- Latin name
- Chrysopogon zizanioides
- Family
- Grass family (Poaceae)
- Origin
- Haiti (the south of the country, Les Cayes area)
- Parts used
- dried roots
- Raw materials
- essential oil, vetiveryl acetate
- Extraction
- steam distillation of the roots
- Olfactory group
- woody
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- vetiveryl acetate, vetiverol
Haiti is the world's largest producer of vetiver: a large share of the world's oil comes from here, mainly from the south of the country. It is grown by thousands of smallholders, for whom vetiver is an important source of income.
How it smells: Haitian vetiver is considered one of the cleanest and most elegant: green, fresh, with a nutty and faintly grapefruit shade, less smoky and earthy than Javanese. It sounds bright and expensive.
Because of its cleanness, Haitian vetiver is much loved in classic and modern vetiver fragrances, where this note takes the lead. It gives a composition restrained elegance without heaviness.
What it pairs with: with grapefruit and bergamot — fresh green classics, with iris — noble powdery wood, with cedar — dry woody compositions, with pepper — a modern spiced vetiver, with rose — an unexpected “green rose”.
Good to know: one of the best-known and finest materials for vetiver fragrances, vetiveryl acetate, is most often made from Haitian oil.
