Patchouli & Labdanum
A patchouli cologne drawn from Jacques Flori's boyhood rides past the distilleries of Grasse, moving from herbal greenness through vetiver and cedar to warm labdanum.
Perfumer: Jacques Flori
Jacques Flori's childhood in Grasse is the starting point: riding a bicycle through the town's lanes in patchouli season, passing close to the distilleries to breathe in that warm, intense smell, then heading home happy. Flori says those rides are why patchouli became a favourite material to work with.
The top is green and faintly bitter, built from aromatic and herbal notes, with Brazilian tonka bean absolute adding a hay-like sweetness. Indonesian patchouli forms the heart together with Haitian vetiver and Virginia cedar, so damp soil rubs against dry wood.
Amyris, benzoin and labdanum absolute make up the base. Their resinous, lightly sweet texture wraps the woods and holds the patchouli's warmth close to the skin, unusual depth for a cologne.
