As well as frankincense and its own mixture of essential oils, Basilica contains two other solid incenses making it a very complex blend. It developed out of attempts to copy a recipe for incense in the Book of Exodus and for many it is the distinctively Prinknash incense.

The Benedictine Monks of Prinknash Abbey have been blending incense since 1906, when the community was on Caldey Island and are now the oldest major incense blenders in Europe. The monks developed unique processes for blending the purest Arabian frankincense with precious aromatic oils and spices and created superior recipes for a range of incenses. The blends now produced at the abbey are made to long established recipes. Consistent excellence ensures that each blend has its regular devoted customers in every continent.