Incenso

I’ve recently developed a fondness for incense scents, so I chose a sample of this to be included in my latest Santa Maria Novella (SMN) order and was very excited to try it! I wasn’t disappointed. It really is a beautiful light liturgical incense, very evocative of an old European church where the incense just seems to faintly hang in the air. There’s also a woodsy and slightly smoky backbone to the fragrance that reminds me of the smell of old wood. As for reach/potency, like other SMN fragrances, this one stays fairly light. It’s not super heavy and “beast mode.” Incenso sticks fairly close to your skin, so it’s more of a fragrance for personal enjoyment. That being said, I sprayed this on the back of my neck and in my hair and I was getting pleasant whiffs of it over the next couple of hours at least, so it does create a nice little scent bubble. It lasted for about 5-6 hours. My only real complaint with this one is honestly the price. Over the past few years, SMN has entered the “eau de parfum” game (their traditional lineup has always consisted of eau de cologne concentrations), and they are certainly beautiful fragrances. But in my experience sampling a few, the EdPs seem to retain the simplicity and light sillage of the colognes, but they’re going for a much higher asking price. Incenso is one of those. It’s only available in 100 ml and (at the time of this review) for $275. SMN has some beautiful fragrances and I generally love them as a house, but I’m not sure this is worth $275, frankly, and I also wish more sizes were available as I don’t necessarily want to commit right away to a 100 ml bottle. That being said, yes it is a beautiful incense and I agree that it is worth sampling even if this is a scent profile you’re unsure about.

out of all the incenses ive tried, this is peak incense to me. as much as i like room 1015's purple mantra, it's a bit stuffy and has a definitely "old" smell to it (which i like in its own way). SMN's incenso, to me, is clean, clear, and well-defined. it feels like it's floating in the air rather than clinging to your nostrils. unlike ambra which imo doesnt perform like an EDP, i would say incenso actually does and ive had people actually pick up on it in passing, something that hasnt happened yet with ambra (not that a lack of compliments would stop me anyway because i can still smell both on myself at least). 10/10 scent but that price ... good thing i found a decant on etsy

Makes me feel like a gentleman leaving church with my top hat, overcoat, and pocket watch. Luxurious, wealthy, prestige. I can definitely see how people compare this to church incense and I agree but there’s enough of a difference that’s it’s not straight up incense. Overall a masterful blend and one of my favorites.

I keep coming back to this one, my collection has grown to 40+ bottles now and something about this one keeps pulling me back, if I had to give up all of them and keep just one it would be this for the winter. So luxurious and rich mhmmm my secret jem lol.

smells like heaven on my partner. envelops him in a warm plume of frankincense. i personally have too many smoky/spicy/incense-based fragrances to wear it myself, but it's his first of this kind, and we're both bewitched.

This is what I wanted Passage d'Enfer to smell like. Except this one actually lasts.

I don’t get the hate for this one! Sure it’s a little overpriced (not insanely so for 100 mL), but it’s a well constructed and interesting perfume. An opening of vetiver smoke parts to reveal a classic SMN rosewater accord accompanied by cypriol, cold spices, and airy frankincense (possibly Boswellia Serrata rather than Sacra). The rose feels at times cold, papery, a touch cosmetic (as is typical of SMN rose accords in my experience) and at times rich and jammy. The tart aspect of this sometimes jammy rose joins the sharp smoke and brisk spices such that they are indistinguishable, a single cold spike. I think it’s a really neat and interesting effect—and perhaps a nod to the brand’s Christian heritage: the bloom of glory in the briar of sacrifice, the wounds of Christ adorned with roses in the visions of St Gertrude. Further down the frankincense intensifies, and there is a more complex blend of spices and that vetiver waiting to say hi again, maybe even a little oakmoss? I get flashes of Marescialla (my signature SMN). Incenso more “modern” in feel than a lot of SMN offerings, at least in the opening phase, but it also contains accords that feel true to the brand. Modern here does not mean simplistic or predictable. I actually really love the way it twists that rose accord that afficianados of the brand will recognize into something completely new. It hasn’t yet captured my heart but who knows, it may ! I think this belongs just as much with modern metallic roses like la Fille de Berlin and Eau de Protection as it does with cold, modern incense fragrances like Tauer Incense Extreme. Of my recent explorations, it reminds me most of Zoologist Northern Cardinal (to which it compares MOST favorably). Performance feels comparable to the brand’s colognes (which I have always found to be more than adequate), but it’s difficult to judge as I’m applying from a spray sample provided by the LA boutique. A pleasant surprise. Do not believe the haters ! Edit: ok there’s not that much actual hate but can we please acknowledge that there is more we can say than “inoffensive” etc about this one?

I feel like an angel in Renaissance paintings whenever I wear this. A true incense, majestic and solemn, warm and rich. It's one of those perfumes that you have to test on skin to really get all of its facets to the surface. Projection is intimate which is fine by me; it's meant to intrigue, like a mystery one might not dare to explore. It's not unsettling like what I wish for, but I love that it isn't overwhelmingly balsamic like most other church-themed perfumes.

LISTEN! Usually the scent profile scares me. It’s a little too dark. But I smelled this in store and oh my goodness. I was just captivated. This is resinous and woody and enveloping; it’s intriguing and hypnotizing and smooth. Unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before. This paired with their magnolia ascent would be truly something to behold, I believe. And I don’t even like incense!

