Inside the Fragrance: Vetiver

If you are familiar with our solid cologne fragrance, Hatteras, then you can undoubtedly recognize its strong outdoorsy, masculine smell. This is created by a mixture of scents - a primary component being vetiver.

Vetiver (pronounced VEHT-ih-ver) is one of the most popular scents in the men's fragrance industry. It is known for its distinct dry, woody, earthy aroma. Traditionally, vetiver was also used for many centuries in Indian folk medicine. Now, it is found in nearly 90% of modern western men’s fragrances. The scent is so popular in the industry, dozens of colognes are simply named "Vetiver."

One of the paradoxes of vetiver is that while its fragrance is often described as "woody," the plant is not a wood at all. The essential oil is distilled from the root of vetiver, a tall grass that grows in floodplains and marshes. Vetiver has a complex chemical composition, which means that there are no shortcuts or synthetics for fragrance makers. However, there is a wide range of fragrance profiles between the different vetivers based on their location and specific subspecies. Here at Fulton & Roark, we are partial to a particular vetiver grown in Haiti, which has a rich, woody profile that plays a strong part in Hatteras.