ELLE Exclusive: Secret Alchemist’s Love Letter To India, Written In Scent

Perfume has always been personal, a quiet extension of who we are. But finding one that feels good and does good? That’s been trickier. Now, Secret Alchemist is set to launch its new line of clean perfumes, a collection built on honesty, heritage, and the belief that scent should heal as beautifully as it smells. Behind this thoughtful shift are Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Ankita Thadani, who’ve turned decades of aromatherapy expertise into a new kind of fragrance story. In an exclusive chat, we caught up with the duo ahead of the launch to talk roots, reinvention, and the quiet power of clean perfumery.

What inspired Secret Alchemist’s shift from aromatherapy to clean perfumery?

Ankita Thadani (AT): Our journey into clean perfumery felt like a natural evolution. Aromatherapy taught us how scent can heal and restore balance, and that same emotional depth is what I wanted to bring into perfumery. We didn’t want to abandon our roots; we wanted to reinterpret them.

In all honesty, this shift was actually the brainchild of Samantha. She came to us with a very clear problem statement: while clean perfumery was gaining global attention, there was no Indian brand doing it authentically. She was crystal clear that the soul of clean perfumery lay in essential oils — something that was already second nature to us. That conversation sparked over a year of R&D, countless formulations, and a shared vision to create something India hadn’t seen before. Today, we’re proud to be among the first to bring clean perfumery to India and, hopefully, to raise the bar for how perfumery is experienced here.

How did you reimagine India’s olfactory heritage for a modern, global audience?

AT: India’s olfactory heritage is already global — it’s just that we haven’t valued or preserved it the way others have. Honestly, it boils my blood when luxury houses like Chanel speak about using Madurai jasmine in their perfumes, while we, as a country, overlook the incredible raw materials that grow in our own soil. That’s why I wanted to create a brand for India — one that Indians could feel proud of, rather than looking outward to buy the same essential oils re-branded by international labels. I truly believe in the power of our essential oils and wanted to show India what our heritage really holds because it’s time we celebrated it ourselves, instead of paying five or ten times more for what originates right here.

By distilling what’s inherently Indian — saffron from Kashmir, vetiver from Tamil Nadu, tuberose from Kannauj — and presenting it in a way that feels contemporary, gender-fluid, and globally relevant. I didn’t want nostalgia to dictate our direction. Instead, we asked: how can India smell timeless yet new? Each perfume is an homage to our roots but designed with modern minimalism both in composition and presentation. Each perfume feels like a blend of contrast, tradition and modernity, depth and lightness.

What emotion ties the collection together?

AT: In many ways, Secret Alchemist itself is a study in contrast. It’s my mother’s 35-year legacy in aromatherapy meeting my modern interpretation of how essential oils can live within clean perfumery. That duality between heritage and reinvention is at the heart of everything we create.

We use some of our oldest recipes and purest raw ingredients, but reinterpret them for a modern India—one that’s conscious, expressive, and evolving. The emotion that ties it all together is love—and an unshakeable belief in the power of essential oils. We want every fragrance to feel like a second-skin—beautiful, intimate, and never harmful. Each perfume retains the therapeutic purity of essential oils rather than masking it with heavy synthetics. Ultimately, our hope is to make India rediscover the quiet, powerful magic that lies in its own essential oils and to wear that legacy with pride.

Clean beauty is often a buzzword. How did you ensure authenticity in your clean-perfume philosophy?

Samantha Prabhu (SP): In all honesty, I feel the word “clean” has gained a bit of a bad reputation — especially in India, where it’s often used too loosely and without context. That’s why we wanted to redefine it on our own terms. For us, clean equals honest.

We wanted to be completely transparent with our consumers about what goes inside every bottle. So we took the uncommon route in perfumery: we disclosed our full ingredient list and all potential allergens. We’re one of the first perfume brands in India to do this, because we wanted to hand the power back to the consumer to help them decide what feels clean to them.

We’ve consciously avoided ingredients known to be hormone-disruptors or allergy triggers, and focused instead on therapeutic-grade essential oils and safe synthetics only where absolutely necessary. For us, clean isn’t a claim—it’s a commitment to honesty and transparency. We don’t hide anything, and that’s the essence of what makes Secret Alchemist’s clean perfumery truly authentic.

What drew you to the world of fragrance as a new form of creative expression?

