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I’m visiting the beautiful island country of Haiti (again) to source the finest quality vetiver oil in the world. Vetiver is an important ingredient in every perfumer’s palette with warm woody facets, subtle refreshing citrus-grapefruit aspects and rich earthy tones. Interestingly vetiver (known locally in India as khus) was first introduced to this region by Indians. At Bombay Perfumery, we developed one of our fragrances with Haitian vetiver as a central component to highlight this beautiful root that plunges deep into the earth and soaks up all its golden warmth.

Even before landing in colourful Port Au Prince, I’m welcomed to the Caribbean by some of the most stunning waterscapes I’ve ever laid my eyes on from my airplane window – turquoise waters and coral stretching for miles

I’m spending some time in the bustling capital first, a city that would make any Instagrammer worth their salt stop every few seconds to capture the explosion of colours on homes, shopfronts and street side stalls selling beautiful Haitian art. Not to be missed are the coolest public transport buses you will ever see, that second as moving art-pieces paying homages to football stars, local musicians and Rihanna.

The Oil of Tranquillity – Vetiver

Quiet mornings in – that quick jolt of recognition when you spot a kindred soul – nonverbal conversations – a rejuvenating piece of art is all what Les Cayes believes in.

Named after the Haitian port, Les Cayes belongs to the woody & citrus family, with a bouquet that boasts of both rich and fresh notes – a sharp move away from conventional men’s fragrances. Indeed, at the heart of it, Les Cayes draws an element of minimal cool from one of its key ingredients Vetiver.

A traditional oil in India, its usage in Ayurvedic medicine ranged from healing and pacifying to beauty. Within perfumery, the oil is well-regarded for its distinctive scent and is often used in more masculine fragrances.

Vetiver’s warm earthiness is tinged with a bit of lemony cool – it’s related to the aromatic lemongrass – that makes it very tough to replicate in a synthetic form. The tropical grass is native to India, where it’s known as khus, however, we source it from Haiti that’s known for its artistry in distilling the oil and for its floral aura as compared to Java’s smokier vetiver, for instance.

For our Les Cayes, Vetiver is one of its three base ingredients, along with Clary Sage & Musk; while the clary sage provides a nutty scent to the mix, the musk adds balance to the composition. Together, a vibrant base is created upon which Les Cayes is built.

Perhaps the most iconic flower across the world, the rose has captured our imagination through the ages, be it through art or its symbolic value or just by virtue of its natural beauty. A favoured ingredient in perfumery, the value of roses goes beyond its fragrance to its medicinal, ornamental and symbolic uses.

The symbol of the rose has changed through centures. For instance, in the pre-Christian era, the rose was symbolic of the goddess Venus and later became reminiscent of the Virgin Mary. The symbol eventually led to the creation of the rosary prayer.

For the ancient world, the rose was also a symbol of silence. It is said that Eros presented the rose to the god of silence and the term ‘sub rosa’ that means under the rose stands for silence.

In Islam & Sufism, the rose is often used as a literary device to mark loveliness as well as in architecture and landscaping where the rose is the central motif in well-thought-out geometric gardens. Persian legend says that as Mohammed was taken to Heaven, his sweat fell to earth and became the first rose.

The importance of the rose continued till later ages where it became the national flower of England, inspired by the War of the Roses where the House of Lancaster were represented by a red rose and the House of York was represented by a white rose. Across the pond, Henry VIII’s recipe for a rose perfume is still recorded at Oxford, ‘Take six spoonful of rose oil, the same of rose water, and a quarter of an ounce of sugar. Mix well together and two grains of musk and one ounce of ambergris, then boil slowly for six hours and then strain”.

For our Madurai Talkies, we have used roses from Turkey that have a certain flair associated with them. The rose, or gül as it is called in Turkish, has been blossoming in the country for generations.

Notes : The Magical & Ritual Use of Perfumes by Richard Alan Miller & Iona Miller