Vetiver

Woody vetiver notes, or elegance in its natural state... For decades, fougère fragrances reigned supreme over perfumes offered to men. It was not until 1957 and the very first perfume with vetiver as its major note, launched by the house of Carven, that woody perfumes finally earned their pedigree. Thus vetiver, a tropical rhizomatous plant, became deeply emblematic of the woody olfactory family. Today the success of the vetiver note remains as strong as ever, and is now spreading into the shelves of women's perfumery as well...

The vetiver root and the rise to fame of its soft smoky woody scent

Vetiver is a plant native to India but grown in many tropical regions. It closely resembles the famous grasses seen in 1970s gardens, pampas grass, with its slender stems reaching up to 2 meters in height. To create the well-known vetiver fragrance, it is the dried root of the grass that is used, then distilled, while the fine leaves are used to feed livestock...

Until the early 20th century, the olfactory properties of vetiver were barely known, and worldwide production barely reached one ton. By 1970, thanks to its widespread use in perfumery as well as in aromatherapy, production reached a record figure of 250 tons! The four types of vetiver used in perfumery are: Bourbon vetiver (from Réunion Island), Indian vetiver, Haitian vetiver and Java vetiver. Perfumers' favorite remains Bourbon vetiver, whose fine, earthy scent offers a rosy note; it has, however, become very rare.

Woody perfumes and vetiver

Vetiver, or rather its roots, was used for decades as a fixative for top notes in perfumery. Until the day the famous house of Carven decided to place vetiver notes in the spotlight by making it the star of a perfume bearing its name: “Vétiver”. Released in 1957, the perfume was a huge success that finally made vetiver known for its olfactory qualities and, moreover, launched the trend for woody perfumes.

Vetiver captivates with its powerful, slightly smoky scent, evoking earth and greenery. Men of the 1960s were captivated by it! So much so that vibrant woody fragrances built around vetiver would remain a classic in perfumery for decades, notably released shortly afterward by the houses of Guerlain and Givenchy. However, vetiver was also embraced by women, who discovered it in “Chanel N°5” or Hermès's “Calèche”, going on to adopt it permanently...

Naturally, the powerful, smoky fragrance of vetiver has been the very signature of numerous men's perfumes for several decades. Generally speaking, woody perfumes are particularly masculine. And yet... Certain bold perfumers dared to release woody fragrances for women, and even vetivers for women! In 1992 the first true woody perfume for women was released by Shiseido, “Féminité du Bois”, and it would remain the only one of its kind for a long time. Then, a few years later, with the return to favor of green perfumes, new perfumers ventured into the world of vetiver with Cartier's “Le Baiser du Dragon” or Guerlain's “Vétiver pour Elle”.