Profumum Olibanum Eau de Parfum is an ode to incense, myrrh, and sandalwood with citrus that weaves in and out of the composition, sometimes asserting itself as tarter, more lemon-like and later on, more like orange blossoms with a sweet floral quality. Incense was the strongest player for most of the wear until the drydown where the creamy, smooth sandalwood brought it down to tendrils of smoked pine.
- top notes: incense
- heart notes: myrrh, orange blossom
- base notes: sandalwood
It opened with effervescent citrus and smoke that billowed across freshly sanded pine and kicked up its sawdust piles and pine needles strewn on the floor, giving the opening a dry, somewhat aromatic feel with a hint of lemon, though just managing not to call to mind cleaning products. It had a lighter, airier feel that eventually grew heavier, though never a dominating, heavy scent during its wear.
The incense was smoky and woodsy with resinous pine that had undertones of citrus and felt crisp. The intensify of the pine lessened as creamy, smooth sandalwood and more floral citrus came through and added a thin layer of sweetness.
Application
For testing, I used 1/3 of a 1ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. I purchased my sample January 2022.
Longevity
It lasted for six hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within two hours of wear.
Personal Thoughts
It felt like a “cooler” scent than I normally wear, which is something that fascinates with scents being “warmer” or “cooler” by scent alone. This was a much more wearable smoky fragrance for me, since it smelled more of resinous pine than blackened smoke. I enjoyed wearing it as a sample but don’t think it struck a chord with me to consider purchasing in the future.
Available Sizes
- 100ml for $275
- 18ml for $93 (harder to find size in the US)
- 0.7ml sample for $6