Launched 2017, Agarbathi is part of Penhaligon's 'Trade Routes Collection', which was inspired by scents of the London docks at the turn of the 19th century, where ships carrying booze, fabric, spices, fruit and flowers from foreign lands would unload their treasures. Each fragrance in the collection was inspired by a different trade route and its origins in the 19th century. Agarbathi is an olfactive voyage to the temples of India.

Agarbathi, named for the brightly coloured incense sticks used in Hindu rituals, is an olfactory voyage to the temples of India.

It opens with bright bergamot followed by the woody scent of Palo Santo. Palo Santo is an aromatic holy wood with gorgeous fruity, balsamy, spicy, citrus and incensy aspects, and I get hints of them all here. Pink pepper amps up the spicy, herbal aspects of the Palo Santo while adding a rosy nuance. As it progresses, the smell of incense becomes woody and smoky and smells of ritual and ceremony in a way that keeps you present in the moment. And then, Agarbathi gets milky–sweet and a little spicy, like masala chai. It's the perfect counterpoint to the heady incense and the ideal way to usher in a note of jasmine. The jasmine here is sweet, opulent and indolic. It’s seductively fragrant and surprisingly fits in with a scent made for men. A base of fragrant woods anchors it all. Woody vetiver; milky, soft, creamy, sandalwood and the rich, warm, intensely balsamic aroma of Canadian fir. A suede accord adds a velvety, soft sensuality to the base.

Agarbathi dries down to a soft, spicy, incense, woody scent that stays close to the skin. This fragrance takes its time to develop fully, revealing itself over time, but the reward is so worth the waiting.  

Agarbathi is a beautifully composed men’s fragrance.

Notes: Bergamot, Palo Santo, pink pepper, incense, olibanum, milk accord, jasmine, vetiver, Mysore sandalwood, suede accord and Canadian Fir.