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I HATE patchouli! (or so I thought)

post #1 of 53
3/24/12 at 11:59pm
Thread Starter 
"Bask in the day", hippies wore patchouli oil and it reeked. I could not stand to be around the scent. I have since decided that patchouli is a dirty, nasty smell with bad memories. But, to my surprise most of the scents that I really enjoy have patchouli as one of the ingredients.

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post #2 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:06am
All of my favorite fragrances have a base of patchouli. I love the stuff!
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post #3 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:21am
Ah, I very much agree with your initial point, Akahina. I have a problem with patchouli for exactly that reason and association. Indeed, I still encounter hippies reeking of patchouli at train stations, etc. It is unusually complex for a single-derivation oil, but...its association... It is usually with regret that I find fragrances I enjoy containing patchouli, as I would rather avoid it altogether. The most prominent example of this is Third Man, which I really do enjoy occasionally, but contains a discernible patchouli note.
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post #4 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:24am
I really love patchouli. It is my favourite note since I smelled Amen/Angel and its flankers. It was pretty unique to me untill I started to sample niches where many of them contain patchouli in basenotes. Anyway, patchouli + vanilla is still my favourite combo.
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post #5 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:35am
As a supporting note, I quite enjoy it. A good example being Portrait of a Lady .
As a 'front and center' note however, I have come to deeply dislike it, particularly its mentholated aspect (e.g. Mazzolari patchouly).
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post #6 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:36am
patchouli....beautiful and earthy
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post #7 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:50am
I used to like it very now. I used to enjoy Patchouli Elixir by Reminiscence (a reference patchouli) but now, like some of the above, I enjoy it as a supporting note like in Lummiere Noire pour Homme, PoaL and Patchouli Imperiale by Dior.
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post #8 of 53
3/25/12 at 1:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamer81 View Post

I really love patchouli. It is my favourite note since I smelled Amen/Angel and its flankers. It was pretty unique to me untill I started to sample niches where many of them contain patchouli in basenotes. Anyway, patchouli + vanilla is still my favourite combo.

I love patchouli with vanilla too!
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post #9 of 53
3/25/12 at 1:24am
Before I got into perfume, I thought I disliked patchouli too. Mainly because of the association with annoying pseudo-hippy style when I was growing up (in the 80s).

The truth was I just didn't know anything. When I actually got around to exploring and learning what scents I like, I found patchouli right there among them. Now I own and love Borneo 1834, Coromandel, Calamity J, and plenty of others that have patchouli in either a central or supporting role.
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post #10 of 53
3/25/12 at 2:49am
patchoulli fragrance Givenchy Gentleman was my first true love
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post #11 of 53
3/25/12 at 2:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandhajala View Post

As a supporting note, I quite enjoy it. A good example being Portrait of a Lady .
As a 'front and center' note however, I have come to deeply dislike it, particularly its mentholated aspect (e.g. Mazzolari patchouly).

My thoughts exactly.
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post #12 of 53
3/25/12 at 3:10am
I can't handle it as a dominant note and prefer it lingering in the background done with a light hand. Ulrich Lang Nightscape and M.Micallef Patchouli are among the most wearable examples i've encountered so far.
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post #13 of 53
3/25/12 at 3:22am
Patchouli is very hit or miss for me. Usually I don't like it as a dominant note bet there are still some patchouli-centered compositions that while conjuring the sixties and all the flower-power types of things are still amazing for their immense beauty. One of them is Cozè which pairs the typical herbal quality to a sort of dirty-gourmandic twist that's typical of many Parfumerie Generale. The other is Intrigant Patchouli that enhances a more classicist, sort of old-fashioned french perfumery aspect, with a strong civet note and a majestic powdery base.
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post #14 of 53
3/25/12 at 4:35am
I have never encountered any hippie who smelled of patchouli, so I never got to make that association. Some patchoulis are too strong for me (JHAG Vengeance Extreme smells like Swiss cheese for a good while to me), but I usually like it a lot when well complemented by other notes.
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post #15 of 53
3/25/12 at 4:43am
Don't mind it in scents like e.g. Gentleman and such. Ice Men on the other hand is pushing it a little. It actually reminds me of being a teenager and being around people who smoke weed (and of Rive Gauche).
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post #16 of 53
3/25/12 at 4:51am
Not much hippies were here in Soviet Union (back then), let alone wearing patchouli.

