The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Frankincense & Myrrh arrived in 2021 from perfumer Shirley Brody, extending Czech & Speake's long relationship with aromatic resins into a richer, more concentrated form. The house had long worked with these materials in their Cologne concentration, but the EDP format allowed for something deeper, a chance to let the myrrh and frankincense breathe without the brightness that a lighter concentration demands. Brody's task was clear: honor the sacred weight of the name while keeping the composition within the house's restrained vocabulary. The result is a fragrance that earns its title rather than simply invoking it.
The unusual heart of chamomile and pimento leaf tells you something important about this composition. Chamomile is rarely used as a starring note, it appears in supporting roles, in tea metaphors, in quiet moments among green plants. Here it becomes something else: a soft, slightly bitter herbal counterweight to the myrrh's warmth. Pimento leaf brings a different kind of spice, green and aromatic, almost vegetable, a bridge between the bright citrus top and the woody base. Together they prevent the heart from becoming just another resinous warmth. The drydown leans on a classic fougère structure: lavender anchoring frankincense smoke with cedar and sandalwood underneath. That lavender is the tell.
The evolution
The opening is bright and clean, basil and clary sage lifting the citrus (lemon, orange), creating something aromatic and almost medicinal before the warmth arrives. Then myrrh and chamomile take over, soft and herbal, as the citrus fades and the heart reveals its complexity. The drydown settles into frankincense smoke with cedar and sandalwood underneath, six to eight hours of quiet intensity that never needs to announce itself. The sillage is moderate, it reaches the person beside you but not the room. That's the point.
Cultural impact
Frankincense and myrrh have been used in sacred ceremonies for millennia, this fragrance carries that weight without becoming a church fragrance or an incense-heavy oriental. The Czech & Speake approach keeps it contemporary and wearable rather than ceremonial. It occupies a particular niche: for the wearer who wants the resonance of sacred resins without the performative intensity.
