Following the Scent: Paris, India, and What Comes Next

One thing I love about what I do is that perfume gives me a reason to keep traveling. So far this year, that meant heading to Paris for Paris Perfume Week!

I was excited to see old friends, especially other retailers and the brands we already work with. These events are a chance to hear what people are working on, where they think their businesses are going, and how that lines up with where we’re going too. We tend to collaborate, compare notes, and see where the conversation takes us.

That part matters more than people might realize! Independent perfumery is still a small world in many ways, and the relationships behind the bottles are a big part of what keeps it moving forward.

Another part I was really looking forward to was seeing more of the manufacturing side. Thanks to Nishane, we had the opportunity to visit factories, meet manufacturers, and get closer to the ground level of how some of this work actually happens! It’s one thing to smell a finished perfume, but it’s another to see the people and processes behind it.

Paris Perfume Week was organized by Nez, and that was exciting in itself! Nez means nose in French, and they have eyes and ears in the perfume industry like almost nobody else. Getting to speak with them and hear what they’re paying attention to is always valuable.

That’s the kind of access I want to bring back to our customers. Not just what’s new, but what’s happening behind the curtain.

Finding Fragrance in India

India brought the search for the finest raw materials and meaningful connections into a completely different setting.

Another recent trip took me through Delhi and Jaipur, where the inspiration was less about industry meetings and more about being on the ground. It was about meeting flower merchants, vendors, and artisans, and taking in the beauty, color, and rhythm of the places I was lucky enough to visit.

In India, fragrance is everywhere. It’s not only in perfume bottles. It’s in the spices on the street, the chai in the morning, the flowers being sold by vendors, and the oils you find on almost every corner.

In Jaipur, the Pink City, I stopped for chai, and even that felt like part of the fragrance experience. It tasted different there. It came with a smile, which helps, but it was also just an incredible way to start the day.

Then there were the marigolds, roses, and jasmine being sold on the street. The freshness is hard to explain until you’re standing there with it around your neck in the heat. It’s one of the coolest things in the world, in my opinion, even in a very hot situation.

I also spent time with oil vendors, which was one of the most interesting parts of the trip. There are vendors on almost every corner, and some are stronger than others. I found one I really liked, and he was super kind, so I bought quite a bit from him.

At one point I was smelling khus, which is vetiver, and it reminded me how important it is to experience materials in the places where they’re part of daily life. If you travel, I highly suggest checking out these vendors. You learn something different when you smell materials in that context.

A lot of the most important moments from the trip weren’t captured on camera. That was intentional in a way. Some meetings are really about building relationships, listening, and discovering inspiration firsthand. Not everything needs to become content immediately!

I’m still working on getting closer and closer to the source.

Next Stop: Milan

That’s really the thread through all of this. Whether it’s Paris, India, or wherever I go next, the goal is to keep learning from the people and places that shape perfume before it ever reaches the shelf.

There’s still so much more to explore, and I’m excited to bring you along for the journey. Stay tuned on social media as I continue sharing what I’m seeing, smelling, and bringing back to Perfumology!