Patchouli (Indonesia)
8 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Woody, Earthy, Chypre
A variant of «Patchouli»
Indonesian: the most characteristic, dark and earthy
More about «Patchouli» →
- Latin name
- Pogostemon cablin
- Family
- Mint family (Lamiaceae)
- Origin
- Indonesia (Sulawesi, Sumatra, Java)
- Parts used
- dried leaves
- Raw materials
- essential oil, purified fractions (“patchouli heart”)
- Extraction
- steam distillation
- Olfactory group
- woody, chypre
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- Clearwood, Akigalawood (patchouli derivatives)
Indonesia is the main home of the world's patchouli: most of the harvest is grown and processed here. The shrubs grow on small farm plots on Sulawesi, Sumatra and Java, and the leaves are distilled in local stills.
How it smells: Indonesian patchouli is the most characteristic: dark, earthy, damp-woody, with shades of cocoa, camphor and the forest floor. Depending on the island and the distillation it can be softer or darker.
Perfumers often purify the traditional dark oil from Indonesian farms and split it into fractions: this gives a light “patchouli heart” — without harshness, with the chocolate-woody sound modern fragrances love so much.
What it pairs with: with rose — the classic patchouli-rose, with vanilla and cocoa — gourmand compositions, with bergamot and moss — chypres, with oud — oriental fragrances, with iris — powdery depth.
Good to know: the price of patchouli worldwide depends on the quality of the Indonesian harvest: bad weather on the islands is clearly felt on the market.
Fragrances with Patchouli (Indonesia)
