What does patchouli smell like? From hippie oil to haute perfume

Patchouli has a reputation. For many people it means the 1960s, incense shops and heavy, muddy oil. But patchouli is also one of the most important materials in fine perfume. It sits at the heart of famous chypres, modern gourmands and many of today's best-selling scents. Chances are you already own a perfume that contains it.

What does it smell like?

Earthy, dark and woody, with a sweet, slightly damp richness. Good patchouli is surprisingly varied. You might notice:

• Earth: wet soil, forest floor and mushrooms
• Wood: dark, dry wood with a slightly dusty feel
• Camphor: a cool, medicinal, minty edge, especially in fresh oil
• Chocolate and cocoa: a bitter-sweet, cocoa-powder note that appears as the oil ages
• Wine and dried fruit: a rich, slightly boozy sweetness in aged oils

Patchouli is a base note and a strong fixative. It can last all day, and a little goes a long way.

Where it comes from

Patchouli comes from the leaves of Pogostemon cablin, a bushy plant in the mint family. It grows to around a metre tall and has soft, furry leaves. Fresh leaves smell of very little. The scent develops as the leaves are dried.

The plant is native to tropical Southeast Asia. Today Indonesia produces the large majority of the world's patchouli oil, by some estimates 80 to 90%. Production has moved around the country over the years, from Sumatra to Java and more recently to Sulawesi. Smaller amounts come from India, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and other tropical regions.

Much of it is grown by small farmers, often between other crops like coconut or rubber trees.

How it's made

1. Harvest and drying. Leaves are cut and spread out to dry, often for several days. During this time they may also ferment slightly. This step breaks down the plant cells and helps release the oil.
2. Distillation. The dried leaves are steam distilled. In many villages, this is still done in simple iron stills over wood fires.

The type of still changes the oil. Iron stills give a dark, thick, earthy oil. Stainless steel stills give a lighter, cleaner, amber-coloured oil. Perfumers also refine patchouli further to remove its muddy or camphor notes. These cleaner versions are often called patchouli heart or "patchouli coeur".

The main molecule is patchoulol, which forms the woody backbone of the oil. But a tiny trace of another molecule, norpatchoulenol, is believed to carry much of the typical patchouli smell.

Patchouli is one of the few natural oils that gets better with age, like wine. Over years, its harsh, camphor-like notes soften, and rich chocolate and dried-fruit notes come forward.

A short history of patchouli

• Asia: Patchouli has long been used in Asia as a medicine and to protect fabrics from insects.
• Kashmir shawls (early 19th century): Expensive shawls from Kashmir were packed with dried patchouli leaves to keep moths away on the long sea journey to Europe. The smell became a sign that a shawl was genuine. Some European makers of imitation shawls reportedly began scenting their own products with patchouli to copy the effect.
• Victorian Europe: Patchouli became a fashionable, slightly exotic scent in 19th-century Europe.
• Classic perfumery: In the 20th century, patchouli became a key part of the chypre family, rich perfumes built on citrus, flowers and a dark, mossy, woody base.
• The 1960s and 1970s: Young travellers returning from India and the East brought cheap patchouli oil home. It became the signature smell of the hippie movement and of the counterculture, and that image has stuck ever since.

Patchouli in modern perfume

Patchouli had a huge comeback in the 1990s and 2000s, this time in cleaner, more polished forms.

• Angel by Thierry Mugler (1992): paired a large dose of patchouli with caramel, chocolate and vanilla, creating the modern gourmand (edible-smelling) style.
• Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel (2001): a fresh, sparkling scent built on a clean patchouli base. It made patchouli feel modern and elegant to a new generation.

Since then, clean patchouli has become one of the most common base notes in mainstream perfume, especially in fruity and floral scents for women.

Real vs synthetic patchouli

Most perfumes still use natural patchouli oil, because it is affordable and hard to copy. What changes is the grade: from dark, raw oil to highly refined fractions. If a perfume says "clean patchouli" or "patchouli heart", it uses one of these refined versions.

Some newer materials, including ones produced by fermentation (biotechnology), offer patchouli-like woody notes with a more consistent supply. They are used alongside the natural oil rather than replacing it.

What patchouli pairs well with

• Rose: a classic, rich and romantic pairing.
• Vanilla and chocolate: create a dark, sweet gourmand feel.
• Bergamot and citrus: brighten it and make it feel fresh.
• Amber and labdanum: make it warm and resinous.
• Oakmoss: the foundation of chypre perfumes.
• Vetiver and cedar: keep it dry and woody.

Perfumes to try

From clean and modern to dark and raw:

• Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel: fresh, polished, clean patchouli.
• Angel by Mugler: patchouli with caramel and chocolate. Bold and unforgettable.
• Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens: patchouli with cocoa, dark and velvety.
• Patchouli by Reminiscence: a sweet, warm, hippie-style patchouli for those who want the classic version.
• Patchouli 24 by Le Labo: smoky and leathery, more like tar and birch than flowers.

How to wear patchouli

• Start with a small amount. Patchouli is strong and long-lasting.
• Clean patchouli scents work in any season. Dark, sweet ones are better for cool weather and evenings.
• If you dislike patchouli, try a modern clean version first. Many people are surprised to find they already like it.
• Patchouli layers well with simple rose or vanilla perfumes.

Who will love it

People who like rich, earthy, grown-up scents. Anyone who loves chypres or dark gourmands. And anyone ready to give patchouli a second chance after a bad first meeting with old-school oil.