Archive Patchouli
Base note · Earthy
Patchouli.
Damp earth and dark leaves, with a sweet, inky depth.
Our read on the material, not a measurement.
What it smells like.
Patchouli is earthy, dark and slightly damp, with an inky, almost chocolatey sweetness under the soil. It is one of the most recognisable materials in perfumery and carries a lot of association with it, some of which is unhelpful. The modern versions are cleaner and less musty than the reputation suggests.
It anchors. Over fruit it stops sweetness floating away, and with rose it makes one of the most reliable accords in the range. It is genuinely polarising, though, and a blend built on patchouli is not a safe gift for someone whose taste you do not know well.
Patchouli oil is distilled from the dried leaves of a Southeast Asian mint relative, and unusually for a natural material it improves with age: older oil loses its rough green edge and deepens into cocoa and wine. It is also one of perfumery's great fixatives, holding lighter notes down for hours.
Further reading: Patchouli, Wikipedia
In a blend.
An earthy anchor that keeps sweetness grounded. Patchouli is divisive, so if a blend is a gift, sample it first.
Earthy. Natural, grounded notes inspired by soil, moss and root. Shop the earthy scents.
Pairs beautifully with.
The 10 scents built with it.
Questions about patchouli.
What does patchouli smell like?
Damp earth and dark leaves, with a sweet, inky depth. Patchouli is earthy, dark and slightly damp, with an inky, almost chocolatey sweetness under the soil. It is one of the most recognisable materials in perfumery and carries a lot of association with it, some of which is unhelpful. The modern versions are cleaner and less musty than the reputation suggests.
Is patchouli a top, heart or base note?
It is a base note, so it appears last and stays longest. An earthy anchor that keeps sweetness grounded. Patchouli is divisive, so if a blend is a gift, sample it first.
What does patchouli pair well with?
The studio would start with bulgarian rose, blackcurrent, vanilla and agarwood (oud). It anchors. Over fruit it stops sweetness floating away, and with rose it makes one of the most reliable accords in the range. It is genuinely polarising, though, and a blend built on patchouli is not a safe gift for someone whose taste you do not know well.
What fragrance family is patchouli in?
Earthy. Natural, grounded notes inspired by soil, moss and root.
Which Next Fragrance scents contain patchouli?
10, including Next Ruby - Eau De Parfum, Next Cyan - Eau De Parfum and Next Pearl - Eau De Parfum. Every note listed on a product page is the real pyramid for that fragrance.
Can I use patchouli in a custom blend?
Yes. It is one of the 42 notes you can choose at the Bench, where you build across the three tiers and we blend it by hand in Adelaide.
Blend with patchouli.
Pick it at the bench, choose up to four notes per tier, and we blend it by hand in Adelaide.
Open the bench
