The Very Varied Vocations of Vetiver

Vetiver always spoke to me as a note in perfumery, even before I had the capability to recognise it in compositions for what it was. If you're familiar with my previous article on unconventional types of fresh perfumes, then it'll only seem natural that vetiver fascinates me so.

It's one of those rare ingredients where modern perfumery doesn't yet shy from using natural oils (especially in niche houses) and extracts instead of aromachemicals and Givaudan-produced approximations. And how much wonderful variance there is in how each specific "strain" of vetiver can smell, entirely based on its point of origin! This allows for a massive amount of different note combinations to bring its different facets to life; and vetiver can truly be a chameleon of a note.

I would like to discuss some of my favorite aspects of this miraculous grass and bring some wonderful vetiver fragrances to your attention in the process.

As a short sidenote, I don't deal in ephemeral fragrances; Everything mentioned below has enough staying power for at least 6 hours (on my skin, temperate climate).

II-III (homage to) Hemingway from Masque is acrid and woody, offering only a modicum of conventional freshness. Vetiver pushed far towards the "unpleasant woodiness" side of the spectrum.

It does indeed evoke a little bit of coastal lighthouse energy with what feels like a small pinch of salty brine that's woven into this primarily woody, somewhat bitter and pleasantly harsh fragrance. It's far disconnected from what most people would associate from the uplifting, fresh and aromatic scent of vetiver in most fragrances. But, it can be more gentle...

...like in Encre Noire à L'Extrême from Lalique. This woody vetiver is nutty, smooth, inky and free from jagged edges. It's tamed, but not exactly docile.

This famously inky fragrance isn't exactly under the radar by any means. The base Encre Noire Eau de Toilette offers a more typical and balanced vetiver experience, one that's slightly green, damp, maybe woody and maybe fresh. L'extreme embraces the inky and nutty facets of vetiver and amps them up, resulting in easily my favorite Lalique fragrance. Its smoothness is in perfect contrast to Hemingway's roughness.

Terre d'Hermès Eau Intense Vétiver from Hermes is probably my favorite designer-y vetiver fragrance with just a pinch of smoky attitude. Easy, fresh, citrusy, with just a little bit of smoke and damp woods pushing through.

There is nothing heavy or unpalatable about this fragrance. I think it's encapsulated by two notes: lemon grass and light, herbacious smoke. Everyone needs a scent in their collection that isn't meant to provoke much thought, not everything has to be a statement piece; enter Eau Intense Vetiver. But what if we took the safeties off, embraced the spice, the smoke, the animalic nature of vetiver?

We'd then have Rhinoceros (2020) from Zoologist. Boldly smoked, spicy and animalic. This vetiver isn't caressing and uplifting, it's demanding attention.

In my mind, Rhinoceros is the perfect opposite of the above Hermes fragrance. A perfect opposition of designer and deeply niche interpretation of the same vetiver motif: smoky, aromatic, and, yes, fresh. The smoke of rhino is thick and bellowing, the aromatic freshness is jarring and instantly taking hold of your nose, as undertones of animalic liquor whaft from underneath. One could possibly argue, that this is a niche and twisted interpretation of Vetiver Eau de Toilette : both lean on tobacco and some smoke to accentuate the spicy nature of vetiver, after all. But Rhinoceros just tramples over the Guerlain.

We could use some rest, so how about Aer ? Wonderfully minty and nostalgic with its grass and dry hay notes. One of my favorite ways to accentuate freshness and escape animalics in vetiver fragrances: use mint!

As far as aromatic and fresh vetivers go, depending on how vetiver-centric we go, we can end up with a little bit of a problem: if you want fresh and rich, you'll end up bringin out minty and animalic at the same time. Aer balances this beautifuly: it smells like cold, damp air, but also like a warm hay bale with a sprinkling of citrus. If you want more animalics and dampness, please check out Vetiver Veritas from James Heeley. But, there's also another way to create a fresh and aromatic vetiver fragrance, and without the use of citrus, either!

Pimento and pepper - notes you may know from Grey Vetiver Eau de Parfum . There, mere accents, desperately fleeing from the stage as to not offend your nose. But in Mr. Vetiver from Une Nuit Nomade? Front and center.

This is about as peppery and spicy as you can make vetiver go. It's beautifuly transparent and brutally invigorating with its nose-drilling spice. Like putting your nose over freshly milled pepper near a coastline: it has a certain aquatic (or, more accurately - watery) quality about it along with an almost imperceptible greenness. No mint, no citrus, no cellar. Just glorious, vetiver spice.

It's impossible to discuss vetiver fragrances without bringing up Sultan Vetiver . I believe that once you train your nose enough with more specific vetiver scents, this offering from Nishane is one where you'll find almost every possible facet of vetiver present in one bottle.

Smooth, thick and rich - it has everything there is to love (or hate) about vetiver. A damp cellar accord that I do so love about vetiver. It has spice that's wonderfuly amplified by neroli. It has rough woodiness, smoothed out by resins, and has a generous dose of animalics tamed by ambery sweetness. Last but not least, a fleeting accord reminiscent of dusty, ancient, wet cobblestone - fairly common in certain vetiver and incense based fragrance! Perhaps the only things not present are the minty qualities of vetiver and a certain metallic aftertaste that it can bring.

Is there more to discuss? Always! Thankfully, it does seem like vetiver-centric fragrances are slowly becoming more and more common, so there's plenty more out there for you to test.

- Do you like the sound of creamy, spicy, green woodiness with a luxurious scent trail? Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver is for you; a fragrance so gorgeous that, I think, it is completely invulnerable to hate.

- Are you fond of the nostalgic smell of an underground cellar? How about one that's sheltering smoking moonshiners? Private Label is exactly what you're looking for.

- Do you need a medical and metallic touch in your life? Grey Vetiver Parfum could be your medicine, if you can swallow the concrete and smoke.

- Or how about some tea by the coastline? The evening air is carrying a funky breeze... Smoky Soul is the friend you're looking for.

Thank you for reading.