I'm always on the hunt for a replacement for the fabulous discontinued Fendi (1985); this scratches part of that itch - but it's drier (vetiver) and has less of a dark floral funk inside it - but very nice nonetheless. Incense, smoky green cypriol, cardamom...would also be great if you layered it over a rosy oud. Would wear this on the street in Rome.

need this as a candle or diffuser so bad. i don’t like it on skin

I really wanted to like this scent. When I first tried it the opening was amazing! It's sharp, herbaceous, resinous, very spicy and enchanting. It definitely lives up to the name Incenso. If that part could have lasted longer then fade to nothing I would quite happily spritz when needed. I love the natural notes in the beginning you can really detect them but the dry down is a let down for me. I prefer my scents to be more natural noted from start to finish, I work with natural scent myself and it's just a personal preference. The dry down smells synthetic, dirty playdoughy sickly musk and it took ages to wash off. I don't like a perfume that lingers longer than it should so I will stick to the original formulas of SMN that I like which do fade naturally. I really have not made friends with any of the new fragrances by SMN, they are over priced like many on the market today and lean towards the trendy synthetic nauseating aromachemicals. Do you think it could be a fixative in the base that has been used to make SMN scents last longer because I detect this icky dry down in Iris too. I know that many people complain that SMN scents have never lasted long so maybe it was a move to change that?

Reviewing sample from 2024. Incenso was launched in 2024. An oriental woody fragrance with heady spices. The spices are there from the start. Cardamon and pink pepper with undertones of leather. The spices are enhanced by the Nagarmotha ( cypriol) and grounded with resinous incense and dry vetiver at the base. This is not sweet, rather it is dry and spicy almost dusty as many of Santa Maria Novella fragrances tend to be. Quality- very good 3.5/5 Unisex Performance- stays intimate (it is an EDP) 4/5 I discovered Santa Maria Novella many years ago in their stunning medieval Profurmo-Farmaceutica in Florence. In addition to their fragrances, of which there were only a few at that time, I loved the skincare products as well as the Carta d'Armenia and the terracotta melograno which I still have. Do check them out. To me Incenso is reminiscent of an Eastern asian temple rather than a Christian church which is better represented by CDG Avignon, Trois , Sacreste and others. Nevertheless, this is an excellent totally unisex incense fragrance. Best for cooler weather - to wear in the mountains of Nepal and Tibet. 8/10

My experience of Incenso is the opposite of BudgiePoo below. I wasn’t that impressed with it when I first put it on my skin. It seemed scattered and missing some notes. I think I was expecting a liturgical incense accord but this opens as more of a cardamom-heavy classic masculine. But an hour later I was convinced I needed a bottle of this as it was projecting the most wonderful realistic scent of burning wood chips and incense, in a way I’d never encountered in a perfume before. Dry, rich and toasty. Maybe it was the heat? It was a sweltering day and the scent reallybloomed in the drydown when I entered a cooler interior. Definitely different than any incense fragrance I’ve tried. Edit: I wear a lot of incense fragrances especially in the winter and after buying this in July, it is now my #1 favorite of its’ kind. I wear this one at least once a week and it’s just a more interesting and satisfying wear than the rest. I love the balance of warm and cool tones in it and I love the rich, charred, luminous drydown. 4.5 out of 5.

Searched the internet for any samples of perfumes that people suggest smell like an Eastern Orthodox Church. Zagorsk is a close second to this, but not even that close. This was it after 20 something samples, and it performs better than the others I tried as well. One orthodox incense to rule them all! Just to name some I felt inferior- liturgie, Avignon, Lavs, reliqvia, a few adi ale van, reve d’ossian, relique, grimoire, bois d’encens, couple chapel factory, osang, a few other incense... for straight incense perfume it’s hard to beat sultan pasha pure incense or nankun kodo, but Eastern Orthodox following liturgy this is it.

This one gets kind of close to being interesting. Idk. Santa Maria novella feels like a confused label. Everything I’ve tried from them that I like is outshine in spades by other houses, and the stuff they’re famous for is pretty standard and unremarkable with poor performance. I appreciate the history but it seems they are having trouble carrying that legacy and making a product for modern audiences. And I’m a guerlain fanboy so it has nothing to do with me not liking something because it’s old. Shalimar is my signature scent and that’s l100 years old

I am in LOVE. It smells exactly like insense during mass. I feel like i’m kneeling in a pew and praying for forgiveness. It’s warm, sexy, and hypnotic. Perfect for goths, witches, or sexually confused priests. Can be fall/winter, but not inappropriate for a night in the summer. for people complaining about the price, consider that this is THE Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which has been in business since 1211. They have the right to be more expensive than bath and body works.

A suave frankincense fragrance paired with cold spices and Vetiver. It’s not a smoke bomb, the cardamom spices carry Incenso into a classic scent profile. There is a subtle pine and tree root like smell from cypriol. I have only tried it in cold rainy weather so far, but I believe Incenso may be a chameleon, able to work in both the cold and heat. I loved it and bought it at first sniff in the boutique as I had been eyeing it for a while since I was unable to find it second hand online.

I was sure I was not going to be impressed with Incenso. I could have bet money on it. That suddenly changed when I just randomly sprayed it at the beginning of a workout and I was stunned. I LOVE IT. I think it's so elegant and a perfect incense fragrance for warmer days. I have been looking for an incense fragrance for warmer days - something that was elegant and that would not choke me out throughout the day. I have definitely found it. This is just beautiful.

immediate and overwhelming blast of pink pepper. settles down to a sweet frankincense. sort of rootbeerish on me. im on the hunt for my perfect incense fragrance and this did nothing for me.

Opens up with a strong frankincense note, and dries down like Acqua di Parma's Colonia Intensa.