For Christmas, I received a gift of patchouli soaps from India that smell like real patchouli (a scent I’ve almost forgotten in these days of clean, overly-sweet “patchouli” in perfumes). Authentic patchouli smells earthy-unclean, strong (determined to dominate other ingredients in perfumes), and has a nasal-passage-cleansing, herbal-menthol edge. What passes for patchouli in today’s fragrances shouldn’t be called “patchouli” at all; may I suggest:
iluohctap — ass-backwards patchouli…the opposite of earthy-unclean, herbal-menthol
atchou — sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-it patchouli
ou — aka “Ew!” (“This is so sweet, I think I’m going to throw up!”)
pali — patchouli with its heart, its GUTS, removed.
Ulrich Lang’s Nightscape is a “modern take on Patchouli…a sensual, mysterious and long lasting scent with notes of bergamot, green notes, a floral heart note of jasmine and geranium interwoven with cedarwood and a base of soft leather notes, musk, amber, tonka bean and patchouli.”
Nightscape starts out, and remains, clean. It opens with smooth and warm bergamot-green notes; there is a hint of geranium, but jasmine, if actually present, is so well blended I can’t detect it. The sleek, super-fast development of Nightscape takes you to ephemeral basenotes of “phantom” patchouli, “pale” leather, musk, amber and (very nice) vanilla-tonka.
The advertisements for Nightscape feature scenes of a city at night and if a city can really “sleep” and be “still” then the name of this perfume is apt. It’s been awhile since I’ve encountered such a quiet grouping of fragrance notes in one bottle. Nightscape, on my skin, begins as if I’d been wearing it for eight hours already, but it’s not an unpleasant fragrance if you’re looking for a drowsy perfume — a perfume of mild, faded aromas.
Ulrich Lang Nightscape is available in 100 ml Eau de Toilette. For buying information, see the listing for Ulrich Lang under Perfume Houses.
Note: upper left image is Noche de luna llena - Full moon night by Flowery *L*u*z*a* at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy New Year Kevin. I smelled this and rather liked it. Nothing new or spectacular, but nice. As I’m sure I’ve told you in the past, I used to wear straight up patch oil for years. Folks either HATED it or LOVED it, but it was the scent peeps associated with Carlos. Which, if ANY, frag comes close to that these days? I’ve got a bunch of patch themed fragrances, from clean to real heavy. Just wondered your thoughts.
Les Nereides Patchouli Antique.
C: I can’t think of any perfume that smells strongly of real patchouli…I haven’t tried them in ages, but Etro Patchouly and SMN Patchouli were both good … don’t know if they’ve been “cleaned up” recently though.
Great suggestions for alternate names for what they have the nerve to call patchouli!
Rustic Dove: thank you!
The pen is mightier than the sword. Thanks for killing another lemming.
Boojum: you are welcome
I love patchouli–straight out of the oil bottle, no-holds-barred, in your face, earthy and raw! The scent of patchouli reaches into the subconscious and gives its virtual ‘nads a tweak.
I have several bottles from years past that I still enjoy wearing, and for which I once got called into the office and lectured over.
Of my modern perfumes, I like Les Nereides Patchouli Antique, true to its nature with a powdery aura.
It’s funny, I grew up during the 60s-70s, the era of patchouli oil, but I couldn’t have identified the note in perfume. Since I wanted to know once and for all what all the fuss was, I took a sniff of some patchouli oil that I found in a natural -products store. My first reaction was, “It smells like dirt!”. My second was, “I like it!”. Now my attitude is, bring on the dirty patchouli.
Happy New Year Kevin! I’ve recently become a fan of soft, drowsy perfumes before bedtime. This sounds like a lovely “Goodnight Moon” frag.
That’s EXACTLY what I was thinking!! Ulrich Lang Goodnight Moon…goodnight jasmine, goodnight beramot, goodnight patchouli…
norjunma1: I don’t know if it will help YOU get to sleep, but it is mighty drowsy itself.
Ive sampled Montale Patchouli Leaves, and Mazzolari Patchouli. They smell identical to my nose, and kinda…musty. Not at all what i would consider clean, and not something i would wear. Im looking for a milder version, so maybe this would be okay. Or maybe i just should stay away from patchouli-centric fragrances completely. What do you think?
Rictor: I’ll chime in and say you should try Chanel Coromandel. Super elegant patchouli, and totally unisex, in my opinion.
Agree with Joe!
Oh, I agree! My husband wears it & it’s wonderful on him.
Ive smelled that before, but dont remember it. The Chanel Exclusifs only come in 200ml bottles as i recall. Thats a real commitment for me. haha. Dont even bother mentioning decants. TPC is evil as far as im concerned.
Oh, there are plenty of people on here who would go in on a bottle of that with you. I would share mine if had any left to spare.
Well i think NST should implement a Private Messaging system so that we can directly contact other members.
I have a bottle to split!!!
I was just contemplating offering a split of Coromandel!!