I love ETRO Patchouly, Givenchy Gentleman, Lapidus pour Homme and somehow do miss the discontinued LUSH Tramp showergel.

Regards, Odor.
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post #17 of 53
3/25/12 at 5:08am
Never cared much for patchouli untill I met Coromandel.
Then I fell in love!
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post #18 of 53
3/25/12 at 5:18am
I don't like patchouli by itself because of the association the OP mentioned. I do have some fragrances with patchouli and they do smell good but I believe it is because of the combination of scents and the patchouli is in the far back and not a dominant note.
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post #19 of 53
3/25/12 at 5:25am
I hate strong civet, but a nice blend can do miracles.
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post #20 of 53
3/25/12 at 6:12am
All REMINISCENCE PATCHOULI issues are great. Also Mazzolari and Montale. I love Patchouli
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post #21 of 53
3/25/12 at 7:14am
I have no problem with patchouli whatsoever or patchouli dominant fragrances.
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post #22 of 53
3/25/12 at 8:59am
I love patchouli scents like Patchouli Patch(wear it today), Borneo, Coromandel and Cozé; I like that good old hippie feeling...!
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post #23 of 53
3/25/12 at 11:17am
I hate the patchouli/sweet syrup combination in Angel. That combination has really turned me off patchouli in fragrances like that. I love the smell of pure patchouli, though, and I enjoy the mentholated quality of it in its dried and living plant form. Also its dank earthiness is enjoyable to me. I often find it difficult to wear, but it depends on the fragrance. Keiko Mecheri has a lovely one called Patchoulisime that is very feminine and pretty. Patchouli as a supporting note, as others have mentioned, are in many of my favorite fragrances, particularly classics like Miss Dior. When I was a teen I bought myself a bottle of Givenchy Gentleman because the patchouli was so appealing to me. I particularly like it when men wear patchouli fragrances...pleasant associations for me. A patchouli sillage will always turn my head.
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post #24 of 53
3/25/12 at 12:39pm
I love patchouli, but at this moment I am kinda tired of it. Maybe because I went overkill with it last year.

I've never associated it with hippies. "Hippies" were ......45 years ago. That is a long time.
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post #25 of 53
3/25/12 at 1:15pm
I'm not a big fan of patchouli. A little of it goes a long way, IMO. Best as a supporting, rather than dominant, note.
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post #26 of 53
3/25/12 at 6:34pm
This is actually one of my favorite scent if done well
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post #27 of 53
3/25/12 at 7:31pm
I only have a handful of frags that DON'T have Patchouli in them. I made my own recently all three notes are Patchouli. It's heavenly, the only thing that could improve it is to come up with a note of Hash to throw in the mix. Don't ask how I did it, trade secret!
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post #28 of 53
3/25/12 at 8:26pm
I agree with the op and many others... Hippies usually wear straight patchouli oil, which can be way strong and leave a silliage trail a mile long. So I didn't like it... but now, after getting into frags, I am starting to like it and enjoy it as a supporting role in many frags.
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post #29 of 53
3/25/12 at 9:18pm
I enjoy patchouli as much as most other ingredients but I've never had the hippie association to deal with.

