Can India Reclaim Its Perfume Glory?

Imagine fast food chain Subway without its trademark bread scent, W hotels without that citrusy smell in its lobby, or HeyTea chains without its hint of floral jasmine. Smell is one of the most memorable elements of any experience, shaping how we remember places, people, and time. It’s something companies try, but often fail, to bottle up, and has created a $62 billion global perfume market. 

But the industry has also faced growing scrutiny. Did you know Victoria’s Secret signature scent, Bombshell, can repel mosquitoes due to ingredients comparable to DEET? Or that most shampoos, soaps, or body washes might list “parfum” as an ingredient, but it’s often a stand-in for synthetic fragrances, ranging from endocrine disruptors to formaldehyde-releasing agents?

Enter: the clean beauty revolution. As today’s consumers grow more wary of putting harmful chemicals on their bodies, some say the answer has been with us all along — a millennia-old solution that might be the subcontinent’s best-kept secret.