What is Hippie Incense?

Since beginning this site I have noticed severaland worship, these scents among others would be the
searches with the keywords "hippie incense" asones most likely embraced by the youth of the sixties.
though people are searching for incense that is linkedLike all things human beings enjoy, some would have
inextricably somehow with Hippies. So I thought I wouldbeen enjoyed more than others and strong evidence
address that as best I could and maybe help peoplepoints to a clear top three. Those are Sandalwood,
out who are searching for an authentic scent of thePatchouli and Champa flower based incense. In fact, a
American sixties and the counterculture movement.band I cannot recall the name of once released an
While attempting to research the subject I discoveredalbum soaked in Patchouli oil. The scent was so strong
there is a tremendous lack of references on the webthat retailers insisted the album be pulled and a
to popular incense types of the 1960's. So I polled anon-Patchouli version be substituted instead.
few friends and noted their comments. I combined thatIn 1964 Shri Satyam Setty founded Shrinivas
with what I already knew about the subject and theSugandhalaya in Bhatwadi, Ghatkopar, Mumbai. That
things I discovered in my research and extrapolatedwould give the world Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa,
what I hope is a helpful short essay on Hippie incense.named after the Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba.
Incense did not appear in the Sixties. It has a rich socialIt is a Champa flower based incense in a distinctive
and cultural history that extends thousands of years.blue box that is arguably the best known and best
Some of the incense ingredients that have a prominentloved incense in the world. No clear information is
place in history are Frankincense and Myrrh, Amber,available, but my guess is it would have taken a few
Musk and Sandalwood. The first three in particularyears for Nag Champa to become a part of Western
were highly prized. Blends like "Cherry Banana" and theculture after its introduction.
like are a far more recent invention.So, with the obvious leaders according to anecdotal
From the limited research material available I canevidence and the limited information I could find being
postulate that incense in the Sixties was heavilySandalwood, Patchouli, Amber and Musk followed by
influenced by the growing interest in eastern spirituality(and in some cases overcome by) Satya Sai Baba
during that time. For instance The Beatles wereNag Champa, I can make the following statements
students of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for a time andpretty confidently. If you want to smell what it was like
George Harrison was intrigued by the stylings of Indianin the Sixties hanging out with your friends, I would
Sitarist Ravi Shankar. With the interest in Easternsuggest Patchouli and Sandalwood and Nag Champa.
religions and spirituality, in which incense plays a vitalIf some of those fragrances do not appeal to you, you
role, the traditional scents would have made their waywould be equally safe with Musk, Amber, Lavender or
to America and other countries as part of theSage.
counterculture movement. Once there certain scentsIn conclusion, my personal belief is that Sandalwood
would have gravitated naturally to being the mostand Patchouli would give the best representation of
popular because of the quality of the scent.that Sixties scent. I like to imagine so anyway as I listen
Sandalwood, Patchouli, Amber, Musk, Lavender andto my Led Zeppelin and Grateful Dead albums and
Champa flower are a part of Eastern cultures andwhile away some quiet time.
have been for thousands of years. As part of daily life