Scent note · woody amber facet · Amber family

Patchouli scent notes

Deep, earthy, and slightly sweet woodiness.

Patchouli oil is distilled from the dried leaves of Pogostemon cablin, grown mostly in Indonesia. It smells earthy, dark and a little sweet, and unlike most oils it gets smoother and richer as it ages.

Patchouli is a base note. Small amounts give a blend depth and staying power without announcing themselves; large amounts take over. It works well with clove, geranium and tonka bean.

14oils · see the list

12as a base note

woody amberfacet

Patchouli pairs with

Clove4 of our 14 clove oils also carry patchouli

Geranium3 of our 12 geranium oils also carry patchouli

Tonka Bean4 of our 21 tonka bean oils also carry patchouli

Rose5 of our 31 rose oils also carry patchouli

Lemon4 of our 26 lemon oils also carry patchouli

Orange4 of our 27 orange oils also carry patchouli

Patchouli oils lean

Questions about patchouli

Is patchouli a top, middle or base note?

Mostly a base note. Of the 13 oils here that list patchouli in their notes, 12 carry it in the base and 2 in the middle.

What does patchouli pair well with?

Clove, geranium and tonka bean. 4 of our 14 clove oils also carry patchouli.

More woody amber notes

Browse every note on the Scent Notes page, or read how families and facets fit together in The Fragrance Wheel guide.