ANNINDRIYA
VETIVER RAIN

2024

PERFUMER
Christophe Laudamiel

aquatic notes
bergamot
grapefruit
sage
Violet
moss
nutmeg
labdanum
sandalwood
vetiver
musk

‘Experience Vetiver Rain, a modern aquatic interpretation by master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, re-launched for Annindriya. A tropical rain, the earthy scent rising from the moist soil, enveloped by lush greenery of the jungle. Vetiver Rain skillfully blends Haitian, Indonesian, and Bourbon Vetiver for a refreshingly green, crisp and vibrant scent with bergamot, grapefruit, and natural orange blossom. A burst of green freshness, reminiscent of the feeling after the rain, breaths life and provide an energetic touch. Natural Violet from Egypt and French clary sage complement the aromatic base of creamy sandalwood and rich labdanum. Elegantly lingering on your skin, the fragrance is wrapped with a transparent veil of molecular musks and moss.’ – PerfumeLounge

Vetiver Rain sounds pretty conventional, by its name and some of the notes. It isn’t, which shouldn’t be a big surprise given Laudamiel being the nose. Not one to shy away from artistic and conceptual scents, as is the case here. Unfortunately, not quite to my taste.

I wore Vetiver Rain alongside the brand’s Walk With Me and they were the two from Annindryia that I didn’t get along with. Both feel like a mix of fresh crisp green facets and seemingly clashing surrounding notes in the opening to me; Vetiver Rain being the one that I found easier to pull off.

Straight away, this felt very musky and watery; and something in that mix came a cross a little bit like the scent of wet dog hair and plastic; not quite as much as I found with Walk With Me, but enough to start off on the wrong foot. Sadly, because I do find the watery very subtle fruits and almost cucumber-like green rain water an interesting concept and in many ways, Laudamiel delivers exactly as the brief states. Tropical rain, earthy soil; this is what I expected (the surprisingly safe) Zoologist Macaque to smell like (while Vetiver Rain is perhaps closer to their green Panda fragrance).

While not my type of scent in general; there was something here that I admired and the further along the wear, the more that came to the forefront. However, there was enough distraction from the get-go to not make it an overall great experience to my nose.