Pink Lotus Absolute Thailand

To me, pink water lily speaks to the story of Thailand. I imagine being at Pink Lotus Lake (Han Kumphawapi), sniffing crisp sunrise and hearing the rusting of lily pads, my eyes fixed on a floral carpet of pink. I imagine softly floating on the lake, flowers parting as I pass by, plucking blossoms for the distillation I have planned, my fingers sticky with lily resin. I couldn’t imagine a better right of passage with my first meeting of the aquatic pink water lily.

There are easily 60 different species of water lilies and it is four that hold reverent status in the apothecary: blue, pink, white and yellow. Each have their own unique profile, different personalities, notes they speak to. Pink is closest to lily’s mysterious aquatic notes. I find it to be a minerally animalic version of the Nelumbo nucifera flowers I harvest during summer.

Lotus is coveted by perfumers for its fussy, complicated profile and I also expect because it requires a skill set that comes from experience and plenty of evaluations. And as a perfumer myself, I think we secretly dig the challenge.