What Is Natural Incense? A Beginner's Guide to Plant-Based Aromas

What Is Natural Incense? A Beginner's Guide to Plant-Based Aromas

What Is Natural Incense?

Natural incense refers to incense made solely from plant matter. That includes tree resins, gums, barks, spices, herbs, and other botanicals that release a pleasant scent when burned (fumigated). This type of incense is often called masala incense — a Hindi word meaning “mixed” — which describes the process of blending dried, powdered botanicals into an incense dough.

Natural incense is free from fire accelerants (like charcoal, saltpeter, or DPG) and synthetic fragrance oils. Much of the commercially available incense on the market has been dipped in perfume and produces noxious, overstated, and unnatural scents. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of what to avoid and why:

  • Charcoal: Used in cones and dipped sticks to accelerate burning; can release pollutants like carbon monoxide.
  • Saltpeter: A flame accelerant used in fireworks and gunpowder.
  • DPG (Dipropylene Glycol): A petrochemical solvent used to carry synthetic fragrance in dipped incense.
  • Fragrance Oils: Lab-made, artificial scents — different from essential oils, which are extracted directly from plant matter.
  • Sawdust: Often used in low-grade incense blanks, typically of dubious origin (these blanks look like “cattails").
  • Bamboo Sticks: Often treated with preservatives such as formaldehyde.

As with most things, price is usually a good indicator of quality. Natural incense is typically more expensive than synthetic alternatives — but well worth it. The aromas are softer, woodsier, and more subtle than dipped incense. That’s because what you’re experiencing is the true scent of plant matter under heat — similar to toasting spices on the stovetop to release their aroma (think clove, cinnamon, cardamom). It’s a world apart from burning a candle made with a synthetic oil meant to smell like those same spices.

Origins of Natural Incense

The story of incense is the story of human ritual and connection. We’ve been burning sacred resins and herbs for as long as we’ve had recorded history. Nearly every culture throughout time has some tradition of fumigation — burning aromatics for perfume (to mask odor), spiritual or religious ceremony, or funeral rites.

 

Incense Burner in the Form of a Female Head, Greek (Sculptor), 3rd century BCE (Hellenistic), The Walters Art Museum. CC0 1.0 Universal.

Visit any encyclopedic art museum, and you’ll likely find incense burners or censers from thousands of years ago.

Countries like Japan, China, and India — where Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, and Hinduism are most prominent — continue to produce and burn the most incense in the world today. You’ll find incense offerings burning constantly in temples and communal worship spaces. Incense is also widely used in homes for ancestor veneration, medicinal purposes, or simply as a daily ritual.

Burning incense at home is perhaps the most common modern use — whether as part of a morning routine, a meditation practice, or a way to reset the energy of a space.

Examples of Natural Incense Use

Some common examples of burning natural incense include:

Photo by Hard Broom. All rights reserved.  

  • Burning a sage or mugwort stick to clear your home
  • Warming frankincense resin in a censer
  • Burning oud or agarwood on charcoal
  • Using cones, sticks, coils, or rope incense for direct burning

Natural Incense Ingredients

Photo by Hard Broom. All rights reserved.  

Tree Barks & Wood Powders

Wood bark refers to the outer layer of tree stems and roots of woody plants. Common barks used in incense include:

  • Sandalwood (Southeast Asia)
  • Agarwood (Southeast Asia)
  • Makko (Asia)
  • Cedar (depends on species)

Resins

Resins (also gum and pitch) are produced by a range of trees when an incision is made in the bark. Not all trees produce this but some of the most common resins are:

  • Copal (Central America)
  • Frankincense (North Africa and India)
  • Myrrh (Somalia and Ethiopia)

Herbs, Flowers & Roots

Herbs refer to a wide variety of plants and botanicals often used for medicinal or culinary purposes. Common incense herbs include:

  • Patchouli (Southeast Asia and Africa)
  • Rosemary (widely available)
  • Mugwort (Europe and North America)
  • Vetiver root (Haiti and India)

While many flowers are too delicate to be burned directly, some exceptions include:

  • Lavender
  • Marigold

Spices

Spices are dried roots, seeds, stalks, and fruits used to add depth and complexity. Common spice ingredients include:

  • Clove (Indonesia)
  • Star Anise (Southwest China)
  • Cinnamon (India and Sri Lanka)

Purposes for Burning Incense

There are countless reasons to burn incense. Some use it to start the morning, pairing it with a cup of tea and a good book. Others incorporate it into a meditation or intention-setting practice. Whether you're working with the new moon or clearing lingering odors from your space, natural incense is always the better choice.

Explore Our Shop

Browse our selection of natural incense cones, from delicate blends like Bergamot, Rosemary, and Spruce to rich, complex scents like The Lovers. There’s something for every ritual and every mood.

 

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