the earth like the trees from which this scent was made. Overall I would say this leans masculine, but would be right at home on a confident, creative and perhaps bohemian woman. This is what I personally look for in a fragrance. The quality of the entire Profumum Roma line is outstanding, owing to their high concentration of oils. Olibanum is my first purchase from the house but I could have gone a number of others. I'm head over heals in love and it seems like others around me are too!

#1779 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this decant from scentsplit.com. So far I’ve loved "Ambre Aurea”, “Patchouly” and “Santalum.” I didn’t like “Arso” or“Neroli.” “Olibanum” is a grand slam for me. The name tells you all you need to know. I have never encountered a scent where I found myself saying, “They went overboard with the incense and myrrh” and this won’t be the first. It’s what I loved about “Santalum”, and to cut to the chase, this is “Santalum”, but more so. Spicier, smokier, more powdery, all around gothic church and bishop’s robes. I’d save this for fall and winter. Office wear if you have the gravitas for it. Evening wear if you make no excuses for wearing what you enjoy. Stellar longevity and projection. Definite a buy for me. I have encountered scents where it thought ingredients were out of balance, making the scent too screechy, too sharp, too sweet, but I’ve never encountered an incense scent that I found “overpowering” though many require judicious application for use in tight spaces. That’s what I recommend here. Until you have some sense of this scent's potency, apply judiciously. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Opens up with a slightly citrusy effervescence, almost terpenic like freshly lacquered wood. Slightly resinous, and gets more resinous as it dries down. Kind of dry, and incense-y without really being very smoky. Almost has a bit of a cedarwood-ish "pencil shavings" vibe. Almost a bit of a camphor-ish brightness in the first couple of hours. Like most other Profumum Roma fragrances, it feels very natural, raw and rugged. Yet also smooth and refined. Mature and masculine. Austere. Longevity is crazy, even for Profumum Roma. After 4-5 hours it's still going strong but morphs into a more resinous and woody scent. This is also an example of how several Profumum Roma fragrances turn out very differently on skin than on a paper testing strip. On paper I first thought that this was kind of sharp, almost harsh, and felt like it lacked depth. On skin, however it really opened up and deepened and became much warmer. So yeah, when testing Profumum Roma fragrances, definitely try them on skin!

Profumum Olibanum is, as its name suggests, an incense-dominant fragrance, and one done very well. Smooth, strong incense dominate the scent. Mainly a combination of incense, sandalwood, and myrrh to my nose, surely this is a winter fragrance that leans masculine. I doubt I'd find myself wearing it in the summer heat. As with most Profumum fragrances I've tried, the care and quality of Olibanum is obvious. It reminds me of By Kilian Incense Oud in terms of both its incense dominance and smoothness, and especially since the orange blossom that some seem to find so apparent is so reticent in my own experience of the fragrance. Performance is unsurprisingly very strong, characteristic of the house, particularly its cold-weather-leaning offerings like this, Arso, Ambra Aurea, etc. Certainly full bottle worthy if I didn't already own By Kilian Incense Oud. 8 out of 10

(Second review after wearing this a lot more and owning a full bottle!) I like the opening, but I LOVE the drydown! The opening is quite fresh and a bit citrusy. This is where you can pick up on the orange blossom. As it dries down, it becomes more woody and resinous. Almost a bit peppery or cumin-like, with an overall vibe of fresh timber or sawdust. It doesn't smell "perfumey" at all, it feels very natural, raw and rugged. Both dirty and clean. The woody, resinous, peppery, almost-cumin-like aspect of the drydown can kinda give the impression of smelling a little bit sweaty. But, you know, like a nice, musky, inviting type of sweaty. This definitely isn't for everyone. But if you like smelling like raw olibanum resin and/or freshly cut lumber, then this is a real gem. Nothing else quite like it.

I was looking to smell like the incense that’s burned at a Catholic mass and this is it. Nothing more, nothing less, but in the most beautiful way possible. There’s no patchouli which is a huge plus for me. Even my husband thinks it smells just like incense, and he and I usually have wildly different interpretations of the same fragrance. My untrained nose picks up only slight myrrh and orange blossom (which I love anyway) but they’re not distinct notes, they just round out the incense. Seven hours in I pick up some cumin, the first time of which was only mildly alarming because it’s gone in an instant. Then it’s back to the heavenly meditativeness left by incense curls hours earlier. A must have if you love incense.

