Material Review Woody Notes in Perfumery — Vetiver and Derivatives. Part I

Vetiver is an important woody note in perfumery. The word vetiver, vetyver in French, originated in Tamil:* vettiveru = vetti, worthless + veru, useless. The Indian term for vetiver is Khus, and in Indonesia is known as Akar Wangi.

Botanical origin: Vetiver, Vetiveria zizanioides Staph., is a grass growing wild, semi-wild or cultivated in many parts of the world, including India, Haiti, Java, Réunion Islands, China and Indonesia.

Mode of production, yield, type of oil: Vetiver oil is obtained by distillation of Vetiveria zizanioides roots. Steam distillation is a more recent method used, and it gives a better yield of the oil. The yield of the dried vetiver Java roots is from 1.5 to 2 percent, and that of vetiver Haiti varies from 1 to 1.5 percent. A more recent source gives the yield of air-dried vetiver Java roots as 2 to 3 percent.

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