Oh Miz Kitty—thou art a mind reader!! (quick what am I thinking now? Very good! I AM lemming Hugh Jackman! but since that one’s pretty unlikely , I’ll just go for the Chanel )
so yeah, anyone want some Coromandel , let me know.
Daisyloo82@gmail.com
The resident Hugh Jackman crazy fan in my office informed me this morning that he’s on Jay Leno tonight…but then you already knew that!
oh, I don’t want to hear him speak…..I just want to LOOK at him! I’m shallow that way.
THANK YOU GILTY!! I never know what’s on T. V. so this is great news (obviously another fan). Just mute your television Daisy! LOL!
BTW, I just emailed you.
Rictor – take a look at the google group if you are interested in bottle splits. You will recognize some of the names….
http://groups.google.com/group/scent-splits?hl=en
Rictor…sometimes patchouli can be “musty” and I like that aspect of it. If you don’t and if you don’t like Joe’s suggestion below (Chanel Coromandel) I guess patchouli isn’t for you. Nightscape is one of the mildest patchouli scents on record….
I’m with Mals on this one….”real” patchouli ( the kind with hair on its chest) scares my nostrils. Kevin, have you sampled any of the Ajmal line? There’s some patch in those Arabian fragrances!
Patchouli tends to smell musty and dusty to me. I am *not* a fan. And as a result, I confess that I rather like the modern “clean” patchouli better than the real thing.
We’re in the same club. Mals, you have no idea how much I envy you for you customized SSS Tabac Aurea (with the lowered patch content)! I love that sfuff but the patch is killing me. Funny how eveyone else is missing *real* patchouli – I can’t stand it, so to me it seems everything’s full of it.
If you would like a sample of the low-patch TA, send me an email! I’m mals86 at MUA, or click on my username to get to my blog site. Laurie was happy to offer a custom version (I think she’s still willing to do it if she’s not too busy), so if you like my sample she’d probably make a bottle for you.
BIG PLUG FOR SONOMA SCENT STUDIO HERE – excellent, excellent customer service.
I’ll second that plug for SSS —Laurie is fabulously helpful!
Thank you so much for the offer but unfortunately I’m too far away to take advantage of it (I’m in Hungary). I think I’ll summon up my courage and finally ask Laurie. I was hoping I would eventually forget all about this scent and make do with other tobacco scents, but not even Odori Tobacco could make me forget it. That says a lot:)
Happy New Year, Kevin. This sounds like an ‘office and small spaces’ safe patch that you could wear in almost any company and not worry about offending them.
I do like patchouli a great deal and make an orange and patch scrub and even with just a couple drops of patch EO compared to the several slugs of orange, it lingers in the air long after my shower. I love it, but the rest of the household does not. The CEO always brings up concerts/events/fests where there’s always someone who took a bath in the stuff as an unfavorable comparrison when I talk about how wonderful patchouli is, and the only patch frags I have he likes are Angel and L’Arte, which are no shrinking patchoulis. A good patchouli soap would be divine.
AS: Your scrub sounds like something I’d love to get hold of! Seriously.
A. S. – I also love patchouli and came to it years ago as an aromatherapist. My favorite patchouli soap is Tranquility made by Aura Cacia. The scent is a blend of a few essential oils, but is it primarily patchouli.
Ab scent: oh, Nightscape would even be OK to wear on an AIRPLANE
ouch! now that is an anti-recommendation if I ever heard one!
Otherwise known as “damning it with faint praise”!
I need to test this again, Kevin, but I’m pretty sure I found it to be a generally boring “men’s fragrance.”
However, I really want to revisit my sample of UL Anvers 2, which was much more exciting. Also, I do love the bottles.
What’s your favorite patchouli perfume that perhaps cleanses your nasal passages (or not)? Lately, I’m in love with Borneo, and I wouldn’t mind a bit of Montale Patchouli Leaves at some point.
Joe, Love Montale Patch Leaves. You should also try Bois 1920 Real Patchouly ( can send if you’d like) ,Reminiscense Patch Elixir. Montale Golden Aoud, and T Mugler A*Men Pure Malt and Pure Coffee.
C: I’m not a HUGE patch ho, but I have samples of the Bois 1920, and Golden Aoud is amazing. I also like Farmacia SS Patchouly Indonesiano. Do you get a lot of patch in the Muglers? I don’t.
Yeah that Farmacia is also great. Yes Joe, I def get patch in the muglers.
Patchouli is not even listed as a note in Real Patchouli on luckyscent. Thats false advertisement.
Joe: I don’t have a patchouli scent at the moment…I used to swear by Etro Patchouly…and a patchouli-amber oil from India I used to buy in L.A.
Update: I must confess that I sampled this again last night and it was very nice and I got quite a bit of cedar as well. It’s not something I’d buy just because it isn’t to my taste, but I’d sooner that men wear something this than most of the fragrances on offer at the men’s counter.
