Bakhoor: what it is and how to use it

Bakhoor is an incense from the Arab tradition: small pieces of wood, often oud, or resin mixtures soaked in fragrant oils, which are burned slowly to scent the home, clothes, and hair. It is a gesture of welcome: it is lit when guests arrive, or before leaving.

How to use it

1. A charcoal briquette is heated in the burner, called a mabkhara.
2. A small piece of bakhoor is placed on top.
3. The fragrant smoke rises: it is passed through the clothes, or left to spread in the room.

As with any flame, a well-ventilated room is required, and care should be taken with children and animals.

The Bakhoor perfume

Montale's Bakhoor is inspired by this ritual: smoky oud, saffron, and tanned leather, then cedar, vetiver, and sandalwood, and a base of ambergris and white musk. If you love incense but not the flame, it is a way to wear it.

And at home, without smoke?

A candle with olibanum, such as Trudon's Spiritus Sancti, creates the same atmosphere. Other ideas in scented candles and home fragrances. The style of Arab perfumes is told in Arab perfumes: what they are; oud in oud perfumes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bakhoor and incense?

Bakhoor is a type of incense: woods or mixtures soaked in fragrant oils, typical of the Arab tradition.

What does Montale's Bakhoor perfume smell like?

Smoky and woody: oud, saffron, and leather in the opening, woods in the heart, ambergris and musk on the base.