Thai Fragrance: Nam Op, Nam Prung and the Scents of the Thai Court
Thai fragrance (เครื่องหอมไทย, khrueang hom thai) is the family of traditional Thai scents: fragrant things such as แป้งร่ำ (paeng ram, scented powder) and น้ำอบไทย (nam op thai, Thai scented water), and the things that give them their scent, such as benzoin, civet musk and borneol. That is how the Royal Institute dictionary defines เครื่องหอม (fragrance), in both of its meanings.
This guide answers เครื่องหอมไทย มีอะไรบ้าง (what Thai fragrances are there), how Thai scented water is made, the difference between nam op and nam prung, and how these scents lived in the Thai court.
Macrame by Nicha designs and makes its own Thai Diffusers and Phuang Malai in hand-knotted cotton, in Thailand.
What is Thai fragrance (เครื่องหอมไทย)?
The Royal Institute gives เครื่องหอม (fragrance) two meanings.
The first is fragrant things, for example แป้งร่ำ (scented powder) and น้ำอบไทย (Thai scented water).
The second is the things that make something fragrant, for example ชะมดเช็ด (civet musk), กำยาน (benzoin) and พิมเสน (borneol).
So Thai fragrance covers both the finished scents and the ingredients behind them. The Thai Junior Encyclopedia notes that Thai people generally favour น้ำอบไทย (Thai scented water) and น้ำปรุง (Thai perfumed water).
The traditional Thai fragrances
Here are the main traditional Thai fragrances, from the scented waters to the powders and pouches.
น้ำอบไทย (nam op thai, Thai scented water)
Water scented with the smoke of a scenting mixture or a เทียนอบ (thian op, scenting candle).
It is clear and pale yellow, with a little powder in it, made from roots, the scent of many flowers, benzoin, civet musk and borneol. A Thai heritage list calls it the most important Thai fragrance of all.
น้ำปรุง (nam prung, Thai perfumed water)
The Royal Institute defines it as a Thai-style perfume: extracted flower scent, purified water, a little alcohol and a touch of perfume concentrate.
It is aged for at least 6 to 12 months, and a Thai fragrance teacher says the longer it ages, the better it smells.
แป้งร่ำ (paeng ram, scented powder)
Powder prepared with fragrance. It is made from แป้งหิน (stone powder) mixed with nam op or nam prung, then piped onto white cloth in small pointed cones.
It was used on the face and after bathing, and also made into แป้งกระแจะ (paeng krachae, a scented paste).
สีผึ้ง (si phueng, lip wax)
The Royal Institute describes it as prepared beeswax for the lips. It was also mixed with Thai scented water.
บุหงารำไป (bunga rampai, flower pouches)
Jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and other flowers, scented and packed in small cloth pouches. The name comes from the Malay bunga rampai. It can be made fresh, dried or fermented.
เทียนอบ (thian op, scenting candle)
A candle made with fragrant ingredients. Its smoke scents sweets and other things, and Thai scented water can be scented with its smoke.
Other Thai fragrances
- ดินสอพอง (dinso phong, scented marl): mixed with Thai scented water.
- แป้งพวง (paeng phuang, strung scented powder): scented powder strung together.
- น้ำดอกไม้สด (nam dok mai sot, fresh flower water): water scented with fresh flowers.
- ยาดมส้มโอมือ (ya dom som o mue, fingered citron inhaler): listed among the royal fragrance crafts.
How Thai scented water is made
In Thai, ร่ำ (ram) means to scent (the Royal Institute glosses it as อบ, op), as in ร่ำแป้ง (scenting powder) or ร่ำผ้า (scenting cloth).
Nam op is water that has been scented with smoke, from a scenting candle or from a burning mixture of fragrant ingredients.
Steps to make Thai scented water
This is the method described by a Thai heritage magazine.
- Boil ชะลูด (chalood bark) and ไม้จันทน์หอม (sandalwood) until the water turns golden, then let it cool.
- Mix แป้งหิน (stone powder) with flower oil into the water.
- โกรก (krok, ladle and pour): scoop the water up about one ศอก (sok, a forearm's length) and pour it back, again and again, until it is blended.
- อบร่ำ (op ram, smoke scenting): burn กำยาน (benzoin), น้ำตาลทรายแดง (brown sugar) and ผิวมะกรูด (kaffir lime peel) in a ตะคัน (takhan, small clay burner) to perfume the water.
Another way to scent it
An older Thai newspaper recipe starts from rainwater boiled with ใบเตย (pandan).
The water is smoked with a scenting candle in a closed vessel, 3 rounds of 15 minutes. It is then scented over charcoal in small clay bowls, 5 rounds or more of 5 minutes.
Last, fresh flowers picked in the evening are steeped in it.
Nam op or nam prung: what is the difference?
A question Thai readers often ask: น้ำอบ กับ น้ำปรุง ต่างกันอย่างไร (how are nam op and nam prung different). The short answer: nam op is scented with smoke and holds powder, nam prung is built from flowers and alcohol, and it lasts longer.
- How it is scented: nam op is scented with smoke from a candle or burning ingredients. Nam prung is blended from extracted flower scent.
