Rahasya turns memories of India into scents for the world

When Sai Pogaru, Sachit Sood and Utkarsh Vijayvargiya decided to launch a fragrance brand centred on contemporary Indian stories, none of them had any experience running a business.

What they did have was a shared love of fragrance, and a conviction that contemporary Indian culture deserved greater representation on the global stage.

“As people who grew up outside India, we found ourselves wanting to reconnect with our roots and understand our own identities through a more contemporary lens, especially in the one space we cared about most: fragrance,” says Sai.

He adds: “If India has shaped perfumery for centuries, why have so few Indian fragrance brands gone global? We realised that the gap wasn’t due to a lack of heritage or raw materials – it was a lack of contemporary representation.”

Convinced that there was room for a different kind of fragrance brand, the trio – all in their 30s – quit their jobs and founded Rahasya in January 2024. Over the next 11 months, they taught themselves everything from ingredient sourcing and product development to logistics, packaging and website design.

Rahasya debuted at a Singapore pop-up with four fragrances, where the enthusiastic response from the local community affirmed they were on the right track. Just over two years later, the brand became the first Singapore fragrance label to launch at London’s Selfridges department store.

Their corporate careers proved to be an asset. Sachit’s background in consulting shaped the company’s strategy and operations, Utkarsh’s experience in fintech – combined with his interest in design and technology – informed the product and creative direction, while Sai drew on his expertise in technology sales and marketing to build the brand through strategic partnerships and positioning.

The founders approached fragrance creation as consumers rather than perfumers, challenging familiar narratives about India. Rather than starting with ingredients or fragrance accords, each scent began with a personal memory.

Sachit’s was inspired by the musty shelves of independent bookshops, Utkarsh’s captured the smell of rain while sipping tea in a garden, while Sai’s evoked the sweetness of eating ripe mangoes in the summer heat.

A fourth fragrance, created jointly, distilled the colours, sounds and emotions of an Indian wedding. “We always start with emotion and memory, and then build the notes that best bring that story to life,” says Sai.

By mid-2025, Rahasya had secured shelf space at Singapore fragrance retailers Amaris and The Scent Parlour – but the founders’ ambitions extended far beyond Singapore.

As a brand rooted in contemporary Indian stories, connecting with the Indian diaspora was a natural next step. Rahasya entered the US market, launching in niche fragrance boutiques across New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas.

Their biggest gamble came in October 2025: a four-and-a-half-day pop-up in a vacant London art gallery transformed into an Indian railway carriage, complete with a mixologist serving fragrance-inspired cocktails, chai and DJ sets.

Among the retail partners they invited was a representative from Selfridges, setting the wheels in motion for the brand’s launch at the iconic department store.

Looking ahead, the team is focused on developing new fragrances, expanding into new product categories, and continuing to experiment with fresh forms of storytelling as they enter new markets.

“At the same time, we’re conscious that growth isn’t simply about opening more doors,” shares Sai.

“It’s about building a fragrance house with a distinct point of view – one that can stand alongside the best in the world, while remaining deeply rooted in our own experiences and culture.

Click here for more information on Rahasya Fragrances.