Call it a homecoming when LilaNur Parfums launched in India earlier this month.
The brand was birthed in Madurai in Southern India and crafted in Grasse, France, and launched in the U.S. in 2021 and in the U.K. at Harrods in 2022.
“Here we are at last, India’s first real niche perfume, which has all the notes of India, but all the savoir faire of France,” said Anita Lal, founder and owner of Good Earth, who worked with cocreator Paul Austin to develop LilaNur. The scent launched in Good Earth’s New Delhi flagship.
In an exclusive conversation with WWD earlier, at her majestic home, it was clear how much the fragrance is imbued with Lal’s personality. The unique colors of the packaging in turquoise and a shade of pink mirror the walls of her living room.
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“One of the oldest traditions of scenting comes from India,” she said. “We are surrounded by scents, even a humble home will have jasmine growing. We’ve always loved fragrance — and imagine India not having its own brand of fragrance. That’s the reason I did it — I’m very proudly Indian.”
Lal has long been known for her pulse on artistry and sustainability, since she opened Good Earth in 1996, which now has 10 doors and is known for its home and apparel.
Now she has set her sights on beauty. “I was born when India became independent. So, I know the pain, the struggle, what happened to India as a colonized nation,” she said. “As I grew up, I knew that one of my missions was to at some level decolonize the minds of India, to be proud of what we have.”
The brand name itself represents India’s syncretic culture: Lila is Sanskrit for the illusionary celestial play of creation and Nur is the Arabic/Persian word for divine light.
Lal and Austin worked with Firmenich and the perfumers Honorine Blanc, Olivier Cresp, Fabrice Pellegrin and Clément Gavarry to develop the line.
“It started with Anita’s vision so that we reestablish India’s authority in perfumery,” said Austin, noting the ingredients are Indian. “Anita wanted these rituals to be reimagined and people to fall in love with them in a modern luxurious way.”
LilaNur’s notes are chosen to celebrate and represent India — including jasmine, tuberose, saffron — as are the names of the seven scents, including Rajni Nocturne and Vetiver Mousson.
The brand launched its most recent fragrance in September: Zafran Boisé, with notes of saffron, rose, cypriol, praline, sandalwood and oud, was inspired by the kahwah tea ritual of Kashmir, a smoky infusion of green tea with spices, flower petals and honey, traditionally brewed over a wood burning fire.
“It is the unexpected that makes it fun,” said Blanc, who was in India for the launch. “You want the sense of mystery and unexpected joy,” she said, talking about the key ingredients, which inspire her. “You want to capture more than the smell of the flowers — the spirit, the soul of a place. The food, the way you put things together, it’s not just the flower — it’s a trigger.”
Moving forward, Lal is confident that India’s niche fragrance market is growing, but for the entrepreneur, the enterprise is about more than just sales. “I’m not here just to make a perfume and sell it,” she said. “The intent was India pride.”
