Sumatran Red Patchouli

[Cassandra Dudum]

I am a patchouli fan and I tend to buy bpal that has patchouli in it. I usually tend to go for the more "sweetened" patchouli scents like Silkybat, Incipient Madness, and Lady in Black atmo spray. But Sumatran Red Patchouli is a very different patchouli smell to me since it is a single note. It is earthy but not "dirty". The earth is more of a woodsy smell. It is more of a dry, warm, woodsy, relaxing patchouli. Very meditative and comforting.

 

The initial hour on my skin is very woodsy and has very strong throw. After about three hours of wear, it is a more close to the skin scent. On my skin after 3 hours it has morphed to be a sweetened patchouli scent. The slight sweetness reminds me of Lady in Black. The longer I wear it, the softer and sweeter it gets. Both stages (woody and sweet) of Sumatran Red Patchouli are gorgeous.

[Cali]

Heady, dark. Smooth with a tinge. Kind of pitching this as the old version off Mme Moriarty's older, (more) evil sister on application.

Vaguely floral, woodsy or chocolate-y.... vaguely sweet and vaguely green. But ofcourse, mostly red. a very fun sn!

[Aveya]

In contrast to the dirty sexy gritty east African patch, the Sumatran red is smooth, mellow, sweet, musky, and yes mentholy. Personally on me, it goes a little tad plasticy/fake leather. I think it's just my skin.

 

But yes, 100% this is hippy shops in Yellow Springs. This is... comfort. This is tea, second hand stores, army surplus, and street fairs. This is an emotional accurate scent for me. This scent is what home should be. Love it. Not the same way I love black patchouli - but still love it.

 

Emotions aside; this scent as just a scent in late dry-down tends to go powdery almost floraly on me. It's not something I love, so red patchouli in blends isn't my favorite.

Edited April 21, 2018 by Aveya

[Lucchesa]

Thanks to the kind generosity of a fellow swapper, I have Sumatran red on one wrist and East African black on the other wrist. Sumatran red is a dark reddish-brown oil. And it's patchouli all right, but it's the more urbane of the two. Earthy but not gritty or dirty, smooth and woody and comforting whereas the black is almost unsettling to me, at least wet. Sumatran red knows every Grateful Dead song but can also get dressed up and go to work in an office. They are both beautiful in their own way. I can't believe I've learned to love patchouli this much!

[Ghost of a Rose]

This.

 

This is the fragrance I've been looking for for decades. The one I wore all through high school in the early 1970's and had never smelled since.

 

I have purchased and tested dozens of bottles of patchouli oil through the years, only to be disappointed every time. They smelled NOTHING like the patchouli I remembered. I didn't even recognize their scent as patchouli.

 

But the moment I opened this bottle, I was instantly transported back 45 years, on a wave of nostalgia so powerful it almost hurt. Hippies, check. Head shops, check. Me at 14, check.

 

This. is.The. One.

 

5 out of 5 stars