Skip to main content
BoF Logo

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

The Business of Fashion
Beauty

Inside India’s Niche Fragrance Takeover

A new crop of local perfume brands are reclaiming indigenous ingredients and reviving ancient fragrance-making techniques. But will that be enough to entice Indian consumers to swap international luxury perfumes for perfumes made at home?
A woman sitting in a field of flowers
Modern-Indian fragrance brands are re-imagining and reclaiming local, indigenous ingredients to bring forward a new perfumery language to the fragrance industry. (LilaNur Parfums)
By
BoF PROFESSIONAL

Arjun Sampath, founder of Indian-based skincare and perfume brand Soma Ayurvedic, believes the topography of his motherland including its soil culture, altitude and humidity, make it home to some of the most supreme quality ingredients across the globe. Fittingly, Soma Ayurvedic’s Mysur Sandalwood perfume oil is made using sandalwood sourced from Kerala and is formulated in Kannauj, an Indian city where the ancient art of perfumery and attar-making predates modern fragrance-making techniques used by behemoths Firmenich and Givaudan.

Please sign in to ensure you can read our agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice. Or get in touch at support@businessoffashion.com if you experience difficulties.

Further Reading

Can Global Brands See Beyond Bollywood in India?

Actors are a particularly effective way of reaching Indian consumers, but fashion brands should consider widening the net to include other famous faces like local musicians, athletes and celebrity influencers, say marketing experts.

The Future of Indian Beauty and the Next Generation of India-Focused Beauty Founders, Innovators and Creators

At the second annual BEAUTY&YOU India Awards, created by The Estée Lauder Companies’ New Incubation Ventures in partnership with Nykaa, nine brands and creatives representing the future of Indian beauty, innovation and creativity were awarded cash grants and mentorship. BoF also hosted a series of panel talks with some of India’s most celebrated creatives and entrepreneurs, including Katrina Kaif, Lakshmi Menon, Bandana Tewari, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Diipa Büller-Khosla, Masaba Gupta and Anita Lal.

About the author
Akanksha Kamath

Akanksha Kamath is a contributing writer at The Business of Fashion. Based in London, England, she is a writer and creative consultant with a focus on fashion, culture and arts.

In This Article
Topics

© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Beauty
Analysis and advice on the fast-evolving beauty business.
view more
Latest News & Analysis
Unrivalled, world class journalism across fashion, luxury and beauty industries.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.

The Zara-Fication of John Galliano

Fashion’s enfant terrible is trading exclusivity for the mass market. Is it the ultimate fashion coup, or the final surrender of prestige?

The Impact of War on Fashion’s Supply Chain

Textile hubs are already feeling the cascading risks of the conflict in Iran as Washington ramps up forced labour probes to revive tariffs, while decarbonisation in fashion’s factories might finally have a standard to go off of.

VIEW MORE

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.