Aah… the intoxicating smell of the earth when the first drops of rain fall on it... isn’t it invigorating to breathe in the scent of wet soil in the woods, during the monsoons? Inhaling perfumes with an “earthy” scent reminds you of such beautiful memories that we would like to relive again and again. And no one would have imagined that leaves with a musky woody smell from a plant in South India will form the base of some of the best earthy perfumes.
Patchouli (pronounced puh.choo.lee) has a deep Indian connection and is derived from the Tamil words Patchai (meaning green) and Ellai (leaf). Well suited to warm climate, this is found in abundance in South East Asia. Patchouli has a strong woody-earthy scent and has been used in perfumes since ages. In addition, Patchouli is also used in candles, incense, potpourri, insect repellents, skin care and alternative medicine. You will be surprised to know that Hippies have extensively used Patchouli. Hippies were essentially naturalists and despised anything that was artificial. Because of this, they used the strong earthy scent of patchouli oil to hide the smell of marijuana and alcohol.
Patchouli leaves are allowed to partially dry in the shade before fermenting for a little while. Thereafter, Patchouli Oil is extracted using the steam distillation method, using dried leaves of the plant. The essential oil is available in all parts of the plant; however, the top leaves and twigs are preferred for the quality of oil.
Owing to its distinct musky sweet aroma, Patchouli oil is mainly used as a base note in perfumes. For the uninitiated, a base note is the last scent left in a perfume after the middle and top notes have dispersed. Patchouli is combined with a number of other oils to produce exotic perfumes.
Patchouli can be found in these perfumes from Hvnly: -
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Author: Sandipani Padhi