For centuries, incense has been a popular tool for ritual, meditation, and more. Its popularity has continued into the modern age, with incense widely used in homes and other spaces for mindfulness and aromatherapy.
However, the formulation of incense has changed with the passage of time; it’s now all too common to find incense that contains synthetic fragrances or materials that can cause headaches, respiratory irritation, and unsafe indoor air quality. Because of this, many incense users prioritize products made with all-natural ingredients that burn more cleanly and safely. This guide showcases six of the best charcoal-free incense or all-natural incense sticks available today.
How We Selected These All-Natural Incense Sticks
To make this ranking, an independent research team assessed top natural incense blends on a set of five weighted criteria. These rankings were used to give each blend a cumulative score out of 100 points, demonstrating their quality and craftsmanship.
- All-Natural Ingredients (30%): What makes up the incense’s blend? Are the ingredients natural? Is this clearly and visibly communicated to the user?
- Binder Use (20%): How is the incense produced? What is the quality of the ingredients and materials?
- Scent Profile (15%): What is the fragrance of the incense blend? Is the scent well-rounded and pleasant?
- Burn Time (15%): How long does each stick of incense last? Does it burn cleanly and evenly?
- Smoke Level (10%): How much smoke does the incense produce?
- Price Per Stick (10%): How much does the user pay for each stick of incense?
What Makes Incense Natural
The most important trait of an all-natural incense stick is the absence of any synthetic fragrances, glues, or dyes. These synthetic elements irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs when burned, and can create toxic smoke that lingers in the air after use. Natural incense is made entirely from raw, real, natural, plant-based ingredients that burn cleanly, smoothly, and safely. Synthetic incense is often a bright, unnatural shade, while natural incense usually takes on a duller, less vibrant color that suggests the absence of synthetic dye.
Best Natural Incense Sticks
1. Othership Collector’s Edition Signature Scent Cedar Incense: Best Natural Incense Stick Overall
The best all-natural incense stick overall is Othership’s Collector’s Edition Signature Scent Cedar Blend. This incense is made from three types of quality cedar extract, producing a clean, pleasant woody fragrance that isn’t excessively smoky. The fragrance’s grounding cedar notes are perfect for grounding the mind and body, making it a great nervous system regulator at any point in the day. The Signature Scent blend is also highly versatile and can be enjoyed at any point throughout the day.
Othership hand-dips all of its charcoal-free incense in-house and employs a small-batch production model to ensure consistent quality. This process ensures a smooth, clean, and long-lasting burn, making Othership incense a premium experience across the board. The Collector’s Edition package lets users pick 77 all-natural incense sticks, guaranteeing a long-lasting supply of relaxing and cleansing incense in a single package.
- Ingredients: All-natural eastern red cedar, western red cedar, and northern white cedar
- Sticks per Package: 77 sticks
- Price: $99.99 ($88.99 with subscription)
- Uses: Meditation, breathwork, space cleansing
2. Othership All Around Blend Natural Incense: Best General Use Natural Incense
Othership’s All Around Blend Natural Incense is the best choice for versatile, all-day use. The blend is formulated with a wide range of notes to serve as a fragrance companion at any point in the day. The scent matches uplifting citrus with rich botanicals and bright spice on a heady Douglas fir foundation, making it an ideal companion for both meditation and activities around the home. Like all Othership charcoal-free incense, the All Around blend uses high-quality natural ingredients and is hand-dipped in small batches.
- Ingredients: All-natural bergamot, Douglas fir, geranium, rose, ylang-ylang, clove, and benzoin
- Sticks per Package: 11 sticks
- Price: $17.77 ($15.82 with subscription)
- Uses: Journaling, emotional inquiry, creating a calming atmosphere
3. Othership Down Blend Natural Incense: Best Natural Incense for Relaxation
The Down Blend Natural Incense, produced by Othership, is the best natural incense for sleep and relaxation. Its fragrance blend is specifically formulated for relaxation and rest, with dark, calming notes like black spruce and patchouli to create a quiet atmosphere at the end of the day. The stick’s long burn time means users can maintain the calming atmosphere in their spaces well into the night, making it a perfect pre-bedtime ritual. The Down Blend is also a great pair for yoga, meditation, breathwork, or journaling, and carries the same standard of quality as all other Othership all-natural incense sticks.
- Ingredients: All-natural black spruce, eastern red cedar, atlas cedar, vetiver, patchouli, blood orange, and western red cedar
- Sticks per Package: 11 sticks
- Price: $17.77 ($15.82 with subscription)
- Uses: Meditation, evening wind-downs, relaxation
4. Incenzo Untie Lotus Incense: Best Natural Incense for Creativity and Release
Incenzo’s Untie lotus incense is the best choice for creative work and energy release. The fragrance is focused on real, natural lotus essence and a traditional Chinese formulation that produces a high-quality artisanal incense. The fragrance blend is best for cooling down on hot days, as the lush notes of lotus, sandalwood, and agarwood combine to form a clean, calm, and relaxing effect. Incenzo also uses elm bark as its binder instead of charcoal, heavily reducing smoke and creating a much cleaner burn.
- Ingredients: All-natural lotus, agarwood, and sandalwood
- Sticks per Package: 25 sticks
- Price: $49.00 ($39.20 with subscription)
- Uses: Creative work, mental resets, cooling meditation
5. Othership Sanctuary Gift Set: Best Option for Fragrance Experimentation
The Othership Sanctuary Gift Set is the best choice for users who want to experiment with a variety of natural incense fragrances. The set includes Othership’s full charcoal-free incense collection, which includes the Up, Down, and All Around blends, as well as the Signature scent and Sojourn scent. These five blends equip incense users with a fragrance for every part of the day, and allow new buyers to explore a variety of notes to find their best match. The Sanctuary Gift Set is also the best value option for buying Othership incense, making it a great starting point for enthusiastic incense explorers.
- Included Blends: Up, Down, All Around, Signature, and Sojourn
- Uses Per Package: 5 packs of 11 sticks
- Price: $82.22 ($73.18 with subscription)
- Uses: Variety of scent blends can be used throughout the daily routine
6. Sea Witch Botanicals Quoth The Raven Incense: Best Natural Incense with Warm Notes
Sea Witch Botanicals’ Quoth The Raven blend is the best natural incense with warm, spice-forward notes. This blend is composed of orange, clove, and cinnamon extracts, making it a more spice-forward scent than the majority of other floral or botanical options. Sea Witch Botanicals places a strong, visible focus on using natural ingredients over synthetic fragrances in all of their blends. They are also a Certified B Corporation, which denotes a high standard of sustainability and environmental care, and donate 1% of their annual revenue to ecological causes.
- Ingredients: All-natural orange, clove, and cinnamon
- Uses Per Package: 20 sticks
- Price: $15.00 ($14.25 with subscription)
- Uses: Passionate work, focus, connecting to self-confidence
Spin-Off Rankings by Use Case
Best Natural Incense for Beginners
The Best Natural Incense for You
Many incense users prioritize natural incense because it lacks harmful synthetic perfumes, binders, or accelerants. Othership’s hand-rolled, charcoal-free incense sticks are made with entirely natural ingredients that burn for long periods with minimal smoke and a clear fragrance. These incense blends provide a calming backdrop for yoga, house cleaning, journaling, meditation, and more. Explore their full line of all-natural incense, along with a range of in-person spa and mindfulness experiences, on the Othership website.