Petrichor is the smell of rain. The word comes from the Greek words 'petra', meaning stone, and 'ichor', which in Greek mythology refers to the golden fluid that flows in the veins of the immortals

Noun. Pluviophile: One who loves rain; one who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.
Biology: An organism that thrives in a rainy environment.

Petrichor specifically refers to the smell emitted when the baked clay soil in arid regions meets a splash of water, produced when soil-dwelling bacteria are released. During precipitation, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, Geosmin, emitted by wet soil, producing the distinctive scent.

We also associate rain with the smell of Ozone. During a thunderstorm, nitric oxide interacts with other chemicals in the atmosphere to form ozone, which has a sharp, salty smell, faintly redolent of chlorine. Humans appreciate the rain scent because our ancestors relied on rainy weather for survival, so in a primal sense, we enjoy the scent as it may be hardwired into our DNA and Limbic System.

Here are two of our favourite Petrichor inspired perfumes available at our boutique and online:

Une Île Pluvieuse by Senyoko // Geosmin - Brine - Petrichor - Green Flora

A dark olfactory fairytale of a far away island, enshrouded in mist, where two lovers meet, engulfed by the elements - by sodden native flora, driving rain, and sea mist - an ozonic ode to melancholy; a multi faceted scent of soil, damp almost fungi like earth, delivering a complex Petrichor-centric scent.

An organic aquatic and pollen accord, and the pithy scents of mimosa and violet leaf rest on a bed of wet cedar and salty ambergris, supported further by the deep greens of vetiver, oakmoss and patchouli : the base notes never overshadowing the greenery, nor the airy top notes dominating the dusty honeyed heart of pollen.

A quiet brooding olfactory masterpiece.

Notes include: Pollen, Rain, Violet Leaf, Lilac, Mimosa, Ambergris, Japanese Cedar, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Vetiver

Tears of Eros by Paul Schütze // Ozone - Hyacinth - Green – Metallic

Intensely metallic in it's opening, thIs slowly starts shapeshifting into a huge wet hyacinth, but re-imagined in the form of a huge triffid like flower: bold, beautiful and unsettling.

Cold wet rain, ozonic-metallic, of the earth - but rooty, of the sky - but like smoke on the wind - a freedom cry for the unknown - a scented S.O.S to far flung skies, questioning our very existence and purpose – all cleverly encapsulated in a small bottle of alchemic liquid. Genius.

Notes include: Green Clementine, Hyacinth, Pink Pepper, Orris, Incense, Cedar, Guaiac, Ambergris