Opulent and rare—the scents of India

Local fragrance brands venture into the global luxury perfume market

Oud Safran has a 48 per cent concentration. Credit: Maison de Fouzdar.

In the making of modern ittars, rare notes play a crucial role. Credit: House of Kastoor

The Indian perfume industry is small but significant for luxury connoisseurs. Creating top-notch fragrances is slow and tedious, but the country is blessed with rare spices and floral extracts that are in demand for making premium fragrances. Brands like Bombay Perfumery, Maison de Fouzdar, Embark Perfume, Forest Essentials, and Aamod Luxury Fragrances have made a name in the market for their signature products.

The sweet smell of success
On Valentine's Day, an Indian made perfume, 'Vikas Khanna by Zighrana,' was launched in New York and dedicated to the perfume capital of India, Kannauj. The luxury blend is a mix of spices like cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, sandalwood, jasmine and rose.

Similarly, many Indian brands are now making perfumes to tap the global market. In the list of such niche fragrances is Maison De Fouzdar.

"As a brand, we offer world-class packaging and juices with a concentration over 35 per cent to take perfumery to new heights in the global market," said Dimple Fouzdar, founder of Maison De Fouzdar.

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"A lot of effort has been put into making India get recognition and give people a spray of luxury around the globe. Our most expensive variant is the Oud Safran, with a 48 per cent concentration, and it is priced at Rs 9,800 for 50ml. For this perfume, we source the saffron from Iran and blend it with white Oud to give a musky touch."

The scent of luxury
Depending on the concentration of the essential oils and base (water, alcohol, or oil), fragrances are roughly divided into six categories—perfume or parfum (the most expensive and long-lasting), Eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne, Eau Fraiche, and perfume oil. In high-quality fragrances, perfumers claim to use the best quality raw materials sourced worldwide.

"Some elements used in Indian fragrances are saffron (one of the most precious spices in the world), tuberose, attr, sandalwood and olibanum (frankincense). Since medieval times, these are signs of wealth, prestige, and luxury," said Sadhana Singh, founder of luxury fragrance brands Savour and Aura.

Reimagining ittars
Ittars are strong and luxurious blends traditionally patronised by royals and the wealthy. New age perfumers have devised roll-on versions and created easy-to-use blends to cater to the modern scent sensibilities. They are made using traditional hydrodistillation methods, without any alcohol and chemicals, and are considered the cleanest and most cruelty-free fragrances in India. One of the most expensive ingredients used in luxury Indian fragrances is Oud.

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Esha Tiwari, founder, House of Kastoor, told DH Online that in the making of modern ittars, rare notes play a crucial role. "Along with the fine notes of orange blossom, bergamot, and wood spice, we use Oud in our premium products. These blends are priced higher than the other concoctions because of the exclusivity of this ingredient. Oud is a fragrant resin found in the Agarwood trees of Assam. The availability of this resin depends on the right bioreaction on the trees, which makes it a rare item."

The process of making ittar is a labour-intensive and complicated task. Each ingredient is added in layers and takes up to a week or more.

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