Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is without question my favorite perfume material to sit and sniff at my desk. Woody, earthy but also bright and grassy. Varying wildly depending on where it is grown vetiver is a beautiful example of terroir in perfume.

Vetiver, also know as khus is a quick growing bunchgrass that grows in tropical locations around the globe. While the grass can grow up to five feet high, its roots can grow 7- 13 ft below the soil. It’s roots are where the important character of this plant exists. Growing as deep as they do makes the plant resistant to grazing, flooding and fire and because of this it is an incredible plant to remediate areas and for erosion control (Hawaiian vetiver)

How does it smell? Vetiver oil is distilled from the roots, not the grass itself. All varieties of vetiver oil smell of earth, damp wood, peppery with different regions producing very different oils.

Vetiver from Indonesia is also incredibly warm and smoky. It can smell oily and slightly edible with a distinct peanut like facet. Our scent Burrowuses a large dose of Indonesian vetiver to give it it’s cozy woodsmoke vibe.

Haitian vetiver on the other hand is cool, damp and much more grassy. It feels like the shady ground in a dense jungle, damp, cool woods decomposing under broad green leaves. This is what is used in Smoked Bloom to anchor the brighter elements.

There are numerous other vetiver producing regions including Peru, Hawaii and Madagascar all with slight variations on this staple perfume material.