Patchouli perfume: 16 to try, from sweet to earthy

Patchouli is the note many people say they dislike until they meet the right style. We group these by how sweet or dry they feel, not by rank. Each one comes with who it suits and what the community votes say about season and occasion.

What patchouli does in a perfume

Patchouli smells earthy, a little like damp wood, with a soft sweet edge. For a full description of the smell itself, read what patchouli smells like. You can also browse the patchouli note page.

In a perfume it works as an anchor. It gives sweet notes something dark to rest on, and it deepens rose so the flower feels less pretty and more serious.

That is why one note can give you a chocolate-sweet scent, a dark smoky one and a fresh office scent. The list below follows that range, from the sweetest end to the driest.

Sweet and chocolate patchouli

This is the sweetest end of the ladder. Patchouli sits under sugar, chocolate and vanilla. If you like sweet perfumes, start here.

Angel by Mugler

Angel is the reference for a sweet patchouli perfume, launched in 1992 for women. It opens with cotton candy, bergamot, pineapple and coconut. The heart turns fruity and warm with honey, plum, apricot and a touch of nutmeg. It dries down to patchouli, chocolate, caramel, vanilla and amber.

It suits a night out. The community vote on its longevity leans eternal. The vote on its sillage leans enormous. Voters reach for it most often in winter and fall, and after dark.

Angel Stellar by Mugler

Angel Stellar is a 2025 perfume for women. It opens with bergamot, moves to pistachio and rests on patchouli. Its accords lean woody, nutty and green, which makes it much drier than Angel.

Voters list it for work. On longevity, the community votes lean long lasting, while the sillage votes lean moderate. It is picked most often for fall and winter, as a night and evening scent.

Black Orchid Reserve by Tom Ford

Black Orchid Reserve is a 2025 unisex perfume. Bergamot and truffle open it, and the base carries dark chocolate, patchouli, tonka and vanilla. It smells sweet and earthy at once.

Longevity votes lean long lasting. Most voters rate the sillage strong. The season votes favour winter and fall, and the occasion votes favour night and evening.

Carlisle by Parfums de Marly

Carlisle came out in 2015 for men and is a niche perfume. Nutmeg, green apple and saffron open it. Tonka bean, rose and osmanthus fill the heart, and patchouli, vanilla and opoponax close it. Its accords lead with vanilla and patchouli, with fresh and warm spice around them.

It is voted a going-out scent. The longevity votes lean long lasting, and the sillage votes lean strong. Fall and winter get the most season votes, while night and evening get the occasion votes.

Rose and floral patchouli

Here patchouli meets flowers. Rose appears in all four, and Gucci Rush adds gardenia and jasmine.

Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle

Portrait of a Lady was launched in 2010 for women and is a niche perfume. Clove, raspberry, black currant and cinnamon open it. A Turkish rose heart with incense, patchouli and sandalwood follows. Musk, benzoin, amber and vanilla close it. Its accords read warm spicy, amber and rose.

Its longevity votes lean eternal, and its sillage votes lean strong. Winter is the season voters choose most, and night and evening the occasions.

Rose Prick by Tom Ford

Rose Prick is a unisex rose from 2020 with a peppery start. May rose, Sichuan pepper and turmeric open it. Rose de Mai and patchouli leaf run through the heart, and Bulgarian rose, patchouli and tonka bean finish it.

Voters lean long lasting on longevity and moderate on sillage. They most often choose it for fall and winter evenings.

Rose Amira by Guerlain

Rose Amira is a 2024 perfume for women with a short, focused note list: rose, patchouli, olibanum and musk.

Its accords read rose, patchouli and woody, with some warm spice and amber, and voters list it for work. Longevity leans long lasting in the votes, and sillage leans moderate. Fall and winter lead the season votes, with night and evening leading the occasion votes.

Gucci Rush by Gucci

Gucci Rush dates from 1999 and is made for women. Californian gardenia, freesia petals and peach open it. Coriander, damask rose and jasmine form the heart. Vanilla, vetiver and patchouli sit underneath.

Its accords put white floral first and patchouli second, and voters list it for going out. Longevity votes for it lean long lasting, and sillage votes lean strong. The community picks it most often for winter and fall nights.

Dark, earthy and smoky patchouli

Here the patchouli moves to the front. All three carry earthy, woody or smoky accords, and none of them is sweet.

