RUŌOD Lab

Vetiver Oil

Essential oil · Woody / Green

earthy, smoky, woody, rooty, green — base note.

Aroma illustration for Vetiver Oil: grass with tangled roots, a mound of dark earth and curls of smoke, for its vetiver, rooty, earthy and smoky notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Illustration of vetiver grass with its dense mass of fibrous roots. The oil is distilled from the roots.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Vetiver Oil smells like (vetiver, rooty, earthy, smoky), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.An original illustration of the botanical source by RUŌOD Lab — not a photograph of the material.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Vetiver oil is distilled from the roots of Chrysopogon zizanioides, grown mainly in Haiti, Java and India. It is one of the most important woody base notes in perfumery.

What Vetiver Oil smells like

Vetiver oil is woody, earthy and rooty: The Good Scents Company lists Haiti vetiver as woody, earthy, rooty, balsamic and amber; Firmenich adds smoky, nutty and powdery; White Lotus Aromatics a sweet, earthy, mossy, rooty bouquet with a precious-woods undertone; Albert Vieille woody and slightly smoky. Origin matters: forum perfumers find Haiti classical and clean-woody with a touch of smoke and a grapefruit top, Java much smokier, and Madagascar the least smoky and more vegetal.

Leading note
Earthy rooty wood
Supporting facets
Smoky, nutty, balsamic, amber
Faint facets
Grapefruit top
Character
Dry, deep, tenacious, complex
  • earthy
  • smoky
  • woody
  • rooty
  • green

What makes Vetiver Oil distinctive

The smell of roots in damp earth, lifted by smoke and a grapefruit-like freshness — no wood or synthetic quite reproduces it.

How Vetiver Oil is used

Used as a base in woody, chypre, fougère, masculine and fresh compositions, and as a fixative.

Typical role: backbone (used in large proportions as a structural material of an accord); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).

How Vetiver Oil differs from similar materials

Vetiveryl Acetate
Vetiveryl acetate, made from the oil, is smoother, more rounded and less earthy, without the harsh or smoky notes.
Cypriol Oil (Nagarmotha)
Cypriol is smokier and more leathery, with vetiver-like undertones that appear on drying; vetiver is the earthier, rootier original.
Patchouli Oil
Patchouli is darker, more camphoraceous and sweet-earthy; vetiver is drier and rootier, with smoke and a grapefruit-like lift.

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

Viscous; warm before weighing. Quality and character vary strongly by origin.

Identity and classification

Type
Essential oil
Origin
Natural
Odour family
Woody / Green
Note position
Base note
Physical form at room temperature
Viscous liquid
Also known as
Vetivert oil
Botanical source
Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty
CAS number
8016-96-4

The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.

Safety and compliance

This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.

Materials it works with

Vetiver Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for 1-Octen-3-one, Mahagonate, Rhubofix, Symroxane, Timberol and Trimofix O.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 40 published formulas

Vetiver Oil is an ingredient in 34 perfume formulas, 5 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

  • 1882 Naturals

    Community Formula · listed as “Vetiver - Haiti (8016-96-4)”

  • Gun Powder Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Vetiver, Indonesia”, origin Indonesia (Java)

  • Hindi Maliki Qadeem

    Community Formula · listed as “Vetivert oil Haiti”

  • Ivy Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Vetiver, Brazil (8016-96-4)”

  • Mousse de Chypre Base

    Community Formula · Base · listed as “Vetiver - Haiti (8016-96-4)”

  • Paper Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Haitian Vetiver”, origin Haiti

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

Further reading

Questions about Vetiver Oil

Is Vetiver Oil natural or synthetic?

Vetiver Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.

What is the CAS number of Vetiver Oil?

8016-96-4, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Vetiver Oil?

Vetiver Oil is used in 40 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including 1882 Naturals, Asphalt Peony and Bitter Ferry. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Vetiver Oil — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

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