Vetyverio – clean and warm and woody

Photo: perfumeniche

The other day, I came across an article called ‘The Science Behind the Smell of Fall’. It’s good reading for anyone interested in fragrances, but the part that struck me most was this: ‘Smell happens when the receptors in your nose pick up aromatic molecules in the air. These molecules ooze out of objects and living organisms in the environment around you.

You smell more aromatic molecules during the summer because hot, muggy air holds more of the molecules and enables them to move through the atmosphere more quickly. The opposite happens when it’s cooler and drier in the fall: air molecules contract together and leave less space for odour molecules to move through.

It means we’re bombarded with smells in the summer but are able to better pick out specific scents in the fall.’

I thought about this as I reached for Vetyverio eau de toilette this morning. Created by nose Olivier Pescheux in 2010 for French indie fragrance house Diptyque, Vetyverio is something I find myself craving more and more in these early days of autumn. It’s so distinctive I could pick it out of a line-up.

I have no resistance when it comes to vetiver-centric fragrances, but there is such an emotional tug to this crisp, clean vetiver mingling with flowers and warmed by spice that I find compelling. I wish I could say that this comes from some long-ago memory or association with some event. It doesn’t. When I smell Vetyverio on my skin, it triggers pure pleasure, and that’s enough for me.

It opens fresh and lively with sweet, succulent mandarin and tart, tangy grapefruit - perfectly balanced and wonderfully nose-tingling. The crisp citrus fruits are calmed by warm, spicy nutmeg. As it moves to the heart, a floral bouquet of geranium, ylang-ylang, Turkish rose starts to bloom. The lemon-tinged geranium and banana-faceted ylang-ylang surround the rich rose, keeping the heart light and airy, while a note of carrot seed, earthy and vegetal, tempers the feminine florals. The vetiver at the base is refined and elegant, with no sign of the vetiver’s inherent dirtiness here. Any earthiness comes from the carrot seed. Instead, this vetiver has a creaminess to it that always surprises me when I sniff it. Cedarwood at the base is clear and clean and paired with a note of reserved musk that supports the fragrance beautifully.

The drydown is refined, elegant and alluring and can easily be worn by both men and women.

What I love about it most is that this vetiver fragrance is clean and refreshing. It’s a different kind of vetiver experience for me. And, judging by the way it steals attention away from everyone else when I wear it, I’d say I’m not the only one who likes this vetiver experience.

I guess picking out this great scent is what happens when air molecules contract together in the fall.

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