For me, it's hard to just say "patchouli" as if it's one smell because I find the more natural and multifaceted presentation in some fragrances to be miles apart from the synthetic, monotone and almost vanilla like synthetic/s used in others.
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post #30 of 53
3/25/12 at 11:03pm
I absolutely love patchouli in any shape since the (late) Age of Aquarius. Groovy!
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post #31 of 53
3/26/12 at 12:06am
funny that you mention hippies, Heeley Hippie Rose has a pretty strong patchouli note
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post #32 of 53
3/26/12 at 5:41am
Not a fan of patchouli EXCEPT for Dior Patchouli which I find absolutely amazing. Beautiful scent.
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post #33 of 53
3/26/12 at 1:05pm
Not my favorite note, but I've really come to like Mazzolari Lui
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post #34 of 53
3/26/12 at 9:08pm
Patchouli? to be fair, I think it depends of the blend.
* the patchouli note I like the most is the one present on give rauche.
* the heaviest patchouli note I can wear: heritage
* frags where patchouli is not an issue: obsession, azzaro, armani attitude and allure
* and there is a LARGE list of frags where patchouli is overkill to me

when sampling scents I can easily tell which fragances contain patchouli, even if it is not on the topnotes. Strong patchouli is a deal braker to me... that's because patchouli on me usually gets too loud and harsh. maybe my nose is overly sentitive to the note.

do you have some kind advice about how to 'tone down' patchouli-heavy scents to make them wearable?

have a great day!
D.
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post #35 of 53
3/30/12 at 9:25pm
So, Um, Like, What's wrong with Hippies?
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post #36 of 53
3/30/12 at 9:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by le mouchoir de monsieur View Post

So, Um, Like, What's wrong with Hippies?

Huuum, let me see: drugs? Toiletries?
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post #37 of 53
3/30/12 at 9:34pm
Ok, sorry: I couldn't help myself. Interestingly, I happen to think Patchouli smells divine on people, and I'm difficult: Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you: Le MdM--definitely difficult. In the 80's, at Uni, I would douse myself daily with Givenchy Gentleman. I wore this religiously for almost four years. Recently, I've cleaned out e-bay of all of the vintage juice I could get my hands on and I've been wearing it as a base to Mouchoir de Monsieur, since we all know that needs something at this point, having become tantamount to Bed Bath & Beyond Lavender Linen Spray. Not a day has past since I began this odd pairing that I haven't gotten a compliment--and what kinds of compliments! Someone licked my hand the day before yesterday! I'm not sure I would ever actually wear pure patchouli oil--but I must admit: I have always liked it on others. I suppose if you layer in filth and a carton of Camel Filters it could be pretty grotesque. Hippies around my 'hood, I must say, these days, they smell pretty good! My newly rekindled flirtation with the perfectly dashing Vintage Givenchy Gentleman: Working out beautifully.....
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post #38 of 53
3/30/12 at 9:36pm
PS: Clearly: Different strokes for different folks. Two of my favourite things in life are:

DRUGS
TOILETRIES


It takes all kinds.....
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post #39 of 53
3/30/12 at 10:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by le mouchoir de monsieur View Post

PS: Clearly: Different strokes for different folks. Two of my favourite things in life are:

DRUGS
TOILETRIES


It takes all kinds.....

LOL!

I like both of those things too, and I could kinda be considered a hippy even though I don't look like one. I think Cartman's quote on hippies is hilarious. I guess he doesn't like patchouli!

"Hippies.They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad."
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post #40 of 53
3/31/12 at 12:45am
My mother is a hippy, so it is perhaps the natural course of things that I should rebel - albeit in the harmless revolutionary particular of patchouli. In truth, she far more often wore clary sage, or Mysore sandalwood when it was inexpensively available (how recently!) than patchouli. Still, patchouli - the naked oil - remains in great vogue among hippies here. It is a charming scent in itself, but I suffer, quite aside from the revolutionary impulse, from overexposure. At train stations particularly, I find - there is always Someone who has doused themselves in it. I rarely can pick out who it is, but their scent trail is unmistakable above all others. Patchouli is distinctive in that way.
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post #41 of 53
3/31/12 at 7:11am
What he meant by “toiletries” was their lack of them. Going au naturel and disdaining commercial deodorants, etc.

