Cypriol
Dry, earthy wood with smoky, leathery facets and a faint nutty sweetness.
You may know it from the smell of vetiver-root incense
Where it comes from
Steam-distilled essential oil from the roots of Cyperus scariosus grass.
Worth knowing
Also called nagarmotha; it is not related to cyprus trees.
About cypriol
The plant behind cypriol is a sedge, Cyperus scariosus, and sources differ on where it belongs. One botanical description places this perennial in Australia and New Guinea. Perfumery suppliers describe the oil as Indian, from plants that grow wild along riverbanks, in marshes and on damp ground. In parts of India the common name is also applied to a different species, Cyperus pertenuis.
The dried roots and rhizomes are steam-distilled, and the run is slow because the oil is made of heavy, high-boiling sesquiterpenes. One shop glossary gives the yield as roughly 0.075 to 0.08% of the rhizome's weight.
Suppliers describe the smell as rich, woody and earthy, a little peppery, with smoky notes of leather. Scentspiracy reports a diffusive opening it likens to a cinnamon and olibanum complex, over a body similar to Virginia cedarwood and vetiver, and says the chemical profile resembles vetiver oil. Ca Perfume calls it cold-smoky and leathery, darker and more mineral than vetiver or oud. Staying power is reported very differently: Perfumer's World lists 36 hours on a smelling strip, while Ca Perfume gives more than 140.
The oud comparison comes up often. Perfumer's World markets cypriol as a cheaper all-natural replacement for oud or agarwood. In the trade it is nicknamed "poor man's oud".
In the formula it works as a fixative for woody, Oriental and dry-amber bases, chypres and heavy fougères. It blends with iris, ionones, oakmoss, olibanum and labdanum. One glossary says it has been used for centuries in Indian attars, alongside jasmine and sandalwood. Scentspiracy states that cypriol is not among the substances prohibited under IFRA Standards.
Accords it shows up in
How many of the fragrances listing Cypriol in our catalogue also carry each accord. We counted this ourselves.
Often paired with
The notes that appear next to Cypriol most often in our catalogue.
Well-known fragrances with Cypriol
Fragrances that list it in their notes, most-rated first.
Houses that use it most
Ranked by how many of their well-known fragrances list Cypriol.