Vetiver in perfumery: everything you need to know

Vetiver, *Chrysopogon zizanioides* to botanists, is a tall grass native to India, now grown in many tropical regions. It grows in clumps of long, thin leaves. Its particularity is hidden underground: instead of spreading out, its roots plunge vertically, two to four metres deep.

These dense roots hold the soil together. In several countries, vetiver hedges are planted to mark out fields, hold riverbanks and fight soil erosion. The word itself tells this story: it comes from Tamil, a language of southern India, in which it refers to the root that is dug up. It entered French at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In northern India, the plant is also called *khus*.

For perfumery, the roots are pulled up, washed and dried, then distilled. The result is a thick, resinous essence, made up of a very large number of compounds, which belongs to the woody family.

Three main origins. Perfumers mainly distinguish three vetivers. Vetiver from Haiti is known to be brighter. Vetiver from Java, in Indonesia, is smokier. Bourbon vetiver, from Réunion Island, is among the most prized. India produces it too.

A material that can be reworked. The essence can also be fractionated, to keep only certain facets. Several houses in our catalogue also specify the origin of their vetiver: Frédéric Malle, Goldfield & Banks and Stéphane Humbert Lucas all cite Haitian vetiver.

Vetiver smells of dry wood and damp earth at once. It has a green, almost grassy facet, an earthy facet reminiscent of roots, and sometimes a smoky or citrusy note depending on its origin. It has neither the creamy softness of sandalwood nor the pencil-shaving dryness of cedar: it is a rawer, more vegetal wood.

In a fragrance, it often serves as a framework. Placed in the base, it brings clarity and a dry elegance; placed in the heart, it becomes the very subject of the composition. Long associated mainly with men's fragrances, it now turns up everywhere: in citrus fragrances, chypres, florals and even gourmands. It appears in 57 fragrances in our catalogue.

It pairs particularly well with citrus, which brightens it, with orris, which makes it powdery, and with vanilla or resins, which soften it.

Three fragrances in which vetiver accompanies citrus or herbs: it brings structure and a dry base, without ever weighing down the freshness.

Here, vetiver no longer accompanies: it is the subject. Three woody fragrances that place it at the heart of the composition, each in a different light.

Two fragrances in which vetiver loses its edges: one in the velvety grey of orris, the other in a milky veil.

To finish, two fragrances in which vetiver brings its earthy note to very different worlds: a city chypre after the rain, and a night of spices and tobacco.

Start from the season. Bohemian Lime, Colonia and Basilico & Fellini are made for spring and summer; Orage and Une Nuit à Doha for autumn and winter; Vétiver Extraordinaire, Fat Electrician, Gris Charnel and Vetiver Moloko span several seasons. Our reading of the seasons appears on each profile.

Choose its companion. With citrus, vetiver is fresh and clean; with orris, it turns powdery; with vanilla and resins, it softens; with patchouli, it darkens. The orris, patchouli and vanilla note pages list every fragrance in the catalogue that contains them.

Elsewhere in our catalogue. Vetiver also structures the base of classics such as Floris' No. 89 or Roja Parfums' Elysium Pour Homme, and slips into florals such as Parfums de Marly's Delina or Valaya. The full list, with the tier where it appears, is on the vetiver note page.

To go further. Our guide The most beautiful woody fragrances for winter presents other woods, Orris in perfumery tells the story of the material that softens Orage and Gris Charnel, Love Bleu de Chanel? brings together aromatic woody fragrances, and Sandalwood in perfumery tells the story of the gentlest of the great woods.