Petrichor is the scent that is created when the rain hits dry ground after a long period of dry weather. Bacteria, plants and even lightning can all play a role in the pleasant smell we experience after a thunderstorm. This scent has long been chased by scientists and even perfumers for its enduring appeal. First named by two Australian researchers in the 1960s as petrichor, it is the warm, earthy fragrance we experience when rain hits dry ground. It was already a signature fragrance being produced in Kannauj, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India in the 1960s and was called "mitti attar" (Earth's perfume). This village has been capturing the scent of rain and do it to this day.
For a bit more of a scientific look, you know how just before it rains, you can smell the rain? That's because the air becomes more humid and the ground begins to moisten. This process helps to speed up the activity of the actinobacteria and more geosmin is formed. When raindrops fall on the ground, especially porous surfaces such as loose soil or rough concrete, they will splatter and eject tiny particles called aerosols. The geosmin and other petrichor compounds that may be present on the ground or dissolved within the raindrop are released in aerosol form and carried by the wind to surrounding areas. If the rainfall is heavy enough, the petrichor scent can travel rapidly downwind and alert people that rain is soon on the way. The scent eventually goes away after the storm has passed and the ground begins to dry. This leaves the actinobacteria lying in wait – ready to help us know when it might rain again.
You will receive a 1/2ml sample (1ml sample vial filled half full) of each of the following fragrances.
- Andromeda’s Curse Tempestarii Perfume Oil – Grey cumulo-nimbus clouds, a crash of lightning, a shift in the atmosphere and a tumultuous downpour. Tempestarii is an ozonic, earthy, aquatic fragrance with notes of thunderstorm, muddy dirt and wet grass.
- Cherry Ka's Trunk Storm Magic Perfume Oil - Dark, flashing clouds that crowd the sky and throw bolts of lightning that turn sands to glass. Branches lash out in driving wind and rain, and a heavy thunder of water drops pound earth and grass and drives the scent of petrichor into the air. The scent of a calling storm.
- Eliza Cosmetics The Yellow Sign Perfume Oil – Inspired by a dream recounted by one of the characters in the story of the same name, of a hearse carrying a coffin. There is fog and rain the night she has the dream, as well as the night when the dream comes to fruition, so for this scent, the perfumer chose to create something that would suggest a hearse in the rain, carrying a coffin covered in flowers, bound for the grave. The Yellow Sign features top notes of galbanum and Ambroxan; middle notes of petrichor, hyacinth, iris and tuberose; and base notes of mahogany, oak, vetiver, earth and patchouli.
- Hexennacht Cloudbusting Parfum Extrait - The scent of rain with notes of wet earth/soil, ozone, petrichor and light hints of grass.
- Nui Cobalt Savor the Rain Perfume Oil - The scent of petrichor and fallen leaves.
- Osmofolia Geosmin Perfume Oil – The scent of earth after a fresh, clean rain. It features top notes of wet aldehydes and ozone; middle notes of geosmin and fresh water; and base notes of petrichor and soil.
- Ottochem Wet Soil EDP - Wet soil is based on Indian mitti attar and is reminiscent of dark clouds hanging low. Lightening, thunder and finally.....the first downpour of the season. Wet Soil is inspired by the earth’s rejuvenating scent after a refreshing rainfall and it encapsulates the purity and vibrancy of the outdoors. Let it transport you to a tranquil oasis, where the essence of rain-soaked earth and lush greenery intertwine to create an unforgettable olfactory experience. It is a vegan scent and comes from Kannauj, India.
- Sixteen92 It Hurts To Look At You Parfum - It Hurts to Look at You is part of the May Legacy Collection. Originally released with the Summer 2020 Collection, it was inspired by Angela Chase from My So-Called Life (1994-1995), the original version of this fragrance contained an ingredient that Sixteen92 was no longer able to source. This is a lightly reformulated version that smells very close to the original. It is a brooding green woody atmospheric fragrance with notes of Summer bonfire, petrichor, night sky, lonely manicured lawns, oil puddles in parking lots, fresh hair dye and the feel of his shirt against your elbow.
- Sixteen92 Summer Mix Tape: This Is How I Disappear Parfum - This Is How I Disappear is part of the Summer Mix Tape Collection. The fragrances are inspired by emo and pop punk anthems, bottled for peak summer nostalgia. It is a soft and meditative rainy atmospheric fragrance with notes of summer petrichor, rainy windows, sweet sagebrush, glossy magazine pages and a soft dusting of incense.
- Stereoplasm Almost A Year Perfume Oil - From the Into the Darkness Collection Fall/Halloween 2020, Almost A Year is a fan-inspired fragrance featuring a dark, dark tale in a dark, dark book that terrified many of us growing up. With notes of snuffed perique tobacco, dirty wool, cemetery air, death cap, cereus and petrichor.
