When it comes to perfumes, I am a lover of niche fragrances. I often find myself gravitating towards the more under-the-radar fragrance notes, hunting them out like a (terribly chic) truffle pig let loose in a forest. It’s a task I take particular pride in, not least of all because there’s nothing quite like discovering an incredible new perfume.
It was on my quest to find a new winter perfume that I stumbled across a note that has since gone on to become my new obsession. And because I’m not one to gatekeep, I had to pass this knowledge on to you. If you’ve been skipping the best incense perfumes for fear that they were too rich, too intense, too powerful, allow me to change your mind. Because, yes, while some incense perfumes fall into this category, it’s actually a note that offers incredible variety, adding depth to many of your favourite fragrance families and elevating them somewhere unexpected.
“Incense fascinates me because it possesses an almost universal spiritual depth,” explained Bertrand Duchaufour, perfumer at L’Entropiste, when I questioned him about his love for incense fragrances. “It can be airy, mineral, smoky, resinous and luminous all at once.”
This is because incense isn’t a singular note. It can be achieved with resinous frankincense (often called olibanum), earthy myrrh or sweet patchouli. Alternatively, for those who prefer a more traditional take on incense — think that cool, sharp scent as you enter a church — there are fragrances which combine these aromatics with dry, wood and paper notes for a realistic finish. “Very few ingredients offer such richness and versatility,” Duchaufour continued, and it’s for this reason that I believe incense fragrances are seriously underrated.
To prove just how versatile the best incense fragrances can be, I’ve rounded up 9 of my favourites. And these scents fall into every camp, from creamy, comforting incense perfumes to zesty and bright iterations. Prepare to wonder how you ever spritzed without them…
The Best Incense Fragrances 2026
- Best Warming Incense Perfume: Carolina Herrera Gold Incense Eau de Parfum (£235)
- Best Traditional Incense Perfume: Balenciaga Incense Perfumum (£230)
- Best Clean Incense Perfume: Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum (£155)
- Best Creamy Incense Perfume: Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods Eau de Parfum (£145)
- Best Spicy Incense Perfume: Santa Maria Novella Incenso Eau de Parfum (£245)
1. Carolina Herrera Gold Incense
Best warming incense perfume
Key notes: Cinnamon, angelica, labdanum, incense, sandalwood
I’m not sure any incense scent feels more fitting for this time of year than Carolina Herrera’s Gold Incense. Combining warming amber with spicy cinnamon and angelica notes, it’s the perfect fragrance to cosy up with as the days draw in. For anyone looking for an introduction to incense fragrances, this is my top recommendation, as it’s subtle and sweet with a gentle kick of aromatic undertones.
2. Balenciaga Incense Perfumum
Best traditional incense perfume
Key notes: Frankicense, labdanum, cedarwood
If I asked you to imagine what an incense fragrance would smell like in its most traditional sense, you’d most likely be describing Balenciaga Incense. As the name suggests, it’s heavy with notes of frankincense and labdanum, which give this scent a sweet, almost sticky aroma that clings to your skin and clothes in the best way. While there is no booze in the notes, the blend feels reminiscent of a dark rum, left to age in a wooden barrel — sweet yet intense and powerful. This is a fragrance you can’t shy away from, and, to be honest, I’m not sure why you’d want to.
3. Diptyque Eau Duelle
Best vanilla incense perfume
Key notes: Bourbon vanilla, incense, cypriol, pink pepper
One of Diptyque‘s lesser-known fragrances, Eau Duelle is an incense-meets-vanilla fragrance that sits more on the fresh, green end of the perfume spectrum than your typical vanilla scent. For that reason, don’t dismiss it if you’re usually not a fan of the note. Alongside vanilla, you’ll find notes of juniper, which provides an almost pine-forest lushness, as well as pink pepper and, of course, a blend of smoky incense notes including elemi (another resinous note), olibanum and ambergris. Spritz this on fresh, clear blue mornings and I promise you’ll fall in love with it.
4. Byredo Gypsy Water
Best clean incense perfume
Key notes: Juniper, lemon, pine, incense, orris, sandalwood
This recommendation may not be quite as unexpected as the others on this list; after all Gypsy Water is one of Byredo’s best fragrances. However, did you know that incense was one of its notes? Alongside fresh juniper and lime, you’ll also find a blend of resinous aromatics which come together to create a fragrance that smells clean yet also has a slight bohemian edge. It’s a scent that’s always described as fresh yet mysterious, and now you know where that mystery comes from—it’s the incense.
5. L’Entropiste Altamura
Best fruity incense perfume
Key notes: Incense, sweet orange, Cointreau, amber
Combining notes of sweet orange, boozy Cointreau and smoky incense, L’Entropiste Altamura is, for me, a scent that embodies wintertime. It’s sweet and tangy, with a fizziness to it, but also dark and spicy at the same time. Think a Negroni or mulled wine sipped by the fire, distilled into a fragrance. A mature, fruity fragrance that screams sophistication.
6. Santa Marie Novella Incenso
Best spicy incense perfume
Key notes: Pink pepper, cardamom, frankincense, vetiver
Not only does Santa Maria Novella’s Incenso look like it belongs in a church, but it smells like it, too. A more traditional incense fragrance, it bursts open with spicy notes of pepper and cardamom before settling into heady frankincense and woody vetiver. This is an incense perfume that’s vibrant and alive with a vintage edge that lingers on the skin. It won’t be for everyone, but if you want to sample incense perfumes in all their glory, definitely give Incenso a go.
7. Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods
Best creamy incense perfume
Key notes: Saffron, cinnamon, jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood, olibanum
If you’re a lover of vanilla perfumes, this one takes it up a notch. While at its heart it’s sweet and creamy as you’d expect, sitting alongside the typical notes of vanilla and sandalwood, you’ll also find a hint of spicy saffron and resinous olibanum. The result is a vanilla scent that is a little more grown-up than many of the gourmand vanillas currently available, and that’s perfect for this time of year when the nights get darker and we’re drawn to perfumes that feel a little more moody.
8. Memo Paris Palais Bourbon
Best powerful incense perfume
Key notes: Incense, cardamom, oud, patchouli, vanilla, vetiver
Memo Paris is a fragrance house that’s not afraid to push the boundaries, and that’s exactly what they’ve done with Palais Bourbon. Inspired by the French Assembly, it’s a scent that brings together three distinctive notes in the form of cardamom, vanilla and oud and makes them sing. The combining element? Notes of patchouli and incense. This is a fragrance that’s strong in its approach, but also smooth.
9. Penhaligon’s The Bewitching Yasmine
Best sensual incense perfume
Key notes: Cardamom, coffee, jasmine, fir, incense, oud
Penhaligon’s The Bewitching Yasmine is so expertly blended that on the first spritz you may not even realise that it’s an incense fragrance at all. It opens smoothly with notes of jasmine, fir and coffee, which combine to smell both fresh and almost fruity at the same time (I know, it sounds like it shouldn’t work, but trust me, it does). Once it settles on the skin, however, the incense creeps in, and alongside the opulent oud base, they work to elevate this fragrance into something richer. To me, this is the perfect date night fragrance. A scent that you catch a hint of and want to smell more of.
How We Tested
As a beauty editor with a love of perfumes, I make it my business to hunt out the best and most interesting scents around. Each of the fragrances on this list has been put through its paces, not only for scent, but also for longevity, sillage and wearability, so you can trust that each fragrance included really is the best of the best.
Why Trust Us
At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products over the years—spanning skincare, makeup, hair and nails—and work closely with trusted experts including dermatologists, makeup artists and leading industry insiders to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.
