The scent of something new

The Indian perfume market is veering away from attars and knock-offs. Now, local perfumers are crafting signature scents. Take a whiff

- Arshia

Is it just us, or did every Secret Santa gifting group end up with at least one perfume this season? Little vials of good fragrance used to be an expensive, imported luxury (It's how we learnt to spell Guerlain and say Ver-SA-chay.) Indian scents, on the other hand, were either attars, strong deodorants or poor imitations of world-famous blends.

Over the last decade, that's started to change. Brands such as Titan sell fragrances named Amalfi Bleu and Oud Luxe. Westside stocks little bottles near the billing counters - the perfect last-minute grab. Nykaa has a helpful country-of-origin filter and 15 homegrown options. Most refreshingly, young Indian perfumers are creating boutique scents that are made in, and smell like, India. What's the playbook for success? Nobody nose. But each brand is trying something new.

Top note

In Delhi, Dimple Fouzdar launched Maison de Fouzdar in 2021 to develop niche scents for buyers who wanted French-style concoctions with an Indian heart. “It was about creating a product at par with global standards, but not using synthetic ingredients, not doing mass production,” says Fouzdar.

Their bestseller: Santal Saffron, a blend of rare red sandalwood from Australia and Iranian saffron, priced at ₹13,999 for 100ml. At around 20% to 40% of fragrance concentration, it’s more potent and longer lasting than eau de parfums typically sold by international brands.