Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2017: Health & Wellness Issue | Page 20

FRAGRANT JOURNEYS
Many of us look to photographs for memories of our travels, but Paul
Harnn — the founder of the lifestyle brand, Harnn — relies on his nose.
by ANNALIESE WATKINS
I
n June 2012, Paul was a tourist exploring the lively streets
of Taipei, when the heavens opened: To escape the sum-
mer downpour, he took refuge in a cozy tearoom, where
he asked the hostess for her tea recommendations. Her
choice? A petite porcelain pot brimming with oolong, a fa-
vorite brew amongst tea connoisseurs in South East Asia.
Paul accepted her suggestion and, shaking raindrops from
his shoulders, waited for his oolong tea to arrive.
Minutes later, still damp but warming up, the Thai en-
trepreneur lifted the lid of the teapot set before him, un-
furling the Taiwanese oolong’s delicate aroma. And in he
breathed. Paul would always associate oolong with how he
felt tucked inside a tearoom on a rainy day in Taipei. “Every
time I drink oolong tea, I’m transported back,” he says.
It was a moment that he would later preserve forev-
er — as a fragrance.
THE SCENT OF A CITY
Paul often recalls his international adventures through
scents. A businessman born in Bangkok but raised in
20 WANDERLUST
Hong Kong and America, Paul is the founder of natural
skincare brand, Harnn, which is known for its exquisite
products based on essential oils. Frequent business trips
are what encouraged Paul to launch Vuudh — a selection
of home fragrances that bottle the enticing aromas he
chanced upon while exploring the customs, foods, plants
and flowers of several Asian destinations.
The Singapore scent, for example, was inspired by
a visit to the Lion City during Chinese New Year, where
sandalwood wafting from a traditional medicine shop
danced with the sweet smell of orange blossom trees. The
idea for the Mumbai fragrance — Rose and Clove — was
born after a young girl selling roses approached Paul in
the bustling Indian city.
Holy basil arising from a fiery wok was his muse for the
herbal aroma of the Samui scent; and a brush past stalks
of lemongrass sparked the conception for the Phuket fra-
grance, which marries a top note of tangy lemongrass
with the relaxing floral scent of lavender.
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