Tobacco
Labdanum
Somalian frankincense
Damask rose
Tonka bean
Indian tuberose
08/11/2025
ClaireV
958 Reviews
ClaireV
1
A quiet place of worship, more human in scale than you'd assume
Balsamo della Mecca is a veritable monolith of ancient resins, balsams, smoke, and incense, swallowing up any trace of delicate florals (tuberose) or vanilla in its composition. Despite the devotional connotations attached to this perfume (both professed and implied), it is not a straight-ahead, literal rendition of worship. This perfume possesses a human warmth that transcends cultural, religious, and language barriers.
The opening of the perfume, with its hoarse roar of smoky, dirty/tarry labdanum and hot, woody cinnamon or cloves, represents the overwhelming swell of noise and humanity in the Haj procession. Once the initial onslaught dies down, frankincense and precious woods come to the fore. Abundantly spiced, it is warm, woody, and inviting. The frankincense presents a different face here than it usually does - there are no lemony, astringent, or herbal qualities at all, instead it is the pleasantly stale, sourish air of a place where frankincense is burned all the time, just not right now. Joining this is a dry, smoky smell of oud wood chips, ancient books, resins kept in ornate little tins, and the pipe tobacco in a leather pouch. It is austere, dry, and smoky, but at the same time, filled with warmth (tonka, amber, resins) simmering just underneath the surface.
The opening of the perfume, with its hoarse roar of smoky, dirty/tarry labdanum and hot, woody cinnamon or cloves, represents the overwhelming swell of noise and humanity in the Haj procession. Once the initial onslaught dies down, frankincense and precious woods come to the fore. Abundantly spiced, it is warm, woody, and inviting. The frankincense presents a different face here than it usually does - there are no lemony, astringent, or herbal qualities at all, instead it is the pleasantly stale, sourish air of a place where frankincense is burned all the time, just not right now. Joining this is a dry, smoky smell of oud wood chips, ancient books, resins kept in ornate little tins, and the pipe tobacco in a leather pouch. It is austere, dry, and smoky, but at the same time, filled with warmth (tonka, amber, resins) simmering just underneath the surface.
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