Thai beauty secrets: natural herbal aromatherapy


I noticed that the Thai market seems to be very supportive of their local brands; their fashion and beauty brands are pretty dominant as seen in their strong presence in the department stores. Another observation is that Thai beauty brands pride themselves on using Asian heritage as a selling point, especially when positioning themselves in the international markets. Brands such as Panpuri, Thann and Harnn, which are also available in Singapore, are examples of those that have used this marketing edge to their advantage.

Use of herbal ingredients and aromatherapy
Many of the Thai beauty brands also have a longstanding tradition of using herbal ingredients and aromatherapy in their skincare and some have successfully offered their products as spa treatments. And as expected, not all of them are completely natural as touted. The premium brands seem to do a better job of this and I was also told that some of their ingredients are imported from France. However, none of the brands I spotted are organic and this is no surprise as certification is a tedious and costly process.


Panpuri
Panpuri is possibly the most expensive of the local brands. I bought some products from the range and even though I understand that they’re slightly cheaper than what’s available in Singapore, the prices are still pricey. But they do come across as pretty good quality. The scent of the rose hand cream is just divine – on par with Jurlique’s I would say. But I didn’t buy it because I wasn’t so keen to pay too much for something containing beewax as a key ingredient.


Thann
I wanted to purchase a hand cream from the Thann range instead but realized that the price is way too high. I mulled over it but in the end, I just can’t bring myself to pay for it.


Harnn
We have the essential oil back home that we bought from Tangs. I didn’t give the brand much attention except to take some pictures. I am guessing their offerings is likely more than what we have in Singapore? Well, I’m not sure because I’ve never checked out the brand while in Singapore either.


Erb
Haven’t seen this brand around but it seems to have presence in Australia and New Zealand if I’m not wrong. Apart from facial and body care, Erb offers a slate of aromatherapy products.


Divana
This appears to be one of those brands that are better known for their spa treatments. The brand seems to be available for online purchase too.

Soaps, massage oil and essential oil
Another brand I spotted was Donna Chang, with its full range of body and skin care collection. Anyway, you can easily locate these brands at the major department stores such as Central or Isetan at Central World. Other than these brands, I also noticed some natural skin care products sold at supermarkets and the Chatuchak weekend market. Some of these appear to be handmade. Many of them are 100% massage oil, body oil, essential oil, and even herbal powder.

Herbal scrubs & masks
There is definitely no shortage of herbal scrubs and masks in Thailand. In fact, you could be too spoilt for choices and the way I see it – most people will go with their noses.

Herbal soaps
Okay, I noticed soaps are quite a big thing in Thailand. The soaps are made with ingredients such as cinnamon, tumeric, mangosteen and even coffee. But because many of the ingredients and explanations are written in Thai, it’s not too easy to figure their exact benefits.

Body oil
Because of their focus on body massages, such oils are popular. From the looks of it, I think body oils are a staple in the Thai beauty regime as their SAs seems to promote them quite a bit. In addition, all the brands will have a few offerings of the body oils in different scents.

Virgin coconut oil
This is one ingredient I keep seeing over and over again in some of their products and so I believe the Thais use this rather generously as an all-in-one oil for their face, body and hair. I do like the idea of using virgin coconut oil because it has many benefits but I have to say, it is rather oily.

Lemongrass
I love lemongrass but I truly got addicted to the scent with the Thai products that I’ve been testing over the days. Lemongrass body lotion and hand creams are so divine to the senses!

Ayurvedic roots
You might have noticed that many of the Thai beauty products seem to be quite similar to those from India. Well, that’s because they have their roots in Ayurvedic as well and hence, their big focus on natural holistic well being. In fact, I also noticed that Tumeric is an important beauty ingredient for the Thais in their beauty regime. Another ingredient that is easily available is the Moringa oil. I am also pleased to be able to find some natural ingredients over at their supermarket that I’ve been hunting for a long while; ingredients that I plan to incorporate into my DIY beauty recipes. Interested to know what they are? Continue to stay tune at Viva Woman then!

Comments

  1. stella says:

    i’ve used a couple of harnn (or is it thann) soaps before, they are good stuff–gentle on skin, lathers well, all the benefits of handmade soap. too bad they’re pretty marked up in singapore so i haven’t bought any here

  2. Raelynn says:

    my first cleansing oil was from thann too. they had a pretty interesting shiso mask, but it was way too ex in singapore.

  3. jojoba (My Makeup Reviews) says:

    i really dislike the scent of panpuri products I tried. too strong for my liking and they haven’t done much for me either.

  4. sesame says:

    I guess it depends on products and preferences. I found some of the scent very nice…now using their sandalwood shower gel and loving it.

  5. sesame says:

    I don’t know the prices in Singapore. My hub bought their essential oil here and I thought it was so ex! In Thailand, the prices aren’t so affordable either.

  6. sesame says:

    Their soaps look interesting but I didn’t check out their prices. Probably cheaper but may not be significantly so.

  7. Cara says:

    Are you looking for a good hand cream Sesame? I always have super dry hands! I think I wash them too much ? I’m using Yes to Carrots intense repair hand cream.

    I’m SO EXCITED for your diy projects!

  8. Swati says:

    wow….I so wanna visit Thailand ?

  9. Di says:

    Looking forward to know the natural products you got in the groceries! ?
    I’ve tried the essential oil blends from Divana…they do good blends ?

  10. sesame says:

    Oh the essential oil blends from Divana are good? I didn’t check them out – they look ex too!

  11. sesame says:

    Oh, it’s quite a shopping heaven. The stores are huge and prices much discounted!

  12. sesame says:

    Oh so envious…we don’t have the hand cream here. In fact, it seems they have stopped supplying the brand here even. ?

  13. Cara says:

    what really? maybe I should send some your way ?

  14. Diane says:

    Yup it was good. They have it in the airport as well. I compared with other prices of essential oils – they were quite reasonably priced compared to SG.
    My Thai friend got a whole bunch at 40% discount, so I’m guessing it’s much cheaper ?

  15. Joanna says:

    there are quite a few soapmakers in singapore actually, not all expensive. my fav is http://www.withhislove.weebly.com

  16. sya - indonesia says:

    wow really beauty product,,, nice share ?
    sya – indonesia last post is: ANION BLUE Body Whitening Lotion 100 % ORIGINAL (JAMINAN UANG KEMBALI)

  17. Irene Ng says:

    Please contact me as I am interested to import those products in Mauritius.
    mobile number +230 7561338

  18. Sam Ath Yem says:

    I need to buy herbal remedy for body scrub and spa
    Thanks
    SAM

  19. THOMAS says:

    We Bos natural flavors ,India are one of the leading manufacturer exporters of spice products. We have a wide range of products including Essential oils,Oleoresins,Flavors,Natural colors etc.Our major products are Black pepper oil,Lemongrass oil,Cintronella,Palmarosa,Basil,Clove bud,Cinnamon bark oil,Pepper mint oil etc We would like to associate with your company.We are doing private labeling and contract manufacturing for the customers.Sample can be provided as per your demands.

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