Hello plant friends,
Patchouli often gets misunderstood, but this version — dark, aged, almost smoky — feels like the forest floor itself. A plant full of depth and ritual, ancient and alive all at once. I love to work with it in many of my perfumes like Understory, Henosis and Nightflowers!
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One of the beautiful things about this oil is that you can wear it pure on the skin. So this little bottle can be seen as a raw, earthy soliflore — a perfume that honours one single scent in its full expression.
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As a fun extra I slipped two spray bottles with alcohol into your box that you can transform into your own perfume! I crafted a formula based on previous Scents of the Earth boxes but I encourage you to be a little experimental. Next month we will sent out a scent that will beautifully blend with this patchouli. A topnote that will bring a sparkle to your homemade blend.
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I hope this material brings you as much grounded joy as it brings me — a little cloud of damp soil and spring rain to wear on your wrist, or, as I like to do, behind the ears and at the nape of the neck.
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Much love,
Merle
Patchouli: a scent with soul
​From a scent favored by empresses to the free spirits of the seventies, patchouli has traveled a long and fascinating road. This aromatic plant, prized for its fragrant leaves, produces an essential oil that’s earthy, woody, sometimes sweet – and always deeply memorable. It’s no longer just a scent of the past, but has found fresh life as a key ingredient in some of our favorite woody floral perfumes (including four Lingua Planta fragrances)!
In your box this month:
Dark Patchouli, steam distilled essential oil
Patchouli incense sticks
Spray bottles 2x
Pipette
This month's special: create your own natural fragrance!
As many of you have now been members for several months, we thought it would be a wonderful idea to start sharing natural perfume recipes from time to time. This way, you can use the precious ingredients you've received through Scents of the Earth to create your very own natural perfumes!
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Not only are you collecting some of the finest and purest perfumery materials, but now you can also start crafting with them. You’re free to follow your own inspiration and experiment, or you can try the recipe I’ve carefully put together using past Scents of the Earth materials. More recipes will come your way in future months.
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If a recipe includes ingredients from a time before you joined - no worries! Simply play with what you have on hand and make it your own. After all, the beauty of perfumery lies in creativity and personal expression.
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To help you get started, this edition of Scents of the Earth also includes spray bottles and pipettes - so you're all set to begin your perfuming journey!​
A custom Scents of the Earth recipe
Where Patchouli thrives
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Patchouli is a plant with a very specific taste – it loves warmth, gentle sun and steady rainfall. It grows best in tropical regions with rich, loamy soil, especially when the earth is deep, well-drained, and full of organic nutrients. While it doesn’t mind moisture, it’s sensitive to extremes: too much rain or flooding can easily harm the plant, especially as it matures. You can find patchouli farms mostly in Indonesia, but also in India, Malaysia, Guatemala and Madagascar.
In recent years, climate change has made growing conditions more unpredictable in places like Indonesia, where patchouli is traditionally cultivated. Shifting seasons, unexpected droughts, and heavier-than-usual rains are beginning to pose real challenges for farmers. The future of patchouli cultivation may depend on how we adapt to protect both plant and planet..
Just above the ground, Samsir cuts the patchouli plant, which he will later process into valuable raw oil in his distillation system after it has dried. He is one of 500,000 farmers growing the fragrant plant in Indonesia. ~ from The Cultivation Specialists - Symrise
Drying can be done in the sun or in the shade. Sun drying is quicker and less labor-intensive, but it comes with trade-offs: the heat can cause precious oil to evaporate, and some leaves dry too fast, becoming a bit dusty – making them harder to work with. Shade drying takes more time and attention, often around seven to eight days, or longer during the rainy season, but the result is worth it. The slower process helps preserve both the quality and the quantity of the oil.
The leaves are considered ready once they’ve lost about 80 to 85% of their original moisture. Only then does patchouli reveal its true scent: that deep, earthy richness we associate with the finished oil. Fresh leaves, by contrast, have a much lighter, almost green aroma. It’s through drying and curing that patchouli’s signature depth and complexity begin to emerge.
Fortunately, patchouli itself isn’t a difficult plant to grow. It often thrives in cleared jungle land that’s been given time to rest before planting. Farmers sometimes plant it alongside young coconut or rubber trees. The first harvest happens just a few months in, always before the leaves start to turn brown. Early mornings are best for harvesting, while the dew is still fresh and the heat of the day hasn’t yet set in.
