You’ve probably smelled vetiver at some point in your life and not even known it. The woody aroma, which comes from a tall, hardy grass grown from India to Haiti, is a popular ingredient in perfumery. Some fragrances heavily feature vetiver, especially colognes, and others use the ingredient as a “fixative” to help the scent last longer. At Aveda, we use vetiver in products like Tulasāra Firm Concentrate, Chakra Body Mist #1, and the Aveda Men line.
“It’s quite complex, rich and deep, but it has an interesting twist to it because it has a bit of sparkly grapefruit,” says Associate Pure-Fumer Kate Rosso, who works in Aveda’s Aroma Lab onsite at our HQ in Minnesota. “It’s a grass, but it’s the roots that are distilled for perfumery. The roots are really deep, and because of that, it’s a pretty hardy plant and it can survive in either dry or wet soil. It also helps prevent soil erosion.”