Noir de Noir by Tom Ford

Noir de Noir is a unisex perfume from 2007. Saffron and black truffle open it. Rose, oud and black dahlia sit in the heart, and vanilla, patchouli, tree moss and styrax close it. Its accords read rose, earthy and oud.

Most voters call its longevity long lasting. The sillage vote leans strong. Winter and fall come first in the season votes, and evening and night in the occasion votes.

Ebene Fume by Tom Ford

Ebene Fume was launched in 2021 for everyone, and it lists patchouli in the top notes. Black pepper and pink pepper join it first. Madagascar vanilla, incense and cypriol follow, and ebony wood, cistus, ambergris and leather close it.

Longevity votes lean long lasting. Sillage votes lean moderate. It is chosen most for winter and fall, in the evening and at night.

Explorer Extreme by Montblanc

Explorer Extreme is a 2025 perfume for men. Bergamot opens it, patchouli and vetiver take the heart, and amber and leather finish it.

Its accords read woody, citrus and earthy, and voters list it for work. The longevity vote leans long lasting. Most voters rate the sillage moderate. Season votes go to fall and winter, and occasion votes to evening and day.

Clean and bright modern patchouli

This is the driest end of the ladder. Patchouli sits in the base here, under citrus, white flowers, iris or fruit, which makes this group a good place to start if you think you dislike the note.

MYSLF Eau de Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent

MYSLF Eau de Parfum came out in 2023 for men. Calabrian bergamot opens it, Tunisian orange blossom forms the heart, and Ambrofix and patchouli sit in the base.

Its accords open on citrus and white floral, and voters list it for work. Most voters rate both its longevity and its sillage moderate. Spring is its season pick, and day and office its occasions.

Tuxedo by Yves Saint Laurent

Tuxedo is a 2015 unisex perfume by Juliette Karagueuzoglou. Violet leaf, coriander and bergamot open it. The base holds patchouli, Bourbon vanilla and ambergris. Its accords lead with patchouli and vanilla.

Most voters rate its longevity long lasting and its sillage strong. It is picked across winter, fall and spring, and mostly for evening and night.

Patchouli Paris by Guerlain

Patchouli Paris is a 2024 unisex Eau de Parfum. Aldehydes open it, iris forms the heart, and ambergris, patchouli and vanilla finish it.

Most voters rate its longevity long lasting. Sillage votes lean strong. Fall and winter lead on season, with evening and day on occasion.

Mon Paris by Yves Saint Laurent

Mon Paris was launched in 2016 for women. Strawberry, raspberry, pear and Calabrian bergamot open it. Jasmine sambac, orange blossom and peony fill the heart. Indonesian patchouli leaf, patchouli, white musk and cedar close it.

Its accords read fruity, sweet and fresh, and voters list it for work. Most voters rate its longevity and sillage moderate. Fall and spring get the season picks, and night and day the occasion picks.

Barénia by Hermès

Barénia is a 2024 perfume for women. Miracle berry and bergamot open it. White ginger lily sits in the heart, and patchouli, oak and akigalawood form the base.

Its accords read woody and warm spicy around the patchouli, and it is voted for work. Most voters rate its longevity moderate, and most rate its sillage moderate too. The season picks are fall and spring, and the occasion picks are day and office.

The ladder at a glance

Patchouli for men, women and everyone

Patchouli does not belong to one gender. Among these 16, Carlisle, Explorer Extreme and MYSLF are listed for men. Angel, Angel Stellar, Portrait of a Lady, Rose Amira, Gucci Rush, Mon Paris and Barénia are listed for women.

The rest are listed as unisex: Black Orchid Reserve, Rose Prick, Noir de Noir, Ebene Fume, Tuxedo and Patchouli Paris. If you shop by gender, browse women's perfume or unisex perfume and look for the same notes.

How to try both ends of the ladder

Do not pick on a description alone. Take a 3ml of a sweet one and a 3ml of a clean one, and wear them on different days. Angel and MYSLF Eau de Parfum make a good pair. A 3ml of Angel costs €8.37, and a 3ml of MYSLF Eau de Parfum costs €8.19.

A 3ml decant gives you around 60 sprays, enough to learn how a scent wears over several days. If one end suits you, move to the 10ml size for around 200 sprays to wear for weeks, or the 30ml size for around 600 to keep. Read what a perfume decant is if you want to know how we fill them.

If winter is your season, our winter perfumes for women guide gives more options. To see where patchouli sits among the wider scent groups, read fragrance families explained.