Vetiver

Vetiver is a grass that smells of the earth it grows in. The scent is in the roots, a dense tangle that reaches deep into the soil, and when those roots are washed, dried and distilled they give an oil that smells of wet stone, dry grass and something faintly smoky. It is the most grounding material I own.

What vetiver is

Vetiver oil is steam distilled from the roots of Vetiveria zizanioides, a tall tropical grass planted in many countries to hold the soil against erosion. The roots are dug after a year or more, washed, dried and distilled in a slow process that can take a full day. The oil is complex, built on vetiverol, vetivone and khusimol, and it varies more by origin than almost any other natural: earthy and smoky from one island, green and grapefruit like from another.

Where our vetiver comes from

Ours comes from Haiti, the largest producer of vetiver in the world, where the grass is grown by smallholders on the dry hills around Les Cayes in the southwest of the island. Haitian vetiver is the perfumer's vetiver. Compared with the heavier, smokier oil of Java, it is cleaner and brighter, with a fresh, almost citrus like top over the earthy depth, and a dry, elegant woodiness that sits easily beneath flowers. The poor, well drained Haitian soil and the long dry season force the roots deep and concentrate the oil, and the result is a vetiver that smells of light on earth rather than earth alone.

How vetiver smells

Woody and earthy, with a fresh, faintly grapefruit like brightness at the top, a dry, smoky heart and a clean, almost mineral finish. It lasts for many hours and gives a composition a floor to stand on.

Vetiver in our chapters

• IIParadis de BleuThe Leaves · in the base

  In Paradis de Bleu it is the earth beneath the leaves, the root that holds the whole green chapter to the ground.

• IVRosée BlancheThe Climbing Rose · in the base

  In Rosée Blanche it is the soil the climbing rose grows from, the clean earthy base beneath the rose and geranium.

A note from the atelier

A rose without earth is a bouquet. In Rosée Blanche I wanted a rose that was still rooted, and the Haitian vetiver is what keeps it in the garden.

Questions about vetiver