Patchouli
Patchouli smells earthy, woody and gently camphoraceous, with damp-leaf, balsamic and sometimes cocoa-like facets. Cleaner fractions can feel smoother and less earthy than a full oil.
Shop fragrances with Patchouli →How it works in a fragrance
It anchors floral, amber and chypre compositions and gives sweet accords a darker backbone. Rose, vanilla and citrus each bring a different aspect of its texture forward.
The note’s placement and prominence depend on the complete composition.
Understanding this note
Natural patchouli oil is distilled from the leaves of Pogostemon cablin. Fractions and modern reconstructions can reshape its profile, so the same note name covers several possible interpretations.
Related notes to explore
Rose →
Rose can smell fresh and lemony, richly petal-like, honeyed, spicy or softly powdery
Bergamot →
Bergamot combines tart citrus peel with a soft floral, tea-like quality
Vanilla →
Vanilla is warm and softly sweet, with creamy, balsamic, woody and sometimes tobacco-like facets
Cacao →
Cacao suggests dry cocoa powder, bitter chocolate and roasted, slightly earthy warmth
Material references
Explore fragrances with Patchouli
Discover this note in the Zavelier fragrance collection, or explore another scent in the library.
Shop Patchouli fragrances → Browse all fragrance notesFragrance notes describe scent impressions. They can represent natural materials, aroma molecules or accords, rather than a complete list of ingredients.