confused by patchouli

[kindkit]

I hate patchouli. Except, apparently, when I love it.

Much of my experience with patchouli comes from encountering people drenched in it, and in those circumstances it literally makes me queasy. So, as I explore perfumes, I thought that hating patchouli gave me a guideline.

However, some years back I had a sample of BPAL's Mary Read, which is sea salt and "ocean" and rum and a pretty significant dose of patchouli. I liked it, but I thought I liked it despite the patchouli.

Recently I got a new sample, and now I love it, and what's more, I'm pretty sure I love it because of the patchouli. And yet the patchouli-soaked hippies I deal with at work still make me gag. I'm baffled!

So what's the difference between the nice patchouli and the rank stuff? Is it the quality of the patchouli itself? The amount (but I put on quite a bit of Mary Read and still loved it)? Is it the fact that Mary Read is made with aged patchouli?

I googled around a bit looking for articles but didn't find much. I did see the post at Kafkaesque with recs for patchouli scents she recommends, but it seemed written more for enthusiasts than skeptics. Can anybody point me towards some info? And I'd also welcome recs for perfumes with a patcholi presence but where the patchouli is smooth, gentle, not dirty.

Thanks!

Comments

[kindkit]

Thanks! The video's very interesting, though now I'm wondering if patchouli cultivation for perfumes is causing a lot of environmental damage.

I wonder if the difference between the different varieties of patchouli is purely down to where it's grown, or if they're actually different species (or maybe just cultivars) of the plant.

[white_aster]

Right, it was interesting how they said that the reason for the shift was because the plant would deplete the soil of nutrients. I have no idea if they're correct or not, though I do see some gardening things that say if you grow it, it does need regular fertilizer, which would follow (others call it low-maintenance, though, so who knows). Some types of soil depletion can be fairly easily mitigated by crop rotation or fertilizing or growing/plowing under a cover crop for a season to replenish the soil. Without knowing what it is depleting, though, or how a farmer in that region deals with that, it's hard to guess what the long-term effects are or if they go away over time.

There do appear to be various species!