sachet

American  

[sa-shey, sash-ey] / sæˈʃeɪ, ˈsæʃ eɪ /

noun

1. a small bag, case, or pad containing perfuming powder or the like, placed among handkerchiefs, lingerie, etc., to impart a pleasant scent.

2. Also sachet powder. the powder contained in such a case.

---

sachet British  

/ ˈsæʃeɪ /

noun

1. a small sealed envelope, usually made of plastic or paper, for containing sugar, salt, shampoo, etc

2. 1. a small soft bag containing perfumed powder, placed in drawers to scent clothing

   2. the powder contained in such a bag

---

Etymology

Origin of sachet

1475–85; < Middle French, equivalent to sach- (combining form of sac sack ¹ ) + -et -et

Explanation

A sachet is a small cloth bag containing something that smells good. You might use a sachet to keep the tube socks and undies in your drawer smelling nice. In Britain, people tend to use the word sachet for any small bag or packet, like a sachet of sugar or a sachet of cat food. In North America, a sachet is a more specific kind of small bag, one that's filled with something scented, like lavender or balsam. In either case, sachet is pronounced like the French word it comes from — the second syllable sounds like shay.

Example Sentences

Subjects took a sachet of granules once a day for three days.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

There’s a sachet of herbs with lavender, rose petals and Himalayan salt hanging in my shower to bring peace and abundance.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2023

The Abbotts had left a sachet on the bed and a small bouquet of freshly picked lavender on a table by the fireplace.

From Washington Post • Jul. 22, 2022

With annual inflation peaking at 18% in March last year, and food inflation reaching 23%, this rise in the cost of living has created what is being termed by some as a "sachet economy".

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2022

When Miss Dickinson says, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” I always think of something round—a ball from one of the games I will never play—stuck all around like a clove-orange sachet with red feathers.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver