Patchouli Essential Oil: Why We Use It in Our Handmade Soap
Patchouli is one of those scents people tend to have an opinion about.
Some love it.
Others aren't quite so sure.
We've been using patchouli essential oil in our handmade soap for years, often blended with brighter citrus oils that soften its deep, earthy character.
So what exactly is patchouli — and why does it work so well in soap?
What Does Patchouli Smell Like?
Patchouli essential oil has a deep, earthy and woody scent.
It's rich rather than sweet and tends to linger longer than lighter citrus oils.
On its own, it can be quite distinctive.
Blended carefully, though, it gives depth to a scent without needing to dominate it.
That's how we prefer to use it.
Where Does Patchouli Essential Oil Come From?
Patchouli essential oil comes from the leaves of Pogostemon cablin, a plant belonging to the mint family.
The leaves are harvested and the essential oil is produced by steam distillation.
The resulting oil has that unmistakable earthy aroma that has made patchouli such a well-known ingredient in perfumery, soap making and skincare.
Patchouli Is a Base Note
Essential oils are often described as top, middle or base notes according to how they behave within a scent blend.
Patchouli is a base note.
While lighter oils tend to be noticed first and disappear more quickly, base notes are slower and longer lasting.
That makes patchouli particularly useful when we're creating essential oil blends.
It gives the lighter scents something to sit alongside.
Why We Blend Patchouli With Citrus Oils
This is probably where patchouli becomes most interesting.
We don't necessarily want every bar of soap to smell overwhelmingly of patchouli.
Instead, we use it as part of the blend.
In Argyll Citrus Mist, patchouli sits alongside mandarin and lime.
The citrus brings the brightness.
Patchouli gives the blend its deeper, earthy edge.
And in Fyne Spice Drift, we blend patchouli with orange and pink pepper for something warmer and gently spiced.
Different combinations.
Same essential oil doing a very useful job in the background.
Patchouli Beyond Our Soap
Patchouli isn't confined to the soap shelf here either.
You'll also find it in Moor Petal Whipped Hand & Body Butter, where it's blended with rose geranium.
It's a completely different scent combination from the citrus soaps, which rather neatly shows how versatile patchouli can be.
One essential oil.
Very different characters depending on what sits beside it.
A Long-Standing Favourite in the Workshop
We've been making soap in Tarbert, Argyll since 2008, and patchouli is one of those ingredients that has stayed with us.
Not because it's fashionable.
Not because we need a long list of claims about what it can do.
We use it because it works beautifully in the essential oil blends we make.
Earthy. Distinctive. Long-lasting.
And unmistakably patchouli.
Explore our handmade soaps and skincare made with carefully chosen essential oil blends.