The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
LOENCE emerged from the Loant Collection, Santi Burgas's ongoing exploration of classical fragrance structures filtered through a Mediterranean sensibility. The 2014 release came from a collaboration between perfumers Blanca Dalmau, Santi Burgas, and Chris Maurice. The composition builds around frankincense, sourced from three origins, each bringing distinct resinous characters to the blend. Juniper provides a counterweight to the resinous elements, offering clean, transparent qualities that balance the deeper base materials. This interplay creates a fragrance where the aromatic elements support and elevate one another throughout the wear, with each ingredient contributing its own character while maintaining cohesion with the whole.
What makes this composition interesting isn't any single material but the way the materials hand off responsibility. The juniper opens transparent and almost medicinal, a quick bright note that most people process as cleanliness. The patchouli that follows is earthy, grounded, a bridge between the initial clarity and what comes underneath. Then the frankincense arrives, not crashing in but rising slowly, carrying the drydown long after the top has dissolved. Three frankincense origins, Somali, Omani, Indian, each bringing slightly different resinous characters to the blend.
The evolution
Juniper opens the composition with a transparency that surprises. Sharp, slightly bracing, the smell of something clean, maybe even cold. The aromatic patchouli arrives within minutes, taking over the heart with an earthiness that grounds everything. But the frankincense is already present, rising from the base like smoke from a distant fire. It announces itself softly, then stays. The drydown is where the fragrance makes its case. Patchouli gradually recedes, leaving the woody accord and frankincense to finish together. Cedar, cashmere wood, and frankincense merge into something warm that lingers. The fragrance maintains its presence through multiple hours of wear, with the woody-resinous combination creating a drydown that persists.
Cultural impact
LOENCE presents itself differently from many contemporary releases. The frankincense-forward composition moves incense away from familiar territory and toward something more nuanced. The fragrance avoids overt projection, instead allowing its presence to unfold gradually. This approach invites wearers to experience the fragrance on a more intimate level, where the interplay of resinous and woody notes becomes apparent only upon closer acquaintance. Those who value fragrance as a personal experience rather than a public statement may find this quality appealing.
