Woody perfumes

What is a woody perfume?

In perfumery, “woody” means a family built on woods and roots. Its classic materials are cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli, together with oud, guaiac wood and oakmoss. Woods are base notes: they provide the structure, the “backbone” on which the other notes rest, and it is rare to find a perfume that contains none.

Not all woody perfumes are alike. Cedarwood is dry and recalls pencil shavings, sandalwood is creamy and soft, vetiver earthy and smoky, patchouli dark and camphorous, oud resinous and intense. And two of the family's best-loved materials are not even woods: vetiver is a root, patchouli a leaf.

Woody, woody amber or aromatic?

Three closely related terms that mean different things.

Classification systems differ too. For the Société Française des Parfumeurs, woody amber (“boisé ambré”) is one of the nine subfamilies of the Boisés, the woody perfumes, which have been a family of the official French classification since 1990.

A story as old as the temples

Fragrant woods are among the oldest materials in history. Cedar was prized in antiquity for building great sacred structures and is mentioned 103 times in the Bible; the Forest of the Cedars of God, in Lebanon, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. In Egypt, in an embalming workshop at Saqqara from about 2,500 years ago, cedar oil is the second most frequently found product in the vessels, as shown by a study published in Nature in 2023.

In India sandalwood appears in the Vedic texts, in the Mahabharata and in the texts of Ayurveda, and it was used by temple and court perfumers. In 1792 the Kingdom of Mysore made it a state monopoly, which lasted until 2001.

Modern perfumery has made woods a family of their own. The main milestones:

1. 1926Bois des Îles by Chanel, created by Ernest Beaux: sandalwood and vetiver with tonka bean, vanilla and aldehydes.
2. 1959Vétiver by Guerlain, the first creation of Jean-Paul Guerlain.
3. 1973IFF patents Iso E Super, the molecule of velvety wood.
4. 1988Fahrenheit by Dior uses Iso E Super in a very high dose, about a quarter of the formula.
5. 1990Égoïste by Chanel, created by Jacques Polge, is born from Bois des Îles.
6. 1990The Société Française des Parfumeurs adds the “Boisés” to its official classification.
7. 1992Féminité du Bois by Shiseido, conceived by Serge Lutens with Pierre Bourdon and Christopher Sheldrake, brings cedarwood into feminine perfumery.
8. 1998The Forest of the Cedars of God, in Lebanon, becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
9. 2006Terre d'Hermès by Jean-Claude Ellena, a “mineral and woody” perfume.
10. 2006Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules, made of a single molecule: Iso E Super.
11. 2011Santal 33 by Le Labo, created by Frank Voelkl, built on Australian sandalwood.
12. 2021In Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel “Woody Oriental” becomes “Woody Amber”.

Today niche perfumery takes woods in every direction: pure, spicy, leathery, smoky, gourmand.

The raw materials of woody perfumes

Cedarwood

Cedrus atlantica · Morocco

dryresinouswarm

Atlas cedar grows in the mountains of Morocco between 1,300 and 2,600 metres and can live up to 2,000 years. The oil is distilled from sawdust, a by-product of woodworking, and smells of warm, dry, resinous wood. So-called Virginia cedar is actually a juniper, Juniperus virginiana: its scent is linked to the pencils of the 19th century.

Woody perfumes with cedarwood

Sandalwood

Santalum album · India and Australia

creamysoftmilky

Only the heartwood, the core of the wood, is fragrant: the outer part is odourless. Sandalwood is a hemiparasite, taking water and nutrients from the roots of a nearby plant. Indian sandalwood is now listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, so many perfumers use Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, which is earthier and smokier.

Woody perfumes with sandalwood

Vetiver

Chrysopogon zizanioides · Haiti

earthysmokyhazelnut

It is not a wood but a grass: perfumery uses the root, which reaches down as far as two metres. Haiti produces more than half of the world's vetiver and the centre of its trade is Les Cayes. The plant grows for twelve months before harvest; the roots are washed, dried in the shade and steam-distilled.

