Perfumes with Vetiver

Vetiver smells dry, earthy, smoky and woody, like damp soil after rain and sun-dried grass, with a faintly nutty and bitter undertone. It comes from the roots of Chrysopogon zizanioides, a tropical grass grown mainly in Haiti, Java and India.

The roots are washed, dried and steam-distilled over a long period. Haitian vetiver is cleaner and greener, Javanese vetiver smokier and darker. Vetiver is long-lasting and mostly used as a base note, though it often shapes the heart too. It pairs well with bergamot, grapefruit, cedar, patchouli, iris and incense, and it is common in fresh woody compositions.

Vetiver appears in 16,511 perfumes in the Fisfis catalogue and is used mostly as a base note.