Patchouli will smell a little bit different depending on the other notes you pair it with, but at its core, patchouli smells earthy, spicy, herbaceous, and musky. The patchouli scent comes from the leaves of patchouli plants native to Southeast Asia, and, for a little fragrance history lesson, it got super popular in the ’60s and ’70s counterculture movement.

Most people find the scent relatively calming and soothingwhich is why you’ll often find it in woodsy fragrances (nature = relaxing), but it’s also commonly added to floral, sweet, or warm perfumes to give them more depth and musk.

Patchouli on its own can be strong and earthy (think: the Janis Joplin crowd at Woodstock), but not all patchouli-based perfumes will give off ’70s hippie vibes. In fact, when paired with lighter, fresher scents (see my favorites above), patchouli can come across as softer and more subtlemaking it the perfect spring or summer scent, especially for anyone who doesn’t usually like earthy scents.

The magic of patchouli is that it pairs well with pretty much every other scent family. Citrus notes like orange and bergamot, or florals like geranium and peony, will often smell more complex and “grown-up” when paired with patchouli. Meanwhile, sweet, musky, woodsy, and earthy fragrances (like those with vanilla, sandalwood, leather, and vetiver) get a little deeper when you add patchouli.

If you like a strong scent, look for a patchouli perfume that has other rich and heavy notes (think: tobacco, cannabis, cedar, incense). But don’t worry: you can also get a light, fresh patchouli fragrance if it has notes like geranium, rose, or grapefruit. Like I said—patchouli pairs well with everything. Just know that because it is a strong scent, it can smell overpowering quite quickly if you pair it with other strong notes (like oud and evergreen).

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with four years of experience researching, writing, and editing perfume stories. She’s an authority in all fragrance categories but is an expert when it comes to patchouli perfumes, thanks to years of sniffing hundreds of scents. She regularly tests and analyzes perfumes to assess new perfumes formulas and brands.