Patchouli oil has been in use for thousands of years, but it gained tremendous popularity because of its use by the hippies in the 1960s. Experts suggest that the regular use of patchouli oil by hippies is because of the raw, earthy, and natural nature of this oil. Hippies preferred using products that were not artificially manufactured and were cruelty-free.
Those are characteristics of patchouli oil. Patchouli oil is derived from the plant, Pogostemon cablin, which belongs to the mint family. The plant is native to tropical Asian countries such as India, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Some experts suggest that strong-smelling patchouli oil was used by hippies to mask the smell of marijuana that they have used. The hippie culture emphasized unbounded love and inclusiveness. Patchouli oil is known for its calming and libido-enhancing effect, which made it popular among hippies.
Some people also detect hints of fresh grass, dried leaves, and a touch of vanilla in its aroma. Patchouli is widely used in perfumes, incense, and other fragrance products due to its long-lasting and distinct scent.
Deep, dark, earthy and present in plenty of perfumes today, patchouli has still got a hippie-dippy aura, even now. Patchouli isn’t a wood, or a root, it’s actually a frilly green-leafed, purple-flowered plant.
Amazingly, from the fragile-looking leaves comes a sweet, spicy, smoky, cedar scent so powerful it has to be handled with care: Patchouli is the most powerful of any plant-derived essence. But perfumers wouldn’t be without patchouli, for the richness that it gives to fragrances – and not just those heady perfumes, patchouli makes its way into many chypre and powdery fragrances, swirling exotically alongside lavender, sandalwood, labdanum and bergamot, clove, clary sage, as well as vetiver. (It’s a little like vetiver, if you close your eyes.) Used alongside rose, it extends and ‘fixes’ rose’s sweetness.
The name, quite simply, comes from the old Tamil words patchai (‘green’) and ellai (‘leaf’). It originated in India, Malaysia and Indonesia and made its way to the Middle East via the exotic silk route. Patchouli is a fantastic insect repellent, effective against flies and other bugs. Paisley shawls were traditionally layered with patchouli leaves in transit. Frenchwomen in the 19th Century swathed themselves in these patchouli-scented shawls against the cold – a fashion started by the Empress Eugenie – and patchouli became desirable, as a fragrance ingredient.
The quality of the oil can vary hugely. The very best stuff comes from the three or four top pairs of leaves, where the highest concentration of the fragrant oil is found. Once cut, they’re turned frequently to prevent them breaking down too quickly. Then the leaves are stripped and placed into woven baskets, where a process of fermentation takes place that releases the incomparable fragrance. Then the leaves are either CO2-extracted, or steam-distilled. It’s highly skilled work, and only a few distilleries produce patchouli of a high enough quality to please a VIP ‘nose’, or creator. On a blotter, meanwhile, a single drop of patchouli can last for months.
For many today people, it’s still a love-it-or-hate-it ingredient, evoking plenty of prejudice. But we happen to adore it…It is used in the production of high-quality perfumes from famous houses like Chanel.
Article from Medicine Net and The Perfume Society