On me this is quite a simplistic fragrance. One huge wallop of myrhh at the start with the incense and sandalwood coming up close behind. Now, where the neroli is in this is a mystery for me. Neroli is not really a lightweight note but olibanum and incense are heaviy basenotes and I think its been drowned out. I think its the sandalwood note in the mix that is making this a particular love for me. I think its very unisex but then Im biased. My main loves are the balsamic and woody fragrances. Phenomanel longevity and big sillage. Somehow with woody and balsamic fragrances a big sillage is not quite as disturbing for others if perchance you are trapped in a full lift lol

Wow!!! I'm happy. So reading the review below as I post this and I got a bit of a green note in the opening too but generally this is thick with resinous spicy Myrrh and sandalwood. It's exactly what I'd pictured in my minds eye/nose so in that sense linear and predictable to a degree. I for one am glad, too often I look forward to a fragrance simply named after a note and it doesn't deliver that note as expected. Great dry down, superb quality only negative thing is that it's pricey stuff for something that isn't a complex composition. Only minor criticism really because I love Olibanum and any other incense resin lovers will love it too.

Olibanum, olibanum... my lovely fragrance. It inspired me to start lovely journey to the scents world. My first niche fragrance. I was collecting money to buy it for very long time. I remember for how long I was impressed that this is the best fragrance ever made. Heaven in the bottle. Since that time I never found better incense fragrance. I bought African olibanum to compare the smell and it is exact interpretation of it. There is no other fragrances that are full, deep mix of both olibanum resin and olibanum fume. Now I have my second bottle for special use... only for intimate time in my life.

A somber masculine leaning incense perfume. In this case like most Profumum offerlings, the note pyramid is deceptively simple. Just 3 more ingredients: Orange blossom, myrrh and a slight touch of sandalwood. The resulting juice is a simple yet dense, resinuous and warm fragrance that reflects the absolutely high quality of ingredients it contains. Long lasting with moderate to strong sillage and projection. Beautifully blended and frightfully expensive. However a lovely and very natural smelling and feeling perfume. Enjoy!

Sorry to shout, but in just one word: HEAVENLY. Insanely beautiful, if you truly love wood + incense + resins. Dry yet rich, airy yet intense. For me, as with other P Roma things, not as smoky as billed - it's lush and rounded, not at all sharp or acrid. Stunning. Had my nose glued to my wrist for hours. Can't express how much I love it. I wish it were even bigger - the first projection is extrovert but it mellows down and quiets down fast, to one of the most seductive skin scents I can imagine. Want, want, want.

my goodness, this is a longevity beast! an extremely smokey, slightly dusty incense with a hint of bitter orange in the beginning. the bitterness fades away during the drydown and resinous warmth takes lead, which makes it all the more alluring. do i think this is your typical church incense scent? no, there's something more raw and natural about it, almost earthy. absolutely love it!

This is quite niche, but a very good incense fragrance. I must admit, there is a slight accord of BO. I once wore this while grocery shopping and I noticed it while I was in the store. Slightly embarrassed I rushed home lol. That being said, I only wear this around the house, while I am alone and in deep meditative thoughts. There's something very spiritual about this one.

I get incense and warm woods. It’s quite bitter at first but mellows a little over time. It reminds me of the smell of a warm and well used sauna. A wonderful and comforting scent especially suited for the colder part of the year. Longevity is good and sillage is very good. Only downside is that it is very oily. You will glow and get oil stains on your clothes.

Best woody frankincense I've come across (Amouage, you should be jealous!). In the same ballpark as CdG Avignon and Armani Bois d'Encens, but this is rounder, fuller, more natural, lasts longer and has an absolutely gorgeous drydown. Warm and comforting. If you're a fan of the above named fragrances and haven't tried Olibanum you're missing out!

Fantastic fragrance, the shopkeeper told to me that it has a "green incense" note what is different from the other incenses that is used and that is why it has a kind of green, pine-fresh feeling, and not so much that dark churchy incense as others have. It is a meditative, deep, green forest kind of feeling for me.

Dirty and earthy incense. I get more vetiver and no orange blossom. Very earthy and is more masculine than feminine. It dries down to an Encre Noire type but much more appealing. Incense and vetiver are the key notes that I detect. Very long lasting with great projection.

Having a Manhattan in the rectory. Found this while on my search for the perfect "Catholic church incense" fragrance, though this isn't quite that. Olibanum, pungent bitter orange, and an acrid edge that others have compared to BO. Whatever it is, I love it.

One of the best fragrances I've smelled yet. I just got a bottle and I could wear this everyday. So resinous and beautiful! A perfect blend that just makes me feel amazing. I hold this fragrance in very high regard.

Extraordinary, realistic, impressive olibanum surrounded by orange blossom and waxed wood. It is just a masterpiece to me. Medieval cathedral inside - dinstinctive, intriguing, peaceful. One of my favourites.