There was a time when fragrance loyalty split cleanly between the sporty punch of Davidoff Cool Water and the powdery essence of Chanel No. 5. In India, perfume choices mostly began and ended at duty-free aisles or glossy department store counters. No longer the case today. The olfactory elite are bypassing big-brand magnums for discreet, boutique bottles. This is the new frontier of Indian fragrance, where quiet luxury changes not just scent, but perception.
Finding the right scent is deeply personal and transformative. Maybe you raided your father’s cologne as a teen, splashing on Brut or Versace Blue Jeans, or perhaps it was a bottle of Poison on your mother’s dresser. Discovering your fragrance is a process of refinement. For fraghead Siddharth Moghe, who works at tech company Broadcom in Bengaluru, scentophilia began in 2007 with a bottle of Hugo Boss Classic his father gave him. Over the years, his collection grew with sales finds, duty-free treasures, and eventually, boutique fragrances. His current rotation includes Roja, Creed, and Tom Ford. He favours smaller bottles for the variety, frequenting local perfumeries Centarom and Niche. “Decanting has changed the game,” he says. “It’s about access, exploration, and community.”
The intimacy of fragrance has its own signatures in India: a smudge of attar behind the ear, incense curling through a sunlit temple room, mornings carrying the warmth of Mysore sandalwood. But today’s scent wearer exists in a post-gender, post-traditional moment, where perfume choices fuel personal identity and moods. Whether it’s a peppery oudh or crisp bergamot fading into labdanum, a well-chosen perfume becomes part of your narrative. Moses Koul, actor and scent-obsessive, owns over 200 perfumes—not to impress, but to express. “It doesn’t have to be expensive. The people I idolised growing up all smelled good, and my most memorable experiences have a scent attached to them,” he smiles. Koul’s ritual is exacting: a bedtime perfume, a preference for vintage musks, and a keen eye for niche houses.
This instinct for emotional resonance lies at the heart of India’s growing niche fragrance scene. Shishir Mehta, founder of Scentido Niche Perfumery, an ultra-luxury boutique, says, “In today’s world, unisex isn’t a category anymore—it’s the standard.” His shelves are filled with olfactory storytelling, like Tilia by Marc-Antoine Barrois—a floral-woody blend of linden blossom and Indian jasmine—and A by Pantheon Roma, with tropical notes of mango, coconut, vanilla, and iris. “A great perfume doesn’t belong to a man or a woman. It belongs to a moment,” he asserts. The brands pushing this genderless revolution are many. Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, with its heady mix of spice, chocolate, and floral darkness, set the tone early for sensual, boundary-blurring perfumery. Le Labo followed with minimalist, label-free bottles and bold scents like Santal 33. Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540 effortlessly marries skin and sillage
This perfumevolution is a national phenom. ‘Beautiful India’ tribute to the country, embraces the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world is one family. With notes of jasmine sambac, cardamom, and sandalwood, it reflects a fragrance culture of wearable identity and Indian scent-sibilities.
Then, there are the fragrances that travel across borders. Victoria’s Secret Bombshell, launched in 2010, became a universal expression of glamour “For me, Bombshell is a different kind of sexy—bright, vital, and fun,” says perfumer Adriana Medina. With notes of pine, it carries a touch of masculinity. The global favourite today—Maison Margiela’s ‘Replica’ collection—turns fragrance into fantasy, bottling daydreams. The new Eaux de Parfum, like Dancing on the Moon and Soul of the Forest, transport wearers into surreal, dreamlike realms. “Perfumes today are crafted in small batches,” says Mehta, “with unusual and artistic note combinations that create a signature experience.” A scent, after all, isn’t just something you wear. It’s who you are.