Rahasya, a new Singaporean fragrance brand, is making waves in the world of niche perfumery by celebrating modern Indian identity and heritage. Founded by three childhood friends – Sai Pogaru, Sachit Sood, and Utkarsh Vijayvargiya – the brand is quickly gaining recognition, most recently securing a coveted spot at Amaris, a Singaporean home to respected niche fragrance brands, just five months after its launch in November 2024.
The seeds of Rahasya were sown in a simple conversation. Pogaru, the most fragrance-obsessed of the trio, expressed his frustration to Sood about the lack of perfumes that truly captured their shared Indian heritage. This sparked an idea: to create a fragrance brand that would tell their story and connect with a new generation of the Indian diaspora.
Sood and Vijayvargiya's families, originally from Delhi, were close when they grew up together in Jakarta. Sood later moved to Singapore for primary school, where he met Pogaru, who has roots in Visakhapatnam, South India. Bonded by their shared "third-culture upbringing," the three became inseparable. All three founders left behind their well-paying jobs in corporate sectors such as tech, management consulting, and finance, to pursue their vision of capturing the breadth, diversity, and vibrancy of modern India through high-quality fragrances.
Rahasya, meaning "mystery" or "secret" in Sanskrit, aims to break stereotypes and offer new-age unisex scents that embody the spirit of contemporary India. The brand draws inspiration from modern Indian music, art, and culture, using top-quality Indian ingredients like Mysore sandalwood, marigold, and saffron. Each fragrance concept and every stage of the manufacturing process remain true to their Indian roots.
The brand's debut collection features four scents: Chapter One, Cutting Rain, Oud Mangifera, and Love Marriage. "Chapter One" is inspired by independent India bookstores and the smell of ink, paper and aged leather books; "Love Marriage" captures the extravagance of Indian weddings with a boozy, sweet and nutty scent profile; "Oud Mangifera" offers a smoky blend of mango, oud, and leather; and "Cutting Rain" encapsulates the petrichor scent of monsoon.
According to Rahasya, there are entire generations of the Indian diaspora who yearn for a connection to their roots and homeland, and they are using fragrance as a way to do so.
Other Singaporean perfume brands include Maison de L'Asie, which also draws inspiration from Asian travels, philosophies, and traditions, and Singapore Memories, which creates scents inspired by Singaporean heritage. Lilee Perfume is another indie brand from Singapore that explores timeless questions about life and existence through handcrafted fragrances.
