The note of incense is an often-used fragrance note, best known for its lovely scent of smoke. Due to its common use, there are many fragrances that have an incense smell, but what are the best incense fragrances for men?
What Is The Note Of Incense And How Does It Smell
The note of incense is an interesting fragrance note, as it doesn’t really have a form. The note of incense is often referred to as the smoke of an incense stick, which has a noticeable and distinct scent.
In perfumery, this fragrance note can be used in many different ways. Even though the actual scent of incense sticks isn’t used that often, a smoky scent is. This smoky scent is referred to as the note of incense.
A smoky scent can add a lot of depth to a fragrance. It can give it a background scent that will make it a memorable and unique fragrance. However, on its own, the note of incense can be quite bland. Because of that, the note of incense is often supported by many other notes. Resinous notes, for example, go extremely well with a smoky scent. And so do woody notes or even sweet and boozy notes.
All in all, the note of incense is a beautiful fragrance note, responsible for making some fantastic fragrances. Below are the best incense fragrances for men, listed in no particular order!
1. Tom Ford Amber Absolute
Scent: Tom Ford Amber Absolute is a beautiful fragrance with a warm and smoky scent. This fragrance opens with a rich and warm scent of amber, creating a luxurious and elegant feel. A little while after the opening, a smoky hint of incense makes itself known, giving the fragrance a nice layer of depth. When this fragrance starts to dry down, a creamy, sweet scent of vanilla is added, as well as a few woody notes. These all come together to create a truly beautiful fragrance with a rich, elegant, and luxurious scent.
Notes: The notes of Tom Ford Amber Absolute are labdanum, olibanum, vanilla, incense, amber, and woody notes.
Best for: Tom Ford Amber Absolute is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the colder months. This fragrance has a warm and rich scent that would be a little too overpowering for the warmer months, but during the colder months, it’s perfect. During these colder months, this fragrance is great for casual everyday wear, but due to the elegant vibe, it also works great in a formal setting as well. Besides casual and formal wear, this is also a great fragrance to wear to a date or even to a night out. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
2. Bentley For Men Intense
Scent: Bentley For Men Intense is a gorgeous fragrance with a warm and rich scent. This fragrance opens with a truly beautiful and warm scent of rum, portraying a masculine and confident scent. A little while after the opening, some spicy notes make themselves known, adding to the warm and rich scent. Every now and then, there’s also a fresh scent peeking through, balancing out the rich and warm scent. All the while, there’s this smoky scent of incense in the background, leaving you with an overall elegant, luxurious, and rich fragrance.
Notes: The top notes of Bentley For Men Intense are bergamot, black pepper, and bay leaves. The middle notes are rum, woody notes, cinnamon, geranium, and clary sage. The base notes are patchouli, cedar, incense, benzoin, and leather.
Best for: Bentley For Men Intense is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the colder months. During these colder months, a warm, spicy, and boozy scent like this will provide you with a welcoming and luxurious feel. Due to the luxuriousness, this fragrance is perfect for formal occasions, but it also works great in a casual setting as well. You could even wear this on a night out or a date if you’d like. And the best part of this fragrance is the price. This fragrance will give you the best bang for your buck imaginable. If you’re interested, you can check out the current price over here on Amazon!
3. Amouage Interlude Man
Scent: Amouage Interlude Man is an absolutely fantastic fragrance with a strong and rich scent. This fragrance opens with a soft scent of citruses, supported by a bunch of resinous notes. These resinous notes provide the fragrance with a strong and slightly sweet scent but are balanced out by the citruses. After the opening, a smoky scent of incense makes itself known, as well as a warm scent of amber. These fit in perfectly with the resinous opening, leaving you with a truly fantastic fragrance that smells like pure confidence.
Notes: The top notes of Amouage Interlude Man are pepper, oregano, and bergamot. The middle notes are opoponax, labdanum, amber, and incense. The base notes are sandalwood, oud, patchouli, and leather.
Best for: Amouage Interlude Man is a truly gorgeous fragrance, but it is very strong. The strong scent makes it a great cold-weather fragrance, as the scent will easily pierce through the low temperatures. During the colder months, this fragrance is best worn in a casual setting. The strong scent of smokey resins might be a bit too strong for a formal setting, however, if you’re looking to grab the attention, this one’s great. And, if you apply lightly, you could also wear this fragrance to a date as well. As I mentioned before, this fragrance smells like pure confidence. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
4. Comme Des Garcons Black
Scent: Comme Des Garcons Black is a fantastic fragrance with a bold and smoky scent. This fragrance opens with a sweet and resinous scent, supported by a few spices. After a little while, a bunch of rich and dark notes are added, such as licorice and leather. From here on, a smoky scent of woods makes itself known, making the fragrance even more daring. In the base, an earthy scent of vetiver is present, leaving you with an overall dark and bold fragrance that actually smells really great.
Notes: The top notes of Comme Des Garcons Black are olibanum, incense, and black pepper. The middle notes are pepperwood, birch, licorice, and leather. The base notes are vetiver and cedar.
