Lotus absolute (pink lotus)

Soft floral, watery green, slightly powdery, with green tea and melon facets. A lightly sweet, skin-like drydown. Less white-floral and far less indolic than jasmine.

Lotus absolute has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index and is not named individually in the EU allergen list of Regulation 2023/1545.

Lots vary considerably. Where linalool or other allergens are present, EU labelling thresholds apply. Store dark, sealed and cool.

Nelumbo nucifera is an aquatic plant of tropical and subtropical Asian ponds and lakes. Flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon over several days. In northern Vietnam the lotus season usually runs from May to August.

An absolute is made in two steps. The raw material is extracted with a non-polar solvent such as hexane to give a waxy concrete. The concrete is then washed with ethanol, chilled to precipitate waxes, filtered and freed of alcohol. What remains is the absolute.

Lotus absolute is made in small volumes, mainly in India. A very large mass of flowers is needed per kilogram, and flowers must be extracted fresh. Many products sold as lotus are synthetic accords.

Fresh lotus scent contains light compounds that are easily lost during extraction. Headspace studies of lotus flowers report 1,4-dimethoxybenzene and long-chain hydrocarbons. The absolute keeps a floral character but differs from the living flower.

In Hanoi, green tea is scented with lotus stamens (gạo sen) from West Lake lotus. The process uses thousands of flowers per kilogram of tea. It captures lotus scent without solvents, unlike an absolute.

In perfumery lotus absolute serves watery florals, tea accords and light structures. It pairs with tea, jasmine sambac, musks and green notes. Small supply and high price keep it mostly in natural and niche perfumery.

Nelumbo nucifera should not be confused with Nymphaea water lilies, such as the Egyptian blue lotus, also called lotus in English.