Patience in drying​
Patchouli oil doesn’t come from fresh leaves – at least, not if you want the deep, rich scent it’s known for. Right after harvest, the leaves go through a careful drying and curing process. This step is essential, not only to unlock the full aromatic potential of the plant, but also to ensure the oil can be properly extracted during distillation.
From the Givaudan Foundation.
The perfumed voyage of Patchouli...
​Patchouli oil has been a key ingredient in perfumery for centuries, only second to citrus. Native to India and the Philippines, the patchouli plant was first formally described in 1845 by Jacques Pelletier-Sautelet, who named it Pogostemon patchouli, from the Tamil word for the plant paccilai, meaning 'green leaf’.
In the mid-19th century, Europe discovered the distinct scent of patchouli when India began exporting cashmere shawls to England and France. These shawls, often decorated with intricate Persian and Mongolian patterns, were shipped across long, slow journeys by boat, giving moths plenty of time to damage the wool. To protect the delicate fabrics, patchouli leaves, believed to repel moths, were placed between the shawls.
Textile brought to England by the East India Company late 1800s.
When these shawls arrived in the fashionable boutiques of Paris, it had the unmistakable and mysterious aroma of patchouli, which had an irresistible appeal to women. Investigations revealed that it wasn’t the patterns but the scent of the shawls that attracted attention. It was often described as a rich, woody scent, like luxurious aged furniture. This discovery marked the birth of olfactory marketing, and patchouli, with its rich, earthy fragrance, soon became a beloved ingredient in perfume making.
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​In 1844, the East India Company brought the first shipment of dried patchouli leaves to London, unveiling the secret behind the scent. Mischievous French weavers soon imported the leaves, using them to scent their fabrics, which they sold as “authentic Indian-made goods”. Thus, patchouli entered European vocabulary, along with "shawl" and "cashmere," marking the start of its celebrated role in the world of fragrance.
A lady in a white dress and shawl before a Viennese landscape by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, mid-19th century.
It's rise and downfall...
Initially, its pungent, earthy scent captivated the bourgeoisie, who were drawn to its persistent and sometimes intoxicating nature. During the French Second Empire (1852-1870), stronger, exotic scents like vetiver and patchouli were most popular. However, some found the scent overwhelming. The English designer Charles Worth, who moved to Paris in 1858, complained of migraines caused by his clients’ excessive use of heavy perfumes.
The French Empress and wife of Napoleon, Eugénie, known for her beauty and allure, was often associated with patchouli, a scent that perfectly matched her seductive persona. French writer Maxime Du Camp described her as a “fearless" with “a cloud of cold cream and patchouli" surrounding her: a powerful, almost mystical presence.
"It was for him that she would file her nails with the care of an engraver, and that there was never enough cold cream on her skin, nor patchouli on her handkerchiefs."
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- Gustave Flaubert in Madame Bovary (1857)
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Empress Eugenie by Portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1853).
But as time passed, patchouli's bold qualities became less fashionable in high society. As the 19th century progressed, patchouli became associated courtesans and prostitutes. Once a scent worn by royalty, it now became a symbol of scandal. These women loved the fragrance for its boldness: a scent that clung to their clothes and clearly signaled to wives where their husbands had spent the night.
Like the provocative courtisane Cora Pearl...
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Cora Pearl, aged 29, and Prince Achille Murat (1865), photograph by Louis-Jean Delton.
In the dazzling days of mid 19th-century Paris, few woman embodied provocation and awe quite like Cora Pearl. She became one of the most celebrated courtesans of the Parisian demimonde. By the 1860s, Pearl had captured the attention powerful men, including the heir to the Dutch throne and Charles Duc de Morny, half-brother of Napoleon III.
She lived extravagantly and performed her own theatricality with flair. At one memorable dinner party, Cora served herself as the main course - naked on a silver platter, adorned only with parsley. She was known for her dramatic entrances, bold fashion, and a deliberate sense of spectacle.
It was during this same period that patchouli became the unmistakable signature of women like her: bold, sensual and unafraid of scandal. With its heady, earthy scent, patchouli clung to fabric and skin alike, announcing its wearer with her presence.
"There was a young lady named Julie, Who was terribly fond of patchouli,
She used bottles seven,
'Til she smelt up to heaven,
Which made all the angels unruly."
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- Ethel Watts Mumford
In 1969, French singer Régine made an ode to patchouli in her song Patchouli Chinchilla, marking its resurgence alongside the radical societal shifts of that time:
Patchouli and the Spirit of the Sixties
In the late 1960s, young travelers returned from Nepal and India, carrying bags full of patchouli to mask the scent of marijuana. From San Francisco to Woodstock, the entire Flower Power generation filled the air with this distinct, earthy fragrance of pure patchouli. It became emblematic of the era’s quest for peace and freedom, particularly at events like the 1969 Woodstock festival.
