INCENSE INFORMATION

This article will answer the question, “what is incense made of?” There are many different types of incense, and each type is defined by what ingredients it is made from. Incense ingredients include natural plant-derived or animal-derived materials, essential oils, and now with the advances in technology, some incense includes artificial fragrances. The incense purist usually prefers incense made from natural materials over incense made from essential oils, and incense made from essential oils over incense using artificial fragrance.

Incense made from artificial fragrance is generally the cheapest incense. Incense made from natural materials is generally the most expensive and valued incense, with one particular natural incense (Agarwood) being worth more than its weight in gold. Essential Oil incense generally falls in between natural incense and artificial incense in terms of cost and desirability. Incense made from essential oils is sometimes considered to lack the aromatic complexity or authenticity of incense made from raw materials.

Natural Incense

Natural incense materials can be separated into plant-derived materials and animal-derived materials. These materials can be used in either direct or indirect burning incense. They are commonly used in religious ceremonies, and many of them are considered quite valuable.

Plant-derived incense can be further separated into woods and barks, seeds and fruits, resins and gums, leaves, roots and rhizomes, and flowers and buds.

Essential Oil Incense

An essential oil is any concentrated, hydrophobic liquid, usually having the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant from which it is obtained. Essential oils contain volatile aroma compounds and are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the “oil of” the plant material from which they were extracted. There are many different essential oils and, therefore, many different types of essential oil incense. Below is a partial list of essential oil incense:

Artificial Incense

Artificial fragrances are usually added to a base formed from charcoal powder, and are usually used in the cheapest forms of incense. Typically, artificial fragrance is used when there is no essential oil available from the plant that has the desired aroma. Below is a list of artificial fragrances used in incense.

   

Shortly after discovering fire itself, cavemen would have recognized that burning certain woods and herbs gave off pleasant smells.

The history of incense can be traced back to the beginning of civilization. It doesn’t take much deductive reasoning to conclude that not too long after discovering fire itself, primitive man would have discovered that burning certain woods and herbs produced pleasant smells. Incense artifacts thousands of years old have been discovered throughout the world and appear to be a part of virtually every culture.

Due to the differences in locally available ingredients and differences in local knowledge and tools, many different types and forms of incense have emerged in different parts of the world. Over time, different cultures and regions became associated with their own incense blends and processes. For example, Cinnamon and Juniper incense are associated with Tibetan Monks, while Agarwood and Sandalwood incense are associated with the Japanese.

Though the preference has always been for using local ingredients and manufacturing methods, the different styles and forms of incense eventually spread around the world as ancient trade routes opened up and as people knowledgeable in the art of incense, particularly clergy and physicians, migrated to different areas.

Trading in incense materials was a major part of commerce along ancient trade routes such as the famous Silk Road and the Frankincense Trail. Now with the modern transportation infrastructure, one can purchase any of the many different styles and forms of incense available from anywhere in the world. Some of the many styles of incense are Japanese incense, Tibetan incense, and Indian incense, while some of the many forms of incense are powdered incense, stick incense, and cone incense.

   

Though not many people over the age of five would ask the question, “What is incense?”, as most people have experienced incense directly or at least have a general understanding of what it is, this article aims to specifically define incense as a starting point to learn more about it.

“Incense” can refer to any substance that produces a pleasant fragrance when burned or to the actual perfume or smoke arising from such a substance when burned. The word “incense” can also be used as a verb meaning “to perfume with incense” or “to burn or offer incense”. The root of the word can be traced back to the Latin “incensus”, which means “to sacrifice” or “to burn”. The word has a very long history because the practice of burning natural substances to produce a pleasing aroma goes back thousands of years, and it stems from a word meaning “sacrifice” because the burning of incense has its roots in many religious ceremonies.

An array of incense sticks burning in a pot of ash

Any natural material that is originated from living organisms and produces a pleasing aroma when burned can be considered incense. With modern technology, some man-made synthetic compounds can also be used as incense, though most incense enthusiasts and purists prefer the scent and other properties of natural incense.

Besides its common use in religious ceremonies and spiritual rites, incense is also used in medicine and for its aesthetic values. Many people believe incense to have healing powers and anti-carcinogenic properties, though there is no scientific proof of this. Still many other people just enjoy the sensory delights of the many different smells that can be produced with incense.

Many cultures throughout the world use incense for various different reasons. Different regions of the world have their own types and blends of incense, as well as unique ways of producing and making the incense. The long history of incense, the many regional variations, and the advances in technology and manufacturing have all contributed to the huge selection of incense varieties and forms that we have today.