Woody perfumes with vetiver

Patchouli

Pogostemon cablin · Indonesia

earthycamphorousbalsamic

It belongs to the same family as mint and lavender: the leaves are dried in the sun, fermenting slightly, and then distilled. Indonesia supplies more than 80% of the world's patchouli, mainly from the island of Sulawesi, and the farmers themselves often distil it on a small scale. It is the most frequent note in our woody perfumes.

Woody perfumes with patchouli

resinoussmokyintense

Agarwood becomes oud only when the tree, wounded and infected by a fungus, produces a dark resin to defend itself. The whole genus Aquilaria has been protected by the CITES convention since 2004. In woody perfumes it brings a dark, resinous and smoky depth.

Woody perfumes with oud

Guaiac wood

Bulnesia sarmientoi · Paraguay

sweetwarmbalsamic

It grows only in the Gran Chaco, between Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, and is one of the hardest and heaviest woods. The oil, distilled from shavings and sawdust, comes from Paraguay; since 2010 its trade has been regulated by CITES. In perfumery it warms compositions and helps build sandalwood and vanilla notes.

Woody perfumes with guaiac wood

Oakmoss

Evernia prunastri · Balkans and Morocco

mossywoodywarm

Despite its name it is a lichen, picked by hand from oak branches and dried before extraction. It is the soul of chypre accords and gives woody perfumes a warm, mossy base. Two of its natural components, atranol and chloroatranol, have been banned in cosmetics in Europe since 2019: today purified grades with a low atranol content are used.

Woody perfumes with oakmoss

Woody molecules

Iso E Super, Cashmeran, Ambrox

velvetysoftpowdery

Part of modern woody perfumery is born in the laboratory. Iso E Super, patented by IFF in 1973, is woody, soft and velvety; Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules, since 2006, is made of this molecule alone. Cashmeran, also patented by IFF in 1973, adds a powdery, velvety effect. Ambrox, synthesised by Firmenich in 1950 from clary sage, brings an ambery warmth with woody nuances.

The nuances of woody perfumes

In Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel the woody family includes three subfamilies, Woods, Mossy Woods and Dry Woods, and borders the ambers on one side and the aromatics on the other. From the amber side to the aromatic side:

In everyday language people also speak of spicy, floral, aromatic, fruity and gourmand woody perfumes. You will find them all in our collection: to see them, use “Find your woody” at the top of the page or the fragrance family filter.

When to wear a woody perfume

Woody perfumes are at their best in autumn and winter, in the evening and on special occasions. The lighter versions, with citrus, green notes or a luminous sandalwood, are easy to wear all year round, even in summer; the more intense oud and vetiver prefer the cold.

Woods are base notes: this is why woody perfumes last a long time and leave a trail. Sandalwood, patchouli and oud are among the most tenacious materials.

Frequently asked questions

What does “woody” mean in perfumery?
A woody perfume is built on woods and roots such as cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli, which give it a warm or dry, creamy or earthy character. Woods are base notes and provide the structure for the whole composition.

Are woody perfumes for men?
For a long time the family was associated with men's perfumery, but today woody perfumes are worn by everyone. In 1992 Féminité du Bois brought cedarwood into feminine perfumery, and niche perfumery no longer separates masculine and feminine: sandalwood and cedarwood are also at home in unisex perfumes. The best way to choose is to try them on your skin.

Are vetiver and patchouli woods?
No: vetiver is the root of a grass, patchouli the leaf of a plant of the mint family. In perfumery, however, they are among the pillars of the woody family, thanks to their earthy, deep character.

What is the difference between woody and woody amber?
A woody perfume is built on woods; a woody amber starts from an amber base of resins and vanilla and enriches it with woods such as sandalwood and patchouli. In Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel the first is a family, the second a subfamily of the ambers: until 2021 it was called “Woody Oriental”. You will find both in our collection.

Can I try a woody perfume before buying it?
Yes. With every order over €100 you receive 10 free samples, and you choose 5 of them yourself: it is the easiest way to discover a woody perfume on your skin before buying the bottle. If you are near Rome, you can try them in person at our boutique in Nettuno.

Are woody perfumes long-lasting?
Yes, they are among the longest-lasting: woods are base notes that evaporate slowly, so a little is enough. Sandalwood, patchouli and oud are among the most tenacious materials.