Smell that: The rise of India’s ittar industry

By Eileen McDougall

Published in Al Jeezerah On 17 Dec 2023

Natural perfumes are seeing a resurgence thanks to a handful of start-ups offering old and new fragrances.

I was quoted in Al Jeezerah about the rise of Indian Ittars. It’s written by Eileen McDougall who shines the light on the new generation of Ittar businesses in historical Kannauj, India where there used to be 700 distilleries. The ancient tradition of distillation is produced by using a bamboo pipe which connects the deg to the bhakpa that sits in a concrete sink of water and holds the base oil imbued with the scents with materials like jasmine or rose. The younger generation are taking over as a reaction to the introduction of cheaper alcohol based Western fragrances. The interest in quality and modernity are breathing life into the dwindling industry.

Experts and perfume brands she mentions are: Gopal Kumar, Boond Fragrances started by siblings Krati and Varun Tandon, Kastoor founded by Esha Tiwari and Naso Profumi who are all changing the perception of what Indian perfumes are.

She also sites Divrina Dhingra, Vogue Indian writer and author of The Perfume Project: Journeys Through Indian Fragrance.

Here’s my quote:
”International perfumer Yosh Han said that globally, there is an “increasing desire to decolonise scent” and an “interest in POC [people of colour] brands” because of which some of these new Indian firms are getting interest from abroad.”

I mentioned other perfumers but alas, sometimes interviews I give are edited way down. In this case, I don’t mind because it’s about the perfumers and brands in India. I’ll write another post about the brands I mentioned not listed.