The Note That Makes a Fragrance Smell Serious
If you have ever sprayed a fragrance and thought “that smells far more refined than I expected”, there is a decent chance resin is why. Frankincense is the single most reliable way to make a composition read serious rather than sweet.
Frankincense and olibanum are the same resin: dry, peppery, slightly citrusy and coolly smoky. Incense is a category rather than a material, and can mean frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, styrax or a synthetic smoke. In the Lattafa range, 1505 Watch and Art of Arabia III give you the most resin, but both are currently out of stock. Of the bottles we have in, Qaed Al Fursan Untamed (£11.99) is the easiest way in, with frankincense under cinnamon and caramel, and Emeer (£28.99) is the dry, formal one, with olibanum threaded through white tea and sandalwood.
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Frankincense is also one of the most confusingly labelled notes in perfumery. Here is what the words actually mean, what the three sub-styles smell like, and which Lattafa bottles give you the most of it.
Olibanum vs Frankincense vs Incense
Why Resins Read “Expensive”
Three reasons, and none of them is marketing.
Three Sub-Styles, Three Shopping Paths
Frankincense rarely appears alone. What it is paired with decides which of these three you are buying.
| Style | Smells like | Most resin (out of stock) | Buy now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry incense | Resin with nothing sweet under it. Cool, peppery, formal: the most “grown-up” reading. | Mishlah | Emeer · Musamam |
| Sweet incense | Resin over caramel, vanilla, dates or benzoin. Warm and enveloping: the easiest way in. | Art of Arabia III | Qaed Al Fursan Untamed |
| Smoky incense | Resin pushed toward tar and burnt wood with styrax, cypriol or guaiac. The most polarising. | 1505 Watch | Khamrah Dukhan, a softer incense haze over sweet tobacco |
The Frankincense Lattafa We Have In Stock
Two bottles from our ranking below are in stock now, plus three more where incense or resin is a named note and does real work in the drydown.
Seven Lattafa Resins, Ranked by How Much You Get
How far the resin dominates the composition, based on where it sits in the pyramid and what it is competing with. Royal Scents assessment, August 2026. Stock checked September 2026.
| Fragrance | Style | How much resin | Where the resin sits | At Royal Scents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1505 Watch | Smoky | Resin is the point | Olibanum in the heart; balsam, styrax, cypriol and guaiac in the base | Out of stock |
| Art of Arabia III | Sweet | Very resinous | Frankincense at the top; myrrh and labdanum in the base | Out of stock |
| Al Dana | Fresh | Strong | Olibanum in the heart under citrus and pineapple | Out of stock |
| Creative Art | Sweet | Strong | Elemi in the opening; smoky olibanum and benzoin in the base | Out of stock |
| Mishlah | Dry | Clearly there | Frankincense giving the woody base its structure | Out of stock |
| Qaed Al Fursan Untamed | Sweet | In the base | Frankincense with labdanum, amber, cedar and vetiver | In stock · £11.99 |
| Emeer | Dry | A thread | Olibanum in the heart with white tea and sandalwood | In stock · £28.99 |
1505 Watch: the smoky one
Olibanum in the heart alongside apricot-like osmanthus, resolving into balsam, styrax, cypriol and guaiac wood. That base is about as resinous as Lattafa gets: cypriol and guaiac are both genuinely smoky materials rather than smoke accords. If you want incense to be the whole experience rather than a finishing touch, this is the bottle. Currently out of stock. Lattafa La Collection D’Antiquités 1505 Watch →
Art of Arabia III: the sweet one
Frankincense right at the top with bergamot and davana, then dates, tobacco and sandalwood, closing on vanilla, tonka, labdanum, myrrh and patchouli. Two resins, frankincense and myrrh, plus labdanum make this the most classically Arabian composition on the list. Cold weather and evenings only; six to ten hours with above-average projection. Currently out of stock. Lattafa Art of Arabia III →
Al Dana: the fresh one
The unusual one. Sparkling citrus and pineapple over jasmine, lily of the valley and olibanum, landing on patchouli, amber and smoke. Incense fragrances are almost always cold-weather; this one works in daylight and warm weather because the resin sits under citrus rather than under sugar. Currently out of stock. Lattafa Al Dana →
Creative Art: the polished one
Saffron and patchouli over vanilla, benzoin, amber and smoky olibanum, with elemi in the opening adding a second resin. Benzoin is sweet where frankincense is dry, and having both is what gives this its depth. One of the best-constructed releases in the recent Lattafa range. Currently out of stock. Lattafa Creative Art →
Mishlah: the starter pick for dry incense
Bergamot, black pepper and lavender over iris, with frankincense giving the woody base its structure. The lightest way into dry incense. Currently out of stock; while it is, Emeer is the in-stock dry option. Lattafa Mishlah →
Qaed Al Fursan Untamed: the easiest way in
Frankincense sits in the base with labdanum, amber, cedar and vetiver, under cinnamon, caramel and mandarin. So the resin is not the headline; it is the thing that stops a spicy-sweet fragrance from being ordinary. This is the drydown reviewers call “expensive”, and it is the easiest resin education available. If you are not sure about cinnamon, read our cinnamon guide first.
Buy Qaed Al Fursan Untamed Notes, longevity and how to wear it →
Emeer: the formal one
Olibanum runs as a thread through white tea, green cardamom and creamy sandalwood, over ambergris, cashmeran, patchouli and cedar. The most restrained use of resin here, and deliberately so: this is the one to wear somewhere you need to be taken seriously rather than noticed.
How to Choose
Weighing Khamrah Dukhan against the rest of its line? Which Lattafa Khamrah is best compares all four. Came here from Eros Najim? Eros Najim alternatives ranked covers Qaed Al Fursan Untamed against the rest.
Browse by Note
Frankincense is one of a dozen note families mapped across the Lattafa range. Genuine Lattafa, dispatched from the UK.
Resin is a mostly masculine-leaning corner of the range. If you’re shopping the other side of the catalogue, the women’s Lattafa buying guide ranks ten bottles by mood and season, from a first Yara to a grown-up evening scent.
Resin sits at the opposite pole from clean musk, and plenty of people who like one end up owning both. For the soft, skin-like side of the range, every Lattafa musk compared is the companion piece to this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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