Frankincense

Frankincense is arguably the oldest aromatic material in continuous human use, its smoke rising from temples and shrines across every inhabited continent for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians burned enormous quantities in their rituals, and the famed kyphi, a complex incense blend of sixteen ingredients, was burned at sunset to honor Ra's journey through the underworld. The Frankincense Trail, one of antiquity's most important trade routes, stretched from the Dhofar coast of Oman through the Arabian Peninsula to the ports of Gaza and Alexandria, a journey of roughly 2,400 kilometers that took caravans two months to complete. At its peak, frankincense was valued by weight alongside gold and precious stones.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, frankincense was one of the three gifts presented to the infant Jesus by the Magi, symbolizing divinity alongside gold for kingship and myrrh for mortality. Buddhist, Hindu, and Shinto traditions all employ incense in meditation and worship, and the Japanese elevated incense appreciation to a formal art, kodo or "the way of incense," during the Muromachi period in the fifteenth century. In Western perfumery, frankincense experienced a dramatic revival in the late twentieth century as perfumers like Olivia Giacobetti and Bertrand Duchaufour began exploring its smoky, sacred character in compositions that brought the temple into everyday life. Today it anchors some of the most revered fragrances in the niche and luxury markets.