Tom Yum perfume anyone? 7 rising Thai fragrance brands you should know about

There’s a fragrance boom in Asia, and it’s not just happening in China and Japan. Growing consumer interest in perfumes and entrepreneurship levels in the industry have also been observed in a place much closer to us – Thailand.

While fragrances within the country’s spa and wellness categories are nothing new to us, actual perfumes that are made in Thailand or crafted by Thai perfumers are something quite novel and fresh.

Like other scents that are created in Asia, Thai perfume are unique in the sense that they frequently carry cultural and traditional influences from the country itself, resulting in exotic, adventurous and thoroughly unexpected ways to experience scents.

Here are a few that show what we mean by that, from interesting brands that you’d want to check out online or on your next Bangkok holiday.

1. SIAM 1928

The brand was founded by a fourth-generation perfumer, Nutt Wesshasartar, whose family has been in the business of producing traditional Thai fragrances since 1928. While his own line of scents looks distinctly modern, they're also inspired by Thai traditions and culture. Behind every Siam 1928 perfume is a unique story referencing traditional folklore and literature.

What helps the brand stand out is also the artisanal ceramic flacon used for bottling its signature fragrances. These are printed with interesting illustrations that depict the mood each scent is formulated to create. They range from mysterious to cool, and even cute.

Check out Akkhara for one that’s on the traditional end. The scent is inspired by Sak Yant, the ancient Thai practice of sacred tattooing, and is a woody, earthy fragrance comprising galbanum, incense, tobacco and florals including violet leaf, ylang ylang, jasmine and orchid.

Available at Siam 1928.

2. MITH BANGKOK

A brand that’s highly visible on social media, thanks to tourists who have discovered its beautiful yet affordable scents. Mith is an abbreviation of “made in Thailand” and was chosen because it also means friendship in Thai.

The expansive fragrance collection is divided into categories such as floral, gourmand, musky, citrus and woody. While the brand is Thai, the names behind many of the scents are French, including the likes of well-known perfumers Olivier Pescheux, Jean-Christophe Herault and Clement Gavarry.

If you’re looking for something that’s more interesting and distinctively Thai in identity, try Thai Tea, which blends notes of tea with bergamot, vanilla, brown sugar and musk with spice tones of cardamom and star anise.

Available at Mith Bangkok.

3. PROAD

Proad crafts perfumes that draw on memories, places, poems and melodies as sources of inspiration. Many of its scents are elegant classics – creations with simple titles like Green Tea, Neroli, Bergamot and Oud, which are formulated, as you’d probably have guessed, around the key note used in their names.

But it also offers fun and abstract fragrances. The Cherry Syrup series is one of them, comprising three different takes incorporating the sweet and tart scent notes of the red-hued fruit.

The other is the 7 Sins line, which includes Lust, a heady blend of sandalwood, civet, nagarmotha (an Ayurvedic medicinal herb with an earthy scent), Turkish rose, jasmine and peach. That’s what raw sexual desire, carnal indulgence and seductive yearning is according to Proad, captured in this intense yet alluring fragrance.

Available at Proad outlets.

4. YUGEN

The brand launched its first eau de parfum just two years ago and recently introduced four more scents to form a collection. 

Supposedly inspired by elements of nature and emotional states of being, the fragrances based on these abstract concepts come with names such as Awake, Alive, Hope, Ardor and Delight.

What’s the standout scent? Try the Sound of Water perfume, which is described as a tranquil fragrance that soothes the senses with refreshing eucalyptus, creamy fig and the grounding depth of guaiac wood.

Available at Yugen.

5. BOROM

This luxury brand prides itself on its selection of niche scents that you are highly unlikely to encounter on anyone else on Bangkok’s streets. The packaging channels a minimalist-chic vibe, a style that echoes the unique character of Borom’s scents.

The brand is known for its line of textile-inspired scents such as Cashmere Unnamed, which is a concoction of musk, amber and white florals, which come together to create a feeling of comfort, warmth and quiet luxury. Red Velvet is another notable scent, which stands out with its gourmand notes of chocolate and hazelnut, with a fruity twist of orange; while Classic Corduroy is built around a feeling of nostalgia, channelled via notes of lavender, vetiver and the “vintage leafiness” of bergamot.

Available at Borom outlets in Central World, Central Ladprao and Icon Siam.

6. PARFUM PRISSANA

The Tom Yum perfume by Parfum Prissana gives gourmand scents a whole new meaning. Inspired by the spicy, savoury and iconic Thai dish, the perfume captures the aroma profile of the soup with a blend of sour, herbal and sweet notes from kaffir lime, lemongrass, galangal, coriander and other ingredients. But it also incorporates more common perfume notes such as patchouli, jasmine and petit grain, so that it smells like a true fragrance instead of leftover tom yum soup.

Other sources of inspiration include the historic Thai city of Ayutthaya, Thai folklore, and even the ancient city of Dunhuang in China.

Available at Prin.

7. PARFUMS DUSITA

Though based in Paris, this perfume brand was founded by a Thai perfumer who was born and raised in Bangkok. Pissara Umavijani moved to French capital, picked up the art of perfumery and eventually created her own line of fragrances, which are olfactory tributes to the stories and poems written by her father. The perfumes also are a nod to her roots in Thailand, as they blend the elegance of classic French perfumery with traditional Siamese influences.

Take, for example, the La Douceur de Siam scent, which evokes walking into a Thai spice garden overgrown with night-blooming flowers. As expected, the fragrance is composed of multiple heady florals including champaca, frangipani, ylang-ylang and May rose, and is balanced and rounded with the addition of cinnamon, sandalwood, Thai woods and vanilla.

Available at Parfums Dusita.