Top 5: Vetiver Perfumes


Vetiver (also spelled 'Vetyver') is an ingredient with a truly multifaceted character; warming and woodsy in one scent, green and piquant in the next. It's this subtle variability that has kept the ingredient so popular with perfumers and fragrance lovers alike for generations, expressing a spectrum of mood and tone that proves hard to exhaust. Made from the dried roots of native Indian Vetiver grass, the majority of the world's vetiver is today produced in Haiti, where it forms an important part of the country's economy. Other producers include Brazil and Indonesia, with the examples produced on the island of Java displaying a markedly smokier quality than their Haitian counterpart. To demonstrate the astonishing breadth of this remarkable note, we've pulled together our five favourite scents that utilise the humble grass in intriguing and innovative ways, providing the perfect vehicle for its multifarious personality.



1. Sballo, by Bruno Acampora

A truly intense and robust fragrance, Sballo is defined by its alluring combination of petal notes and its crisp, dry base. Here, the vetiver note is paired with hay in the base notes for a brittle finish that creates an intriguing juxtaposition between the lighter floral and green accords of geranium, violet, and sage. A scent of truly unique character, Sballo is a scent that demands attention!






2. Ombre Indigo, by Olfactive Studio

Warming, mysterious, and utterly enticing, Ombre Indigo has a rich opening of ripe plum and spiced saffron before the vetiver note truly makes its presence known. However, its arrival heralds a change in character for the scent, as the juicy, fruity notes of its opening give way to the unmistakable aroma of leather and luxurious frankincense, all held together by the perfect pairing of our signature note with papyrus, matching its dried, grassy character.  






3. Vetyver Incenso, by Farmacia SS Annunziata

Vetyver Incenso is the perfect vehicle for the eponymous ingredient, in this case pairing it with fragrant, smoky incense to provide body to a scent that juxtaposes citric freshness with a subtle spicy heat. Ginger, juniper berry, and pink peppercorn warm the senses, providing the perfect backdrop for a woody dry down that emphasises the note alongside subtle accords of patchouli and musk.








4. Granverde, by Lorenzo Dante Ferro

As the name suggests, Granverde is a masterful green composition, highlighting the finesse with which Italian perfumer, Lorenzo Dante Ferro, crafts his fragrances. Choosing to exemplify the grassy, green characteristics of vetiver by pairing it with refreshing yet complex herbal notes of sage, thyme, basil, and coriander. An intriguing note of Siberian pine adds to the woody nature of this unconventional fougère fragrance.








5. Trayee, by Neela Vermeire

A truly exquisite composition, Trayee is one of the crowning achievements of the Neela Vermeire collection, and its combined use of both Javanese and Haitian vetiver in the base is an inspired blending that accentuates the subtly different fragrant tonality of the pair, whilst serving to anchor the scent. Combining a wealth of wonderful notes, from Madagascan Blue Ginger to stunning Egyptian jasmine, it's the pair of vetivers that are the true stars of the show, holding the composition together subtly yet forcefully.






Did you know that you can now search for individual notes via our online perfumery? Choose from a selection of over 400 rare fragrances, and find the scent that's right for you! Click Here to get fragrance hunting.


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