I’ve tried tons of blue lotus extracts, and I can tell you they differ dramatically. As with oud that can smell hollow and lifeless, like tasteless waxy frangipani, or jasmines that would have been better left uncooked, blue lotus has incredible potential, but many oils fail to capture its magic. And believe me, once you start reading about Nefertem, things quickly become magical!
Blue lotus is emblematic of the river Nile and featured widely in sexual symbolism, especially in ancient Egyptian culture. Modern day couples who are into tantric romance praise its potent effects, and apply it topically for its narcotic aroma or dilute a few drops into a carrier oil for a sensual massage.
Although mainly known as an aphrodisiac, blue lotus offers many healing benefits linked to compunds like nuciferine, polysaccharides, flavonoids, nymphayol which helps endocrine damaged tissue, and aporphine… which might explain the mild euphoria induced by blue lotus and why people feel ‘uplifted’ and ‘happy’ when using it… why it’s been dubbed ‘the cannabis of ancient Egypt.’ Traditionally (and we’re talking thousands of years here) blue lotus has been known to relieve pain, increase circulation, decrease inflammation, and of course… increase sexual desire.
It takes tons of flowers to distill a single kilo of blue lotus oil and the entire world of perfumery has to steal base to get their hands on the best harvests. The rarity, combined with the high expense of distillation makes it a very costly enterprise at ground level, so experimentation is risky.
Just like with oud oil, many distillers can’t afford to wait for proper harvests, install quality equipment to accompany an already expensive set-up, or wait the time it takes to distill the flowers properly. That explains why some lotus oils are a faint shadow of others. And why, whenever you see $15 blue lotus oils, you should raise an eyebrow.
If you’ve tried various kinds, you know that not all blue lotus extracts are created equal. Reformulating Blue Kalbar, for which this specific Thai extract is crucial, always takes time because of the struggle to find this smell.
Through our journeys across the Far East over many years, we’ve built good relationships with select producers. Many of my perfumes are built on the superior harvests they use to the extent that it’s almost impossible to tweak the recipe using an inferior one. We haven’t had a shipment blue lotus of this caliber delivered to our office. The only way to guarantee the quality is to smell it in person, which is why we delve into finding it like we do finding wild crassna in Trat.
Many use frankincense for its health benefits; sandalwood, for its mind-calming quality and delicious aroma. With blue lotus, it’s mainly about… you know. So, add a swipe on your neck or behind your ears, a drop or three to a diffuser or botanic bath for a romantic evening at home.
*Although blue lotus is reported to help with leucorrhea, it is, like with Frangipani, recommended that pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers abstain from using it. As always, when intending to anything for medicinal reasons, consult with a qualified doctor.
Here’s what other people are saying about Blue Lotus…
An opening made of wet soil, humus, pond-like flowery sweetness. Decaying without being animalic, fecal nor muddy.
Freshness emerges, mint maybe? No anise, yes anise, with 2 minutes later gingerbread qualities (star anise and a caramelized sweetness).
Back to wetness after after a few minutes, black tea, yet deeply floral and complex with a definite sweetness. Somewhat slightly powdery and dewy, definitely one of the most interesting opening I’ve had the opportunity to review. After 20-30 minutes, the swamp dries out a bit and the bombastic opening slowly disappear.
Remains a soft and charming lotus, a calming beauty brightening your day and enveloping you within a peaceful place. On a side note, I would love the opening to last forever, it’s that good. The drydown is linear yes but certainly not boring and the meditative qualities of this blue lotus are undeniable if you ask me, but to each their own. A must try floral, for sure. – Alexandre, Czech Republic
Blue Lotus is such a unique scent. I can’t figure it out yet, it’s mysterious to say the least. It has rain on soil and cucumber like notes. I also picked up a bit of cinnamon and jasmine. – Mahir, USA
Blue Lotus is completely a different thing from what I expected: I was thinking of a indolic white flower bomb, sweet and flashy, but it’s a much more complex smell, both carnal and spiritual. – Federico, Italy
I’m very impressed with your Blue Lotus and Frangipani essential oils. They are top notch and anything but “linear” scents!! That tea like dry down in the blue lotus makes me smile. – Michael, USA
Haven’t tried it in detail, but from the vial it’s straight up narcotic, and very unique. – Carlos, USA
The Blue lotus is a nice unique flower scent. I love the initial smell the best. It gives off a hard to pinpoint sharp pleasant smell. Once it levels out it remains smelling sweet and lovely but loses that initial punch that I like best. Very nice oil! – Kurtis, USA
Having smelled Blue Kalbar, I expected the blue lotus to be more shy, it’s quite the opposite. It brings some whiffs of the swamps or ponds in my opinion. Like these Japanese and Chinese ponds I used to visit when a kid. – Javier, Peru
The Blue Lotus caught me off guard with its potency, a lush rich alluring aroma which made me have the most vivid dream in a long while. – Denis, Sweden
Received Blue Lotus today and immediately put a swipe on my wrist, I couldn’t wait to let it settle… It’s stunning, as I expected. Full of spicy and fruity nuances, earthy and rooty, deliciously musky; absolutely prismatic. It presents the whole scene of the blue lotus – the riverbed from which it grows, the still water, the green of stem and pads and, above all, the gorgeous bloom and the deep blue, purple and pastel shades it radiates. I now feel like I also understand Blue Kalbar and Iris Ghalia more having smelled this, and may even be wearing them together from now on just to tease out the blue lotus from them more. Amazing. – Steven, UK
I think it is all about aspects and attention – I know this is only a personal view – while oud takes me to inner spaces and the past, Blue Lotus does something different – it takes me to the future and to the outer world, it is divination and promise instead of rememberance and sentiment; one should be very concentrated every second to read it’s message; while oud says, lean back, relax, see where I will take you next, Blue Lotus does the opposite: concentrate, because I am moving through and fade rapidly, this is the way it goes, join me, let’s move on, out to the future… – Erhard, Austria