Best for: Comme Des Garcons Black is a great fragrance to wear during the colder months. This fragrance has a bold and dark scent that fits in best with the lower temperatures. During these colder months, this fragrance is best worn in a casual setting. Unlike some of the other bold fragrances on this list, this one is not appropriate for a formal or serious setting. Instead, you should wear this on a casual, relaxed day at home. Even though this fragrance smells fantastic, it might not be for everyone. However, if you’re a perfume lover, you’ll surely be intrigued by this one. If you’re interested in this bold and daring fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
5. Issey Miyake Nuit d’Issey
Scent: Issey Miyake Nuit d’Issey is a gorgeous fragrance with a smoky and aquatic scent. This fragrance opens with a slightly fresh scent of aquatics and citruses. Quickly added to this is a luxurious and high-quality scent of smoky incense, creating a gorgeous and interesting scent. After a little while, hints of leather make themselves known, giving the fragrance a rich and masculine feel. In the dry down, some woody notes start to appear, but this fragrance is mainly about the fresh and rich scent of smoke and leather.
Notes: The top notes of Issey Miyake Nuit d’Issey are grapefruit and bergamot. The middle notes are vetiver, spices, woody notes, pepper, and leather. The base notes are incense, ebony tree, patchouli, and tonka bean.
Best for: Issey Miyake Nuit d’Issey is a fantastic fragrance that you can easily wear during the colder, as well as the cooler months. Even though this fragrance is a bit fresh, the rich and strong notes definitely dominate, making it a little too strong for the summer. However, this does work great as a nighttime fragrance, as the summer nights area bit colder. Overall, this is a fantastic fragrance that’s best worn in a casual setting. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
6. Nasomatto Black Afgano
Scent: Nasomatto Black Afgano is a beautiful fragrance with a bold and rich scent. This fragrance opens with a slightly green scent, supported by a subtle hint of cannabis. Quickly after the opening, this fragrance becomes much darker. A smokiness starts to appear, courtesy of the note of incense, but there are also notes of tobacco and coffee, giving the fragrance a dark and rich feel. In the dry down, there’s even a hint of oud present, leaving you with an overall bold, daring, and most beautiful fragrance.
Notes: The top notes of Nasomatto Black Afgano are green notes and cannabis. The middle notes are tobacco, coffee, resins, and woody notes. The base notes are oud and incense.
Best for: Nasomatto Black Afgano is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the colder months. This fragrance has a strong and bold scent that would be way too strong for the warmer months. During the colder months, however, this fragrance can be perfect for a confident man. Due to the bold and daring scent, this fragrance has to be worn with confidence, otherwise, the fragrance will wear you. But, when you do wear it with confidence, you can honestly pull this off everywhere. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
7. Serge Lutens Gris Clair
Scent: Serge Lutens Gris Clair is a gorgeous fragrance with a fresh and aromatic scent of incense. This fragrance opens with a beautiful scent of fresh lavender and is immediately accompanied by a smoky scent of incense. This creates a rich and interesting scent that manages to stay fresh at the same time. After a little while, the fragrance becomes a bit powdery and there’s even an undertone of woody and earthy notes. This leaves you with a truly fantastic fragrance with a unique take on the note of incense.
Notes: The notes of Serge Lutens Gris Clair are lavender, incense, amber, tonka bean, iris, and woody notes.
Best for: Serge Lutens Gris Clair is a fantastic fragrance that you can easily wear all year long. This fragrance has a little bit of everything. It has the freshness of the lavender, the richness of the incense, and the powdery and woody undertone. This makes it appropriate for pretty much every season, as well as most occasions. This fragrance is great for the office but also works great in a casual setting as well. If you’re interested in this versatile fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
8. Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero
Scent: Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero is a fantastic fragrance with a rich scent of woods and incense. This fragrance immediately opens with a strong and bold scent of amber and tobacco, creating a warm and slightly sweet scent. Quickly after the opening, a bunch of woody notes are added, as well as the note of incense. These add a robust and smoky feel to the fragrance, making it even denser and richer. In the dry down, this strong scent mellows down a bit and becomes truly magnificent. Even though the opening is already great, the dry down is where its really at.
Notes: The top notes of Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero are myrtle, tobacco, amber, rosemary, cognac, and wormwood. The middle notes are sandalwood, iris, slate, cedar, ash, black locust honey, rosemary, and red rose. The base notes are oud, labdanum, camphor, vanilla, incense, oak, laurels, musk, vetiver, and cashmere musk.
Best for: Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero is a dense and bold fragrance that would be way too strong for the warmer months. During the colder months, however, it’s great. This would be the perfect fragrance for when you want to grab the attention or make sure you’re presence is noted. This could be either during a formal or casual setting, but you’ll be sure to grab the attention. However, do make sure you apply an appropriate amount, as this fragrance is quite strong. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
Should You Have An Incense Fragrance
Incense fragrances are fantastic fragrances. With their unique and attention-grabbing scents, these are the perfect fragrances to wear when you want to stand out. Even though owning an incense fragrance isn’t a necessity, it’s definitely worth exploring.
Most incense fragrances are best worn during the colder months, where the strong scent won’t be as overpowering. This makes an incense fragrance a great fragrance to supplement your winter fragrance collection. Adding one of the bold and attention-grabbing fragrances is definitely not something you’ll regret.
And an incense fragrance doesn’t have to be expensive either. Something like Issey Miyake Nuit d’Issey or Bentley For Men Intense is very affordable and still gives you that gorgeous incense feel. I’d recommend you take a good look at the fragrances listed above and see which of these incense fragrances would fit you perfectly!