Introduction.

In 2018, after searching high and low for a deodorizer to solve the smell in my condo room when I first arrived in Bangkok, I realized that there was not a single product that had the effect of making it odorless, which I had taken for granted in Japan. On the other hand, unlike in Japan, I was surprised to find that many daily necessities, such as shampoo, body soap, fabric softener, and even insecticides, are available in a variety of scents. In this article, I would like to introduce the variety of scented products that can be found in stores. I would like to introduce the various scented products that can be found in stores.

Body cleaning agent

When it comes to variety in fragrances, cleansing products such as shampoos and body soaps are by far the most playful and diverse. This may be because people typically shower at least twice a day, which naturally leads to high consumption, prompting manufacturers to offer an extensive range of scents.

For example, looking at products lined up at Boots, which focuses on health and beauty items, one immediately notices a wide selection centered on fruity fragrances, alongside more basic scents such as coconut. These include strawberry, orange, mango, green apple, and citrus notes like lemon and lime, as well as combinations such as vanilla & raspberry. Some products also appear to draw inspiration from Japanese tastes, featuring blends like sakura or green tea.

More unusual offerings include collaboration products with the candy brand Chupa Chups, featuring playful scents such as chocolate mint and even cola.

One brand that focuses on fragrance is Sabai Arom. It means a pleasant fragrance. Even products that are 99% organic, such as YVES ROCHER, a brand imported from France, have many variations of scents. There are products that are not directly related to fragrance, such as almond, tea tree, cucumber, tomato, and aloe. A brand called Chacoalogy, which seems to use a lot of charcoal, has become popular in recent years, and with its claims of botanicals and natural ingredients, you can see it in the high price range of 200 baht or more. I'm not sure how major each of these brands is, but there is no shortage of ambitious products that are sure to stir up consumerism. Incidentally, I feel that these products are not just targeted at Thais. Thailand has 38 million foreign tourists a year, so I think it is necessary to consider souvenir demand as well.

Deodorant

As for the deodorants, although there are some scent appeals, they seem to be more focused on functional appeals. There are products with a mysterious long-lasting antiperspirant effect of 48 hours, dryness, and whitening. In this category, I feel that there may be more variations of fragrances in Japan.

Detergent and fabric softener

Along with body wash products, detergents and fabric softeners have a wide variety of scents. The difference between these products and body wash products is that the scents are mainly flowers and perfumes, not food-based scents. In the case of fabric softeners, the appeal of the scent is almost all, and there is no appeal of the effect on the fiber or the function of the finish, even though it is called a fabric softener. In one commercial, the main character is an overweight elementary school boy, and while it is true that sweat odor and stains are a concern for him during his playful years, the fact that the commercial focuses on children's armpit odor makes me feel a difference from the way we treat sock stains in Japan. While there are a good number of households that do their laundry by hand, I think fabric softener is certainly expected to play a role as an odor eliminator in households that use washing machines. In fact, especially when it comes to the laundry tubs of vertical washing machines, they are prone to mildew. I used to live in a condominium where the vertical laundry tubs were quite moldy, and even when I washed my clothes with fabric softener, I was left with a special moldy smell. I was told that due to the hard water quality, it is difficult for the detergent ingredients to be completely washed out of the washing tank. This is said to be the reason why mold tends to form. For this reason, there are a certain number of laundry tub cleaning services. Now that I have moved to a condominium with a drum-type washing machine, I can feel the strong scent of fabric softener after hanging my laundry. It may have something to do with the fact that the water temperature during washing is as high as 60 degrees Celsius, so there is no mold in the laundry tub and less water is used.

Pesticide

As a part of living in a tropical country, pests are inevitably a part of our lives. These include mosquitoes and cockroaches. Mosquito coils are a traditional product that is still the standard mosquito repellent, but the most popular of them all is still the lavender scent. Although it is not clear how the effects of lavender are recognized, it is a fact that many people prefer to use it. Insecticidal sprays for cockroaches are also available in several fragrances, including lavender and aloe. Although I know in my head that a pleasant smell is better than an unpleasant one after use, I wonder if I'm the only one who doesn't want to be aware of the fact that smelling something means breathing it in.

Aromatic

As mentioned above, charcoal-based products are gaining popularity in body wash and other products. Similarly, in the air freshener category, there are products that use charcoal. I bought these products expecting that the charcoal ingredients would absorb and deodorize unpleasant smells, but to my surprise, I found out after purchase that the products were designed to override floating smells with some kind of fragrance (a smell I had never smelled before). Moreover, it is not a good smell at all, and the goal of the product is still a mystery to me.

Summary

The term "scent product culture zone" is probably true in Thailand, or at least in Bangkok. If you go to a shopping mall, you will find diffuser stores on almost every floor, with a mixture of different scents floating around. Even in supermarkets and drugstores, you can find a wide variety of scents. On the other hand, it is rare to come across a Thai person in the street, in an office, or in a restaurant who is clearly wearing a scent, and most of the time it is the perfume of a Westerner. Seeing that there are so many scented products in the market and no deodorant products, I can't find any direction of insatiable search for "perfect odorlessness" like Japanese people. This is completely imaginary, but I think it may have something to do with the Thai word "jute," which is used to describe taste. The meaning of the word "jute" is "light taste," and I think kaiseki cuisine in Japan is a typical example of this, in short, "bad taste. Somtam is the first dish that Thai people want to eat when they come back from abroad, not only when they travel to Japan, but also as soon as they return home. The taste of Som Tam is spicy, sweet, and clear. The aroma is mellow and strong. I don't think that having this kind of taste as a base has anything to do with sensitivity to aroma. It may not be the subtle soup stock culture, but rather the sense of security we feel when we taste and smell something that is more easily understood. Translated with AI Translator