The Best Incense Sticks, Cones, and Papers to Set the Mood for 2023

My mother said to me a few times this year, “You have to live where you’re at.” I had a pending move across the country that left me in a state of limbo and frozen at various points. I questioned the point of dating, decorating my home, and nurturing new friendships if I’m about to move. Haus of P, my 350-square-foot studio in Washington, D.C., became a safe space to work through all the emotions that come with uncertainty: grief, worry, anxiety, frustration, and even curiosity. Haus of P is where I learned and practiced the art of relinquishing control of my pending move, in prayer, therapy, and conversations with close friends. Burning in the background of my conversations, journaling, and time spent processing are sticks of incense–small yet potent. They shift the mood, set the tone, and reground.

I light various scents throughout the day. When going through my morning routine of making coffee and heading to boxing class, I gravitate toward light clean scents like rose, patchouli, and palo santo. When moving into my work day, I like light, airy scents like eucalyptus, sweetgrass, and green tea. In the evening, I gravitate toward scents like lavender, sandalwood, teakwood, and tobacco.

According to The Harvard Gazette, smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing. Everything we inhale impacts the way we feel. Renee Hughes, a psycho-aromatherapy specialist and founder of Holistic Champions, notes that linalool, often found in floral, citrus, fresh, and sweet scents, is the primary component to look for when you’re trying to get grounded. “When it comes to coining a scent as therapeutic, we can thank the constituents such as linalool, linalyl and D-Limonene,” she explains. “These chemical components give us a great feeling.”

Here are nine of our favorite incense brands for shifting the mood, setting the tone as we maneuver through the final weeks of the year, and remain grounded during monumental life shifts. These scents are sure to help recall sweet memories while staying in the present.

Burning these incense papers will instantly transport you somewhere whimsy like a Parisian parlor. The ritual of folding, portability, and shareability makes Ponsont an intriguing addition to the incense stash. The scented papers, reminiscent of department store perfume testing strips, are not your standard form of ambient aromatics: Molecules shoot off the paper while burning to allow for the control of the scent volume and longevity. Each incense booklet contains 24 pieces of paper which burn for about 7 minutes each, but the beautiful woodsy and floral scents linger well into the next day.

“Rosa Rossa was inspired by a rose garden I used to visit as a student in Rome,” says Justin Vaughn, founder of Ponsont. “Le Patch was a bit of a cheeky challenge to the concept that incense and patchouli are stuck in some outdated troupe,” he continues.

Kuumba is arguably the hypebeast of incense brands. So when Brain Dead, a creative collective of artists and designers from around the world, teamed up with the Japanese lifestyle brand, the coveted incense buzzed around the internet. Kuumba is known for producing premium quality incense using raw materials such as agarwood, sandalwood, and bamboo. The packaging for this collaboration includes the suitable taglines “smoke out reality” and “smoke as ritual.” I personally enjoy lighting this scent on deadline days when I have a long night of writing ahead; it’s musky yet sweet with notes of citrus, a combo that’s perfect for a creative second wind.

In 2021, Curves partnered with the incense institution Wild Berry to develop a small batch of fragrances. My favorite is the Red set, which was released on Valentine’s Day 2021 and leans into a warm and spicy vibe with scent notes of neroli blossom, cinnamon, patchouli, and vanilla. The tube of incense sticks includes an assortment of scents—Opium, Latin Lover, Voodoo, and Ying Yang—that come in packs of five. Naturally, it’s all tied together with James Fauntleroy’s “How You Feel” song lyrics on top of the cap: “Opposite lane in the range, to get to you ’cause I know you’d do the same.” Curves also has the coolest cast hands incense holder. Would it even be a Sean Brown production if it wasn’t so carefully curated?

Entenza by Yield sends me back to the days of my grandma giving me a warm bubble bath. Scent notes of eucalyptus, rosemary, and birch soothe and relax. I enjoy lighting one of these while enjoying my Sunday ritual of taking a bubble bath. Yield was inspired by the natural setting of homes in the Pacific Palisades and wanted to harness the essence of coastal California. This incense certainly invokes that level of ease. The fragrance is also available in candle form.

The Museum of Peace and Quiet’s whole ethos revolves around creating simplistic objects and apparel that promote a clear state of mind to focus on what matters. True to the brand, the Sedona incense is a strong yet subtle incense that blends cedar, amber, and citrus for a soft and clean-smelling scent. It won’t overpower other scents you have going on in your home. I enjoy lighting this scent throughout my workday for a non-distracting smell.

This green tea scent from Korean brand Binu Binu reminds me of matcha because it’s subtly sweet. This Japanese incense is meant to evoke the scent that surrounds you during a traditional tea ceremony. I typically use it as a neutralizer to strong odors from cooking in the kitchen. These particular incense sticks nearly smokeless, so it’s also not too overbearing for those that are smoke averse.

It’s giving cuddle season even if you’re a single baddie like me. Who knew incense could fill the void? This scent from P.F. Candle Company starts musky and a little bit sexy with lead notes of leather, orange, and tobacco. The base of teakwood and sandalwood also make this an ideal scent for unwinding and sipping on a buzzy beverage of your choice—mine would be a glass of mezcal.

This seductive scent will cradle you to sleep with notes of sandalwood and lavender. The goal of Zeen scents is to transport you to your favorite Caribbean island from the comfort of your home, and they certainly don’t miss. Night Nurse reminds me of my first solo trip to Jamaica where I explored Negril and Ocho Rios and learned to roll my first spliff. It lingers for days on end, giving your home a signature scent.

Every girl’s trip to the beach usually has a great story behind it. This salty, sweet, light, and airy scent by Na Nin takes me back to staying in a villa in Puerto Escondido with two of my good girlfriends. The comforting sound of the ocean lulled us to sleep, and playful moments of sun and sand greeted us by day. These hand soaked incense cones are a 15-minute mental vacation.