Patchouli is a bushy plant of the mint family, grown in Southeast Asia. The leaves are dried, sometimes fermented, and then steam distilled into a dark, thick oil. The smell is earthy, woody and slightly sweet, with damp and sometimes camphor-like edges. Used lightly, it adds depth and a velvety texture. Used heavily, it turns a scent dark and rich. Perfumers pair it with rose, vanilla, amber and citrus, and it is a staple of chypre and oriental styles. Patchouli also gives lighter materials something to rest on, which is why it so often sits quietly under a sweeter or fresher top.
In this range patchouli mostly sits in the base, adding an earthy, velvety depth beneath the sweeter or fresher notes above it.