SP: For decades, Ankita and her mum had been using essential oils purely for their therapeutic value — only to realise that they could just as beautifully be adorned for their fragrance value too. As we observed the rise of clean perfumery internationally, especially brands using essential oils as their core ingredients, we felt an urge to bring that sensibility home. And interestingly, this shift also stemmed from a founder who herself only wore clean perfumes and wanted to see a brand in India doing it with integrity.

With a 35-year legacy in aromatherapy, we were uniquely positioned to make that pivot to create fragrances that didn’t just smell beautiful but felt meaningful. Every perfume in this collection serves a dual purpose — sensorial and functional — staying true to our belief that scent can be both a form of self-expression and self-care.

Which scent from the collection feels most like “you,” and why?

AT: Saffron Dusk, without a doubt. My trip to Kashmir remains one of my fondest memories — it’s a place that feels almost poetic in its beauty. I remember sitting by the valley, sipping on kahwa, and breathing in the air thick with the scent of saffron. That aroma stayed with me. It’s a fragrance that’s somehow both grounding and transcendent.

Kashmir, for me, holds a duality — a land of immense beauty yet marked by its own history and emotion. That contrast makes it even more special. Saffron has always been an ingredient close to my heart and my mother’s as well. It’s an essential oil we’ve both been drawn to for years, and incorporating it into Saffron Dusk felt deeply personal. It’s a scent that truly sings to me — warm, luminous, and quietly powerful. That’s why Saffron Dusk feels the most like me, a reflection of both memory and emotion bottled into something timeless.

How do you see clean perfumery fitting into the idea of mindful, modern luxury?

SP: To me, modern luxury is about consciousness: knowing where something comes from, what it’s made of, and how it makes you feel. Today’s Indian consumer is incredibly aware and well-travelled; they understand the nuances of minimalism and truly believe that less is more. They’re conscious about what touches their skin and deeply value authenticity and purpose. For me, mindful modern luxury lies in that very awareness—in being intentional about ingredients, in celebrating craftsmanship without excess. It’s about sensorial mindfulness, indulgence that feels good, not just looks good. Clean perfumery fits perfectly into that philosophy for a modern India that is educated, discerning, and exposed enough to know exactly what it wants: purity, transparency, and beauty with meaning.

What was it like to evolve a 35-year legacy into a modern perfume house?

AT: It’s been emotional and honestly, full of mistakes, learnings, and endless rounds of R&D. But that’s exactly what made it so meaningful. My mother spent decades perfecting formulations through pure aromatherapy—her work laid the foundation of everything Secret Alchemist stands for today. My role has been to take that legacy and evolve it through design, packaging, and experience to make essential oils and wellness feel absolutely seamless and relevant for today’s consumer.

Over time, we realised that people were no longer just using essential oils for their therapeutic benefits, but also embracing them for their fragrance value. That insight became the bridge that led us from aromatherapy to clean perfumery. In many ways, our evolution into a modern perfume house is the result of years of legacy, layered with years of learning. I’m deeply grateful for the journey, for the mis-steps, and for the opportunity to reimagine something my mother began 35 years ago into something that feels timeless today.

Is there a detail or ingredient in the collection that feels especially personal to you?

SP: Honestly, it isn’t a single ingredient or note — it’s the transparency behind the collection that feels the most personal to me. In a world where ingredient lists are often hidden or masked, we chose to do the opposite. We’re proud to put every detail out there: from our complete ingredient list to our full allergen disclosure — something almost unheard of in perfumery.

That commitment to honesty has been part of our DNA since day one. Every Secret Alchemist product, right from our earliest aromatherapy blends, has always carried full transparency because we deeply believed in empowering the consumer with all the information they need to make an informed choice. Carrying that ethos forward into perfumery feels incredibly special to me. It’s not just a detail; it’s a value—one that defines who we are and how we want to be remembered.

If the Signature Line were a love-letter to modern India, what would it say?

SP: It would say: You are timeless. You’ve been validated by the world time and again, and yet, you’re only just beginning to love yourself for your own roots. You hold within you everything—the ingredients, the values, the traditions—that make you effortlessly global. You don’t need to chase trends; the world already looks to you for inspiration.

This collection is our ode to that truth — to an India that is both ancient and avant-garde, soft yet powerful, rooted yet free. We’re finally beginning to recognise the timelessness of our land, its soil, its scents, its stories, and how lucky we are to live in a country so rich in beauty and meaning.

The Signature Alchemy isn’t just another set of perfumes; it’s a reminder that luxury can be clean, conscious, and deeply personal. With each bottle, Secret Alchemist reclaims India’s olfactory identity and redefines what it means to smell like home, raw, refined, and real.