Patchouly Indonesiano Farmacia SS. Annunziata

You want patchouli? You get patchouli! And it comes full force, straight to the point, without any frills or fuss.

As can be easily seen from the fragrance pyramid, it contains only patchouli - that's all you need. Or can we really trust the claims?

At first, a menthol-like or ethereal note seems to have sneaked into the perfume, as if the scent desperately wants to grab attention and open the nose to properly welcome the patchouli. No worries - this is actually quite typical for the oil of the East Asian mint family.

So it doesn't come across as dark and musty, but rather almost bright and friendly, yet with a gentle rawness that spreads earthy-woody.

I did a bit of research on patchouli (this is at least the correct German spelling) to justify my know-it-all... uh, clever... uh, smartypants aura. Surely some Parfumo users have mentioned it before, but here it is again for everyone who didn't know: There is actually a distinction between Indian and Javanese patchouli - both can come from, among others, Indonesia and are primarily cultivated to extract oil for perfumes and patchouli scents.

The difference: Javanese oil is considered inferior, but the scent has a special note (whatever that may be). If anyone knows more, please leave a comment.

For our Patchouli Indonesiano, the manufacturer does not provide specific information about which type of patchouli it is. It doesn't matter - it smells unsurprisingly linear with a good eight hours of longevity, although it becomes a bit darker and duller towards the end, almost as if a subtle chocolate accord could sneak into the drydown at any moment. But that doesn't happen!

I think hardcore patchouli fans will quickly embrace this perfume with open arms - others might be quite puzzled as to why a single ingredient can cause such a stir. For some, it may be enough, while others may find something lacking - that's for each person to decide!