Vetiver Absolute

Thom Browne Perfume Set

Vetiver, is an earthy , with the beautiful Latin name Chrysopogon zizanioides, is a type of grass that thrives on volcanic soil.  The fragrance is closely related to other fragrant grasses such as lemongrass and citronella. It is a complex earthy, woody scent which has been valued for its aroma since ancient times. The scent has often been compared to the sharp smell of uncut grass on a warm day. It’s also a chief component in what many refer to as an old-time barbershop smell 

Different types of vetiver
There are different types of vetiver, but the below three are commonly used in the perfumer’s palette.

• Bourbon Vetiver: smoky, woody, earthy, wet soil
• Haiti Vetiver: dry grass, earthy scent
• Vetiver from Java: smells the most smoky.

For perfumery end use, mainly the roots are used. The vetiver roots can grow down to 3 meters deep. The roots are harvested, washed and dried in the sun. After this process, the roots are processed through steam distillation to create a vetiver absolute.

Use of vetiver
In Calcutta and Haiti, vetiver was used to make roofs, curtains and fences. Can you imagine how wonderful it must have smelled when the roofs or fences got wet from the rain? Vetiver is also often planted to prevent erosion and make sand less likely to blow away.

Vetiver is a natural ingredient, loved by perfumers. It can stand beautifully on its own or combine beautifully with other ingredients in many feminine and masculine perfumes.

Vetiver Absolue Plant

Some vetiver facts

• 150 kg vetiver roots yield 1 kg of essence.
• roots must have grown at least 1 meter down before harvesting
• the roots can grow down to 3 meters long
• Haiti produces more than 50% of the world’s vetiver supply

Thom Browne Fragrance leads with Vetyver Absolute, the most “pure” and highly concentrated of the collection’s guiding vetiver blend. “I like a signature scent,” said Browne of the hero fragrance becoming his new go-to. “A lot of people would understand why I say it because the gray suit is very signature to my collections. I appreciate people that are drawn to a signature for themselves. And that’s why we wanted to develop more than one fragrance.”

The grass is native to India & Indonesia, known as Indian couch grass. Today it also grows in Brazil, China and Haiti. ​Vetiver belongs to the earthy fragrance family with a sweet, earthy, wood and balsamic smell.