If there’s a more perfect natural raw material for a masculine scent than vetiver, I’ve never smelled it. But, wait—what the hell is vetiver, you might ask? Well, let’s geek out for a second. In the most basic sense, it’s a grass native to India that grows in bushes up to 4’x4’. It’s also related to lemon grass, as you can tell when you smell it. The stuff—it’s the grass’s long, thin roots that they distill—is infinitely more interesting though: deep, shadowed, astringent, earthy like newly tilled soil, and balsam-woody. It can be warm like tobacco leaves, it can have a crushed-green leaves freshness, or it can be cool like lemon verbena.

Haiti produces about 80% of the vetiver oil in the world, although sometimes you’ll be putting a bit of Indonesia or Brazil on your arm as well (Haiti’s is more floral, Java’s is smokier). There are folks producing it responsibly, too. When you buy a bottle of Terre d’Hermès, which is loaded with the stuff, you’re supporting around 2,000 Haitian farmers and distillers. Meanwhile, the French scent company Mane has adopted an eco-friendly, residue-free method that emits zero carbon. They reuse and recycle 100% of the industrial waste from the process as organic manure and fertilizer. Seriously smart.

Like wine, the scent of vetiver oil improves as it ages: the best of it is made with roots that have been aged somewhere between 18-24 months; the oil costs around $200/kg when it hits the market. American scent maker IFF makes it three ways: with steam (resulting in vetiver essence, which is dryer and lighter), solvent (which produces an absolute and is darker, with the scent of rich dirt), and a new technology called "Molecular Distillation" that uses carbon dioxide to yield a scent that’s extraordinary—strongly grapefruit, fresher, zestier.

There are literally hundreds of vetiver scents on the market—perfumers go to town with this stuff—and you should have at least one (if not more) in your arsenal. Here are some of the best.

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