Sharing Pattree “Cherry” Bhakdibutr’s creative journey for a modern Siamese beauty recipe vision at Erb.

Beauty, in its oldest sense, is not something created but something remembered. It lives in the way we touch nature, repeat rituals and pass down forms of care that shape how we live.

Today, Pattree “Cherry” Bhakdibutr, Founder and Managing Director of Erb, approaches beauty through ancient wisdom where wellbeing is understood as something rooted in nature and ancient wisdom.

From her early memories, we pick up two elements that help tell her story.  

“When I was young I was always in the trees. I loved nature deeply. Or I would draw paper dolls but I rarely played with regular toys.”

These traces, a closeness to nature and a hand-drawn world of paper dolls, offer a way of reading her perspective in this piece. Through Erb, they are expressed as a contemporary language of Siamese beauty recipes and inherited wisdom.

Crafting Paper Doll Journey 

Cherry’s creative path traces back to her childhood where she made paper dolls instead of plastic ones. She built small imagined worlds by hand through cutting, shaping and styling figures. This early practice formed the basis of her creative thinking which later extended into fashion.

“Fashion helps me see everyday things in a more creative way, things that are very close to home and nature. I start to add creativity and imagination to them.When I experience things that open my perspective, I feel their essence can be refined into something more useful or transformed into a more interesting form.”

She worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years before she decided to expand her creative practice further. Cherry explains that during her time in fashion, her references often came from the West. While she was drawn to it and eager to learn, it did not feel fully rooted in who she was. Over time, this began to feel limiting. After several years, she realised she wanted to create something more honest, something that came from her own background rather than external sources. 

“It was a time of growing up and becoming more aware of lifestyles. I started to realise that creativity and art exist in everything, not just clothing. When I travelled I looked at health and beauty products and noticed many ingredients came from the East. It made me think why we do not create something of our own”

She began to see fashion, lifestyle and product design as one connected language. Trends from abroad, fashion sensibility and Thai cultural familiarity came together in her thinking. This shaped a new creative direction.

“I remembered I went to places like Kaset Fair to do some research and found many useful things but they were not visually refined. They felt too raw or too literal. For example turmeric often appears in masks but it could become something more refined like skincare soap or scrub. I began to see that it could take a more beautiful form and that led to the creation of Erb.” 

Nature Through Her Eyes 

“Another reason I chose Siamese beauty recipes is because I grew up in a Thai way of thinking, cared for by my grandparents who lived using traditional Thai practices.”

Cherry explains that when she worked in fashion, her colour choices often came from flowers and natural materials rather than artificial references. Growing up in a home surrounded by garden spaces, this shaped her instinct to draw from it in her work. 

“I have always been drawn to nature in a very tactile way. I would crush leaves to smell them or peel the bark to observe its texture, almost like a biological curiosity. I notice greens, whites and natural variations. I love the texture of bark, the veins of leaves, the scent and colour of flowers.”

Her curiosity for nature, through touch and texture, led her beyond the surface of ingredients. The process begins with research, uncovering ingredients for their beauty as well as the traditional recipes and wisdom behind them. This knowledge is then reinterpreted into a more contemporary form, shaped to fit how people live today while retaining its original meaning. 

Here are some stories she shares about the ingredients she discovers and uses in her products.

Seven Pollen

She recalls a past collection titled Seven Pollen, inspired by seven traditional Thai flower pollens once used for their restorative properties. In earlier beliefs, they could be inhaled to revive the senses, brewed as tea for longevity or applied to the skin for clarity. The range was well received before it paused during Covid.

“What fascinated me most was the idea that pollen holds the flower’s highest concentration of energy, gathered before reproduction. This makes it the most potent and essential part of the plant, something Thai knowledge has long recognised and used. I found it almost magical, like something out of Harry Potter,” she laughs.   

Rice

The more she explores nature, the more she falls in love with it. Everything feels like it keeps working in its own way. 

“Rice is another ingredient that fascinates me. When I researched it, I found how rich it is in vitamins and how widely it is used across cultures, from India where it is applied to hair and believed to strengthen it, to Japanese traditions where rice water is used in skincare rituals that leave the skin soft and resilient. It exists in so many forms, from oil and water-based extracts to fermented versions like kombucha, each carrying different benefits.” 

Buddha’s hand

Most recently, she worked on an inhaler, drawing directly from ancient formulations that have largely disappeared. In older terminology, inhalers were referred to as som-o mue, also known as Buddha’s hand. Curious about its meaning, she researched further and found that it is a rare citrus fruit shaped like a hand, commonly found in northern regions near Vietnam and China. It is commonly used in Thailand, often found in temples as offerings. 

“When I first cut it open, there was no flesh at all, only peel. But the scent was incredibly fresh, it really surprised me. 

She transformed this into a more modern product, similar to the small plastic inhalers commonly found in drugstores, with one end designed as a roller and the other for inhaling the scent.

Crafting from Two Loves

“I always try to begin with the story behind each product. Inspiration comes first, followed by the beliefs or research behind the ingredients. From there, I reinterpret traditional formulas into something more contemporary.” 

Her early creativity in making paper dolls and her love of nature, shaped by growing up surrounded by plants, textures and scents, naturally led her towards a beauty practice rooted in ingredients in ERB. 

What connects both is curiosity and a willingness to learn through making. This instinct shapes her approach today, where each product begins with a deeper search for understanding beyond surface beauty to uncover the true qualities and benefits of every ingredient.

“I define my target as a modern hippie, someone who loves nature, cares for themselves and moves easily between different lifestyles. They can invest, run, enjoy a drink and appreciate good things without being limited to one way of living. For me, it is about being selective and intentional, choosing what feels right while balancing both sides of life.” 

The packaging is crafted with an artful sensibility, designed to appeal to the eye as Cherry believes beauty should engage both feeling and form. Her background in fashion also informs her approach, adding an awareness of detail, proportion and how a product is experienced visually. 

Moreover, she continues to collaborate with Thai artists as a way of celebrating local creativity. Each year, Cherry works with different creatives across Thailand, most recently with Medium Well Graphic House, who reinterpret Thai elements into limited packaging designs. She has also worked with Sretsis, creating heart-shaped perfume bottle necklaces shown at Tokyo Fashion Week, collaborated with her brother, the artist behind the famous Nong Mamuang, and with ceramic makers in Mae Hong Son, who create candle ceramic for her. 

Courtesy of Erb

“When I worked in fashion, I met many talented people with strong stories, styles and excellent craft. That experience shaped me and made me constantly excited by new ideas and talent. It naturally led me to want to celebrate Thai craft.” 

Rooted in Thai Wisdom, Moving Forward in Care

Cherry still believes there is so much more to discover within Thai culture. At the same time, she remains open to learning from neighbouring traditions, expanding both the brand and the spa experience at ERB, whether through abdominal massage techniques or tea roasting rituals.

“I see the next step for ERB as building a complete lifestyle experience around emotional wellbeing, one that considers the body, mind and soul together. There is so much to say and I am glad Thai beauty is gaining attention. Every culture has its own traditions of self care, but Thailand stands out for its attentiveness and service mindset, which makes people feel genuinely cared for. I hope to help carry this forward and speak more about Thai beauty so that our local wisdom is more widely recognised.”