Hey everyone—if anyone sees aparatachik stop by NST , please ask her to email me! I have her Havana Vanille and can’t find an email address anywhere!
Kevin, thanks for the review and the fun patchouli categorization. I like my patchouli to smell like patchouli…I want that earthiness. It’s good to hear about everyone’s favorite patch scents as I’ve tested a few lately. I like the Bois 1920 and the Les Nereides. I also like the SMN Patchouli and DS Durga 1538 Rheims and need to make up my mind about HOT Always. Am waiting for samples of Patchouli Leaves and Borneo…I don’t really want a patch wardrobe, just one bottle that I love. (Well a second bottle…I have and love Coromandel…)
Gilty: I agree, ONE good patchouli scent is all you need…and the old-style patchouli is so hard to find anyway.
Kevin – you had me ROTFL at the patch descriptions! Loved them as much as I hate neutered patchouli. Thanks!
Rappleyea: you’re welcome…glad to know there are lovers of authentic patchouli out there…we are NOT being catered to though, are we?
Not at all! After I read this review, I went to my cupboard of essential oils and smelled my bottle of patchouli. The other thought that occurred to me was that while most of the current offerings are of the neutered variety, at the opposite end of the spectrum, many of them are TOO rough. My bottle of e. o. is fairly smooth and nice.
This is timely, as I’ve been doing concurrent explorations of vetiver and patchouli! I would so love to smell those soaps from India! I suppose I’m one of those who’d like to have a wardrobe of patchouli since it’s a favorite note (vetiver, too). And I agree- we true patch lovers aren’t being catered to. Just as an aside, it seems like Chanel does it right, yet again: even the staunch patchouli haters in my life like Coromandel! I was having a little inside joke moment since they didn’t know it was patchouli they were smelling, but it speaks to the masterful craftsmanship of Sheldrake.
Jared: yep, Coromandel is very nice…think I’ll wear some tomorrow.
Interesting review, Kevin. I like the wordplay.
I have limited experience with patchouli. The few patch-heavy fragrances I’ve tried haven’t worked well for me. The one exception I can think of is Voleur de Roses. Love it! What do you think of that one — does it meet your standards as a real patchouli?
Haunani: it’s better than most if I remember correctly…but still “clean-ish”
Hi everyone! I’ve been reading for a while and thought I’d finally jump in.
What do ya’ll think of the Tom Ford White Patchouli? I think it’s really lovely, but my taste probably run towards the nutered-patch…
Hi Gus. Even though White Patchouli is a pretty cleaned up version of patchouli, I have a bottle and I do like it. It’s got a musky woody, spicy floral thing going on. Nice. Maybe I’ll wear it today…
Il Profumo Patchouli Noir is a nice dirty patch – I wore a bit too much to work one day – oops. But it is really nice – notes are mint, cedarwood, patchouli, poppy, vanilla.
I sometimes layer with pure patchouly oil or a 10% dillution to bring back the dirtiness in some scents…sacrilege?
No – great idea! I’ve come very close to adding a drop or two of patch e.o. to Coromandel!
Have you ever doctored scents like this before (as opposed to just layering)? I’ve been thinking about adding the forbidden oakmoss back to scents I have but I’m afraid of something going wrong with the proportions.
jirish: DANGEROUS!!!!!!!! If you must, experiment with TINY batches till you get a fragrance you like (I’m talking DROPS)….
Come to think of it: Patchouly by Profumum is rather dirty. My wife has an aversion to patchouly due to an overdosis (remember when everything and everyone was marinated in the stuff?) and she really didn’t like Profumum because it came to close to the real patchouly eo.
Wow, the things you learn along the way! So far in 2010 I’ve learned that there are fumes created specifically for bedtime! I’m curious about this one for the novelty, if nothing else! I also enjoyed your “patchouli in its various…erm…forms” list.
Sunnyfunny: I think of “bed” perfumes as ones you can put on right out of the shower and that will have evaporated more or less by the time you read a magazine article or chapter of a book. They come in handy…especially as “refreshers” in summer.
I’m another patchouli lover. I always like to have a bottle of the e o around. I used to apply the straight oil, but not any more ! I don’t want to do the olfactory equivalent of smacking someone on the nose. But I’m thinking of getting a patch synergy e o blend, mixing it with vodka and spraying it on whenever I need a patch fix! The blend is orange, patch and geranium. Of course you could blend it with other ones.
That’s one great take on patchouli. lol
I wore my sample vial today and liked it so much I ordered a bottle. I must say that the scent DOES NOT match the name…it should be called an “Evening Out”. In regards to the name and the city in which it supposedly represents, it is not bold or unique enough. New York City is bold, bustling and awake, this scent is not. It is very nice, quiet [almost shy] classy in an understated way. Nightscape is a go-to fragrance, unobtrusive, wearable. When I look for Patchouli, I want it to be dirty and Earthy, this is a dry dusty [yet not old or musty] version; I do detect a metallic coolness to this fragrance, must be the geranium. I would recommend this fragrance.