What's Your Scent?

A perfumer for the Queen hopes to tap into the Indian market with 3003BC, a new company that will create one-of-a-kind fragrances for each customer.

- Joanna Lobo

“You don’t want to find yourself salivating over the Duke of Edinburgh. It’s just not done,” says Parfumeur Createur and Chemist from the UK’s Cots world Perfumery, John Stephen. Stephen is narrating stories from when, in the year 2000, he created new fragrances for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. “The Queen had a clear brief, white and floral. Prince Philip, though, has always liked lime. Lime is one of those citrus notes that you’ve got to be careful with because it has an edible fragrance. We created Georgian Lime and paired it with bergamot so that the final scent doesn’t create this mouthwatering sensation,” he adds with a laugh.

The man who has created perfumes for Elton John, Pierce Brosnan, Ozzy Osbourne and Yoko Ono, will be making bespoke fragrances for the Indian market now. Stephen will bring 40 years of experience to 3003BC, a unique personalised fragrance destination that launched in India last month.

“Customisation is in the Indian DNA, actually. These days, for those special occasions or marquee events, there is focus on experiential gifting. In the fragrance market, we thought it was time to try and offer something new and inventive,” says co-founder of 3003BC, Anil Panda.

Market watch 

3003BC wants to capitalise on what they call the growing personal care segment in the luxury market. “The market in India is very young, and growing. People now have more disposable income, especially in the upper classes. There’s lots of spending money and they want to spend it on a niche experiences,” says Stephen. “What’s better than creating a unique, personalised fragrance of your own?”