N/A — fantasy floral accord (no standard commercial essential oil)
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Asia, Southeast Asia
Pyramid
Heart
Green, citrus-herbal, faintly minty. Nom Maew is a Thai herb with a bright, clean, slightly feline name — 'cat's milk' in Thai, smelling of fresh herbs in tropical rain.
Green, herbal, faintly citrus-minty, fresh. A generic but specifically Southeast Asian herbaceousness — the kind of green, clean, slightly medicinal scent you encounter in Thai traditional medicine shops and temple gardens.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Green herbal, citrus-mint, fresh, clean
After a few hours
After a few hours
Softer, warmer, less green
After a few days
After a few days
Faint herbal residue
The Full Story
Nom Maew (literally 'cat's milk' in Thai) refers to herbs in traditional Thai medicine and cooking, typically Rivea ornata or certain Euphorbia species producing milky sap. The olfactory reference in perfumery is to the green, fresh, slightly medicinal character of Southeast Asian traditional herbs.
The scent is green, herbal, faintly citrus-minty — characteristic of many Southeast Asian herbs that sit between medicine and cuisine. The Thai pharmacopoeia contains hundreds of such plants, many of which are aromatic.
In perfumery, nom maew provides a green, herbal, Southeast Asian modifier — specific enough to carries Thai terroir but not widely documented in Western fragrance literature.
The name 'nom maew' (cat's milk) likely refers to the milky latex sap of the plant — many Thai folk names for plants are descriptive of their physical properties rather than their uses or scents.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: No standard commercial extraction for Western perfumery. Traditional Thai herbal processing (decoction, maceration) differs from perfumery extraction methods.
Molecular Formula
Complex mixture — no standard characterization
CAS Number
N/A — no standard commercial extract CAS
Botanical Name
Volkameria inermis
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
CAT FLOWER · CAT'S FLOWER
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Appearance
N/A — fantasy floral accord (no standard commercial essential oil)
In Perfumery
Nom maew is a niche herbal note providing Southeast Asian green-herbal character. No standard Western perfumery extraction. Reconstructed from green-herbal materials with citrus-mint accents. Functions in Thai-inspired and Southeast Asian compositions.