How 3 childhood friends created a Singapore perfume brand celebrating their Indian roots

When you think of a niche fragrance brand, you might picture it emerging from Paris or Milan – not Singapore. Rahasya, a new scent label inspired by modern Indian identity and memory, is rewriting that narrative.

Founded by three childhood friends – Sai Pogaru who is Singaporean, Sachit Sood and Utkarsh Vijayvargiya who are both Indians – Rahasya is the first Singapore-based fragrance brand to earn a coveted spot at Amaris, home to some of the most respected names in niche perfumery, including Juliette Has A Gun and Nishane.

This incredible feat came just five months after the brand’s launch last November. “When we spoke to other perfume brands, they said it was pretty unlikely to get our brand into Amaris, so don’t even try because they only work with big brands,” said 32-year-old co-founder Sood.

“We thought, there’s no harm in trying, so we did. It means a lot to us that Amaris was impressed with what we were doing and took a chance on us.”

TIES THAT BIND

At its heart, Rahasya is a story of friendship. Sood and Vijayvargiya grew up in Jakarta, where their families – both originally from Delhi – were close. When Sood moved to Singapore for primary school, he met Pogaru, a classmate with roots in Visakhapatnam in South India. The three eventually became inseparable, connected by their third-culture upbringing.

The idea for Rahasya sparked from a simple moment of curiosity. Thirty-two year old Pogaru, the most fragrance-obsessed among the trio, had called Sood after shopping at Amaris. “He said he couldn’t find something that tells our story – specifically something of Indian origin,” recalled Sood.

That comment led to a deeper conversation. Despite India’s centuries-old legacy in perfumery, there were few modern brands representing its culture through scent. What existed often leaned into cliche – all nostalgia, palaces, and colonial tropes. But the India they knew felt different: youthful, messy, and vibrant. “We wanted to build a fragrance brand that captured the energy of modern India, while honouring its roots,” said Sood.

Vijayvargiya, 33, quickly came onboard – another fragrance enthusiast, his college dorm room used to be an unofficial “get ready” hub for his mates thanks to an extensive perfume collection. The trio found natural synergy in their shared interests, and the desire to tell a more contemporary Indian story through scent.

And so Rahasya – the Sanskrit word for “secret” or “mystery" – was born. “The name felt right because we wanted to uncover the hidden richness of Indian perfumery,” explained Pogaru. “It was also appealing because the name has the same meaning in Bahasa Indonesia, which Karsh [Vijayvargiya] and Sachit [Sood] both speak.”