THE SCENT OF ME

Welcome to the world of bespoke perfumes, the ultimate in luxury

- SMITA TRIPATHI

IMAGINE HAVING AN UTTERLY unique fragrance composed just for you. Designed keeping in mind your loves, your nature and even how well it sits on your skin—it is the smell of you. Welcome to the world of bespoke perfumes, the ultimate in luxury.

Smells have the power to evoke strong memories. The whiff of a perfume can transport you to childhood or remind you of a past love. Your fragrance can easily become your signature as it is linked to how people will remember you. Little wonder, then, that a one-of-a-kind distinctive smell is so alluring.

Of course, the Holy Grail of bespoke luxury does not come cheap. A 100 ml bottle can cost you upwards of ₹5 lakh, depending on the ingredients used.

Traditionally, bespoke perfumes have their roots in Europe where they were blended chiefly for royalty and wealthy patrons. Across Europe and the US, there are several perfumeries—such as Guerlain and Jean Patou in Paris, and Kilian Hennessy in New York—that make bespoke creations. In London, Floris, a family-owned perfumery established in 1730, is the oldest retailer of fragrances in the country, and is the ‘appointed perfumer’ to Queen Elizabeth.

In India, it was the Mughals who introduced perfumery to the country. Ittar, natural perfume oil derived from herbs, flowers and wood, has been around for over 400 years. Ittar (a term with Persian roots) is still popular in Old Delhi, Lucknow and Hyderabad. “Perfumes are an extension of our personality. To have a fragrance made especially for you is really quite exclusive,” says Anil Panda, Co-founder of 3003 BC, a bespoke perfume company that set up operations in India in 2017. The company is named so because the earliest reference to perfumes is from the Mesopotamian Age.