I was not a hippy but I did love this shop in NYC called Aphrodesia which used to be on Carmine Street and later moved to Bleecker Street. They had rows and rows of glass jars of every imaginable herb and root and powder, and all kinds of essential oils as well. I bought Mysore sandalwood oil there, lavender oil, rose oil, all kinds of things that I wore as perfume. But not patchouli. I loved smelling it on others, or as incense or something, but I couldn’t wear straight patchouli oil myself. I tried to wear it a few years ago but my husband complained that it reminded him of his first wife. She worked in her family’s horse business and all the horse people used to wear patchouli, apparently, which I think sounds wonderful – leather, horse sweat, patchouli, other barn smells.
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post #42 of 53
3/31/12 at 7:43am
I really don't enjoy Patchouli much . I can't totally relax in a fragrance with heavy patchouli in it .
Worst patchouli - the one that tortured me was Montale's Patchouli Leaves. Borneo 1834 by SL - ugh . As a rule if it's patchouli dominant I'm outta there!
However....
Best wearable patchouli on me - one even I would buy is CdG Luxe Patchouli which is a dream .
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post #43 of 53
3/31/12 at 8:12am
There are also boutique hippies.
Well about drugs and toiletries, for each head an appropriate hat/cap/bonnet.
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post #44 of 53
3/31/12 at 9:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorje123 View Post

I agree with the op and many others... Hippies usually wear straight patchouli oil, which can be way strong and leave a silliage trail a mile long. So I didn't like it... but now, after getting into frags, I am starting to like it and enjoy it as a supporting role in many frags.

Where are you all running into all these hippies?
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post #45 of 53
3/31/12 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Chambers View Post

Where are you all running into all these hippies?

In 1967. They have a time machine.
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post #46 of 53
3/31/12 at 10:09am
Cheap Patchouli can really ruin a fragrance, but to my surprise, one of my most favorite fragrances ended up being Givenchy Gentleman, almost entirely patchouli.
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post #47 of 53
3/31/12 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Chambers View Post

Where are you all running into all these hippies?

Dude, man... I've like... lived in Boulder, CO since like... ummmm... let's see... 1992!
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post #48 of 53
3/31/12 at 12:44pm
+1 Intrigant Patchouli
Finally bought a bottle the other day
It's intense civet and patchouli along with other animal notes, honey, sandalwood, oh man just everything good blended into this over the top opulent scent, it's amazing.
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post #49 of 53
3/31/12 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cylob View Post

Never cared much for patchouli untill I met Coromandel.
Then I fell in love!

Same here. Coromandel is an amazingly bold fragrance.
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post #50 of 53
4/1/12 at 9:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by moore View Post

There are also boutique hippies.
Well about drugs and toiletries, for each head an appropriate hat/cap/bonnet.

-As long as mine is Yves Saint Laurent, I'll wear it: Rive Gauche Homme boutiques are the only ones that consistently have desirable hats for men, unless of course you want to take the English route, which makes things much easier, but hats are very tricky/difficult to find! My signature shape: The YSL "Paper Boy." I must have one of these in every incarnation possible. To keep clean: Spray interior of hat periodically with vintage "Givenchy Gentleman." Don't worry. Be happy.
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post #51 of 53
4/1/12 at 9:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by le mouchoir de monsieur View Post

-As long as mine is Yves Saint Laurent, I'll wear it: Rive Gauche Homme boutiques are the only ones that consistently have desirable hats for men, unless of course you want to take the English route, which makes things much easier, but hats are very tricky/difficult to find! My signature shape: The YSL "Paper Boy." I must have one of these in every incarnation possible. To keep clean: Spray interior of hat periodically with vintage "Givenchy Gentleman." Don't worry. Be happy.

As I told before...
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post #52 of 53
4/1/12 at 10:13am
I thought I didn't like it, but then I did a quick analysis of the note break downs of my favourite fragrances. Patchouli was quite high up there as a reoccurring note.
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post #53 of 53
4/1/12 at 2:01pm
I was mainly in the same boat (or almost), until I discovered the smoothness of patchouli in, e.g., Givenchy Gentleman and Rive Gauche pour Homme
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