We sit down with Sophie Marshall, Founder Gentle Habits who tells us it’s all about how you create soft moments in your routine where you can integrate incense.

Sophie had us dreaming of the holidays with family, finally stopping in at our destination after a long road trip, looking out through the headland and surrounded by the ocean. Our staff pick, Yamba is earthy, relaxing and has a salty, smoky, sweet scent of summer.

No matter your destination or love affair with a place, Gentle Habits has a scent especially curated for you.

Q&A

How did you start This Is Incense and why?

Rewind two years ago – I was a full-time working mum of two young boys, I was travelling a lot for work as Global Product Manager at Rip Curl. I had randomly bought some incense in New York and at the time, I was really looking for any way possible to be able to de-stress and walk in the door and transition from “crazy work life” to my second job as a mum. I found the simple use of burning incense helped me do this, it also calmed our moments with the kids and soon became my daily ritual.

A few weeks later an idea came to me in the shower one morning. A thought popped into my head, “You need to make incense”, so I jumped out of the shower and told my husband we were going to make incense!! He thought I was crazy, but he supported me in the initial discovery process which included some rules if we started.

How would you recommend someone selects a scent?

Scent is so personal, and I have created unique scents which I am personally obsessed with taking me back to that special place and moment in my life. Our website and box place name and colour will also help guide you. For a first-time burner we suggest starting with Byron Bay being our most popular scent – it’s the perfect all-day incense that is dreamy.
If you love leathery, deep masculine scents – Tasmania, Bondi.
If you love light, dreamy and summer scents – Byron Bay, Noosa, Margaret River.

If you love a woody noted scent – Yamba, Bells Beach.

Tell us the inspiration and fragrance notes behind the favourite in your collection?

Our new Grounded scent in our chocolate box is our first incense box that isn’t a place and the first of our Ritual Series. I really wanted a scent to accompany starting my day with a mindful moment, so I developed a scent specially for this. It’s got 12 blended essential oils including Ylang Ylang, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Frankincense and Sandalwood – it’s such a beautiful complex scent that can assist you to drop into your Yoga or meditation practice or even a quiet coffee out on the deck in the morning.

What is your hope when someone lights an incense stick?

That they are present in that very moment, enjoying that simple process of opening the box and being captivated by the scent and that it takes them to a happy place and a new gentle habit.

When is the best time to light incense? 

When I first created our incense, I used it initially at the crazy hour of getting home from work and rolling into “mum mode”, but now it’s part of my morning routine, it’s during the day using different scents for creativity, and in the evening to unwind. It’s so fun trying out all the scents to match what I am needing to feel at the time.

Is there anything we should do with our lighting ritual?

As a new feature to enhance your incense experience we have created “Gentle Habits Sound Studio”, which houses all our curated playlists that match to our box scents. Best sensory experience for you to take it slow.