- What is in it: nam op holds water and a little powder. Nam prung holds purified water, a little alcohol and perfume concentrate.
- Strength: nam op is light, with a short-lasting scent. Nam prung lasts about 6 hours.
- Time: nam prung is aged at least 6 to 12 months.
Against modern perfume, Thai scented water relies on natural plant ingredients and smoke scenting, where modern perfume uses synthetic bases.
Flowers and ingredients of Thai fragrance
Flowers
The Thai Junior Encyclopedia names มะลิ (jasmine), กุหลาบ (rose) and กระดังงา (ylang-ylang) as fragrance flowers.
For nam prung, a Thai fragrance teacher adds โมก (wrightia), จำปี (white champaka), จำปา (champak), พิกุล (bullet wood) and gardenia.
Woods, resins and fixatives
- กำยาน (benzoin): a fragrant resin from the bark of the Styrax tree, burned for smoke scenting.
- ชะมดเช็ด (civet musk): used to fix the scent.
- พิมเสน (borneol): one of the classic ingredients that give Thai scented water its fragrance.
- ไม้จันทน์หอม (sandalwood) and ชะลูด (chalood bark): boiled into the base water.
- ผิวมะกรูด (kaffir lime peel) and ใบเตย (pandan): used in the smoke and in the base water.
Thai fragrance in the palace
Thai scented water appears in Khun Chang Khun Phaen, the Thai literary tale, where Khun Chang sprinkles nam op on his body. It was known in the Ayutthaya period, with no exact date of origin.
The Grand Palace had its own post for it: พนักงานพระสุคนธ์ (royal fragrance officers), overseen by royal women of the Inner Court.
Royals used nam op from the reign of King Rama II onward. Under King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), nam op, nam prung, scented powder, scenting candles and bunga rampai were high-status palace fragrances.
In that reign, each palace residence competed to blend its own nam op. The palace women of every residence carefully prepared their own fragrances.
When Thai fragrance is used
- Songkran: nam op is poured in รดน้ำดำหัว (rot nam dam hua, the water blessing for elders).
- สรงน้ำพระ (song nam phra, bathing Buddha images): the scented water is used to bathe Buddha images.
- Respect to elders: it is a way of paying respect to the older generation.
- After bathing: dabbed on in the hot season to cool the skin, or used in place of perfume.
- Scenting cloth: fabric is perfumed with it too.
One practical note: keep Thai scented water out of reach of small children, who might drink it.
A Thai fragrance you scent yourself: our two diffuser malai
In the palace, every residence blended its own scent.
Our two Thai diffusers carry the same idea. The person who receives one adds the essential oil they love, because only they know their best fragrance. That choice is what makes the gift truly intimate.
Baan Bua, the lotus home
Baan Bua means the lotus home. It takes the form of a lotus leaf, with a fish for each family member hanging under a golden frame, gold for prosperity, as a wish of protection for the family.
It is made in cotton, stone and brass, and comes in a wooden box with custom engraving. Three colourways: Thai with gold, white with gold, and off-white. It is 3,000 THB, pre-order only, made in 10 to 20 business days.
To scent it, sprinkle your essential oil onto the stone and top it up when the scent fades, usually every few days. The oil can mark the cotton, so drop it on the stone itself.
It is also the first idea in our list of housewarming gifts with a good meaning, as a blessing for a new household.
Malai Glin Rak, closeness wherever you are
Malai Glin Rak is a small cotton พวงมาลัย (phuang malai, Thai flower garland), 3 x 6 inches, for ความอบอุ่นใกล้ชิด ไม่ว่าคุณอยู่ที่ไหน (closeness, wherever you are).
It comes in 8 colours, each with a meaning: sky grace, pink tenderness, green growth, beige grounding, blue devotion, red vitality, gold prosperity and silver purity.
Hang it in the car, at the door or on the desk, and add the essential oil you love. It is 499 THB in a wooden gift box, and we take custom orders with no minimum.
Frequently asked questions
What Thai fragrances are there?
The main เครื่องหอมไทย (Thai fragrances) are น้ำอบไทย (Thai scented water), น้ำปรุง (Thai perfumed water), แป้งร่ำ (scented powder), สีผึ้ง (lip wax), บุหงารำไป (flower pouches) and เทียนอบ (scenting candle), plus ดินสอพอง (scented marl), แป้งพวง (strung scented powder) and น้ำดอกไม้สด (fresh flower water).
What is the difference between nam op and nam prung?
Nam op (น้ำอบ) is water scented with smoke, holding a little powder, with a light and short-lasting scent. Nam prung (น้ำปรุง) is blended from extracted flower scent, water and a little alcohol, aged 6 to 12 months, and lasts about 6 hours.
What is Thai scented water made from?
Roots, the scent of many flowers, benzoin, civet musk and borneol. Makers boil chalood bark and sandalwood, add stone powder and flower oil, then scent the water with the smoke of benzoin, brown sugar and kaffir lime peel.
Can you put Thai scented water on your body?
Yes. It is used after bathing, to cool the skin in the hot season and in place of perfume. Keep it out of reach of small children, who might drink it.
How long is nam prung aged?
At least 6 to 12 months. A Thai fragrance teacher says the longer it ages, the better it smells.