Contenu principal

VETIVER HEART HAITI

Botanical name : Vetiveria zizanoides L.



PART OF THE PLANT
Roots

PROCESS
Process Steam distillation
Molecular distillation

FORM
Heart of vetiver oil



Origin : Haiti



Primal, yet supremely elegant. Flinty and just a tiny bit nutty. Cool as grapefruit zest but deep and woody… Vetiver is so richly faceted it could be a fragrance in and of itself. Sustainably sourced in Haiti, the vetiver heart is crafted for YSL Beauty.

Primal, yet supremely elegant. Flinty and just a tiny bit nutty. Cool as grapefruit zest but deep and woody… Vetiver is so richly faceted it could be a fragrance in and of itself. Sustainably sourced in Haiti, the vetiver heart is crafted for YSL Beauty.

ORIGIN



Though it is a woody note, vetiver is, in fact, drawn from the roots of a perennial grass native to southern India, introduced to the Tropics of both hemispheres where its intricate, deep root system anchors soil against landslides. It has been used for its therapeutic properties in ayurvedic medicine for centuries.

In Haiti, today’s leading global producer, it has been grown since the 1930s. The rich essence of the tropical root is so complex that it became a star of masculine perfumery in the 20th century, giving its name to over 100 compositions.

ORIGIN

In India, where it originated, its heady scent permeates sacred ceremonies as well as daily life, in garlands or braids woven into women’s hair to waft its sensual scent as the day unfolds. For perfumers, who prize its rich, complex facets -- floral, fruity, green, spicy, with a touch of animal magnetism -- jasmine is one of the most precious ingredients of perfumery. But the elegant flower is in fact the offspring of a rustic family, like its cousin the olive tree but also lilac, osmanthus or forsythia: the Oleaceae.

SOURCING



The vetiver oil produced for YSL is sustainably sourced in Haiti, which grows 60% of the world’s production. A cooperative has been created by our partner around three villages: Massey, Faucault, and Bazelais.

The cooperative is engaged in programs to limit soil erosion and boost the productivity of the steam distillation process. A washhouse has also been built thanks to this program, to improve the living conditions of the farmers.

SOURCING

Originated in South Asia, Jasminum grandiflorum was once widely cultivated for perfumery in Grasse, where it is still produced in small quantities. Jasmine plantations spread to Morocco, Spain, Italy, and Egypt before returning to the flower’s native India in the 1970s. Today, it is mostly grown in the southeastern part of India, in the province of Tamil-Nadu, both for domestic use (garlands and sacred ceremonies) and for perfumery.

HARVEST



Once planted, vetiver grows its roots up to a depth of 1 meter, before it can be harvested after 12 months. Since it is very hardy, it requires no chemical fertilizer, and droughts actually augment the concentration of oil in the roots.

In Haiti, the harvest is carried out during the dry season, from November to April, in the morning, then from 4 p.m. to sundown to avoid the worst of the heat. The task is arduous, as the tangled roots must be dug out manually, cleaned of earth and compacted into bales.

HARVEST

From May to December, the fields of India are fragrant with blooming jasmine, but the main season for the harvest is from July to September. Since the scent of jasmine is at its fullest at dawn, before the sun can alter its power, the harvest takes place in the early hours of the morning. Each flower is plucked one by one to avoid damaging the delicate petals, by the deft, delicate fingers of women in colorful saris.

PROCESS



To obtain 1 kg of essential oil, 150 kg of roots are needed. The plant material is steam-distilled locally for 24 hours. The essence produced for YSL Beauty is then treated again in Switzerland through molecular distillation.

The high-tech process allows perfumers to eliminate the less desirable aspects of the oil, such as its earthy notes, yielding a precious, custom-made material with fresh and sparkling grapefruit facets and a woody drydown: Vetiver Heart Haiti.

PROCESS

As soon as they are collected, the tiny blooms are locally processed by volatile solvent extraction, which yields a waxy substance, the concrete. The material is then macerated in alcohol in order to develop its optimal qualities, for a duration normally determined by the perfumer.
Known for millennia, this process, called infusion, is one of the oldest forms of extraction of odorant materials. Revived and finetuned into a cutting-edge process in the 21st century, super-infusion imparts a fresher and more harmonious floral profile, the truest to the natural scent of jasmine in full blossom.
The exclusive Jasmine grandiflorum Superinfusion crafted for YSL Beauty reveals a modern jasmine, both fruity and petally, with a clean, creamy softness highlighting the flower’s radiance. A natural effect for an elegant and enveloping florality, combining volume and a uniquely powerful trail.

WHERE TO FIND IT:
LA NUIT DE L'HOMME,
THE EAU DE TOILETTE
BY YVES SAINT LAURENT


Magnetic. Sensuous. Mysterious. Launched in 2009, LA NUIT DE L’HOMME EAU DE TOILETTE reveals the urban bad boy behind the urbane seducer of L’HOMME EAU DE TOILETTE (2006). A dual scented signature for the YSL man, the fragrances have become olfactory icon of the 21st century.

In LA NUIT DE L’HOMME EAU DE TOILETTE, because it acts from top to base notes, Vetiver provides a “vertical” structure to the fragrance. Boosting the citrusy flash of bergamot and cardamom in the opening with its grapefruit facet. Running through the aromatic lavender heart. Anchoring the cedarwood and tonka blend of the drydown.

A nonchalant, elegant player that doesn’t have to show its strength to drive the game… Magnetic by day. Electric by night. All man, 24/7. All Yves Saint Laurent.



WHERE TO FIND IT:
BLACK OPIUM EXTREME,
THE EAU DE PARFUM
BY YVES SAINT LAURENT



The most addictive, sensual version yet of YSL BEAUTY’s modern classic, BLACK OPIUM EXTRÊME enriches its bouquet of white flowers with a stellar quality of Jasmine.

Crafted to enhance its radiance, the precious Jasmine Superinfusion boosts the scent’s intensity, shooting through the creamy black coffee, patchouli, and vanilla accord.

Boosting the contrast between black and white. A sparkling beam of light in the night. Jasmine Superinfusion is BLACK OPIUM EXTRÊME’s floral star.




BROWSE MORE FRAGRANCE INGREDIENTS