What is vetiver?
Vetiver, its botanical name: Vetiveria Zizanioides, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the botanical family Graminaceae.
Vetiver has long, thin stems, which can reach a height of up to two meters, and whose root, also called a vertically developing rhizome, can reach a depth of up to three meters.
It is a plant with multiple uses. Vetiver is used for thatch and straw, and the leaves are used for livestock.
Its roots have many medicinal properties, and are used as therapeutic treatments.
Used in aromatherapy and traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it has soothing, relaxing, anti-inflammatory properties, to combat stress, and to support immune defenses.
They can also be used in bundles for protection against insects such as moths, as they contain natural insecticides.
It is also the root, once dried, which is used in perfumery.
The origin of vetiver
Vetiver, derived from the Tamil name vettiveru, is a plant native to India, but it is found in many tropical regions, such as Haiti, Sri Lanka, Java, Reunion Island, Brazil, Guatemala, Madagascar, Indonesia and even in China.
The use of vetiver in perfumery
Olfactory family: woody
In perfumery, only the dried root is used. Its rhizomes are washed, cut then dried in the sun, before being distilled with steam to obtain its essence.
This essential oil can also be obtained by CO2 treatment to obtain an odor very close to the natural raw material.
Depending on the origin of the vetiver, its essence can have specific olfactory characteristics and differences.
For the creation of perfumes, only certain varieties are used:
- Haitian vetiver (vegetable, warm, with nuances of iris)
- Java vetiver (bitter with smoky notes)
- Indian vetiver (similar to Bourbon vetiver)
- Bourbon vetiver, which was established in Reunion Island from the 1900s to cultivate it.
The essence of the latter is the favorite of perfumers, for its fine, earthy and spicy smell which evokes hazelnut with a pink facet. However, its production has become very rare due to lack of labor.
However, it is the essential oil of Haitian vetiver which is most used in perfumery, its import representing almost half of world production.
Vetiver is appreciated for its smoky, warm, green and earthy notes that evoke undergrowth, incense or even hazelnut.
The essence of vetiver offers a beautiful association with other woody notes such as sandalwood or cedar, with floral notes such as iris and violet, or even leathery notes for example, but also in chypre fragrances.
Find vetiver in the surprising Dianesque extrait de parfum, alongside floral notes of violet, fresh flowers, heliotrope and iris, as well as notes of leather and cumin.
Vetiver is also in the elegant and charismatic Club 30's extrait de parfum, with notes of lavender, accompanied by woody notes of Virginia Cedar, sandalwood and modern woods.