Patchouli's revival was linked to the do-it-yourself ethos of the time, reflecting a desire for natural simplicity and a return to basic, pure ingredients. It became part of a new wave of perfumery, where scents like patchouli, vanilla, and amber were valued not only for their fragrance but also for their perceived spiritual and healing qualities.
Hippies along the Hippie Trail in Kathmandu in the late 60s.
Today, patchouli is once again back in business, thanks to advancements in fractional distillation. It’s unfortunate that the name patchouli is still too often linked to cheap perfumes and ‘hippie’ scents. However, we feel this outdated association is now fading little by little.
Beyond its fragrance, patchouli is believed to have various beneficial properties. In traditional Chinese medicine, it’s known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant effects. It’s also considered an aphrodisiac and has magical associations with fertility and wealth in white magic.
Marijke Koger-Dunham painted Love, Life, Rainbow in 1967, including a pagan icon in the form of a peacock woman, with her feet tickled by Patchouli.
Pachouli’s complex scent
The fragrance of patchouli is a deep, comforting scent that evokes the earth beneath the trees, reminiscent of the damp soil found in a pine forest. It evokes the intricate patterns of paisley prints for me, wrapped in a shade of purple. This scent has a warm texture, offering a sense of security and quiet intimacy.
Patchouli’s richness lies in its depth, making it a perfect base note that grounds and fixes the fragrance, ensuring it lasts. The darker, rounder version of patchouli, which we use, is softer and smoother compared to sharper, more astringent varieties. It carries hints of camphor, reminiscent of fresh pine, though it’s a nuance not often mentioned by others.
In our fragrance Nightflowers, patchouli adds an earthy component, evoking the humid warmth that lingers at the close of a summer evening. In Attract, it contrasts the softness of rose, bringing a more grounded, earthy edge to the delicate floral notes. Patchouli’s forest-like quality is also present in Understory, where it enhances the feeling of rich, fertile forest soil. In Henosis, it introduces an alluring depth and smokiness.
A flowering patchouli
When creating a perfume inspired by the natural world, an earthy component is essential to me, and patchouli is my favorite way to bring that grounded, elemental feel to life.
Patchouli oil is often described in various ways: woody, earthy, smoky, and even liqueur-like, with subtle hints of cork, overripe apple, and the rich, aged character of a cellar. Some even detect notes of chocolate, leather, mint, and liquorice. Its complexity allows it to be equally associated with femininity (elegant and sensual) and masculinity (classic or mysterious).
Astonishingly, despite its intense character, patchouli essential oil is one of the rare oils in perfumery that contains no substances typically listed as allergenic. This makes it not only an evocative ingredient but also a remarkably gentle one.
Perfuming my materials, shot in my studio by Einstoffen.
“It’s scent is complex. Everyone describes it as woody, but patchouli also has a moldy scent, almost like a cellar.”
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- Perfumer Carlos Benaïm
The Ageing of Patchouli
In the past, it was common practice for all patchouli oils used in luxury perfumery to be aged, sometimes for months, years, or even decades. Fresh patchouli oil has a sharp, green scent, but with age, it transforms into a richer and more elegant fragrance.
To speed up the process, some oils were aerated to encourage oxidation, and there were even attempts to use infrared radiation to mimic ageing, though these efforts were largely unsuccessful. However, in the late 20th century, the rising costs for labor, shipping and storage, led perfumers to favor cleaner, more transparent patchouli oils, often modified by fractional distillation. These oils, with a higher concentration of patchoulol, became more common in the market.
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Today, high-quality, aged "dark" patchouli is rare and, surprisingly, often seen as less desirable by many perfumers due to concerns over color stability and supply. In just a few decades, the way patchouli oil is selected has changed significantly.
Distillation of patchouli oil has always been a complex process, with distillers striving to capture the true aroma of the dried leaves. Traditionally, distillation could take anywhere from six to 24 hours, depending on the desired result.
Distillation by Patchouli - New Editions
Listen to the sound of Patchouli
Reach out or say hi
Thank you so much for accompanying me on this fascinating journey through the realm of perfuming materials, where we explore not only the sensory beauty of scents but also the deeper intelligence of plants and their natural essences. It’s been a wonderful adventure, navigating the intricacies of fragrance and nature’s wisdom. I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights on this experience!
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or DM @linguaplanta