In Conversation
As part of our ongoing series profiling founders reshaping consumer categories in India, we sat down with the founder of Dinu Perfumes, a fast-growing inspired-fragrance label, to talk about the perfume industry’s rapid growth, the decision to focus on inspired fragrances, and what it means to build a brand around affordability without compromising on quality.
Q: Let’s start with the obvious question — how does someone with an Agricultural Engineering background end up starting a perfume brand?
It’s a question I get asked a lot, honestly. My education was in Agricultural Engineering — completely unrelated to fragrance or cosmetics on paper. But when I actually started looking at the perfume industry, I realized the skills translate more than people expect. Engineering trains you to think about process, consistency, and efficient use of resources. Those are exactly the things that matter when you’re trying to build a fragrance brand that delivers real value to customers, batch after batch.
Q: What made you look at the perfume industry in the first place?
I noticed how fast the market was growing — and specifically, how much of that growth was happening in the inspired-perfume segment. More and more people wanted the feeling of wearing a premium fragrance, but they didn’t want to pay premium fragrance prices. That gap felt like a real opportunity, not just a passing trend. That’s really where the vision for Dinu Perfumes came from — the whole market was clearly moving toward inspired versions, and I wanted to build something specifically for that shift.
Q: How would you describe your specialty as a brand?
Very simply — I give people inspired perfumes at the best rate possible. That’s it. That’s the whole pitch. I’m not trying to convince anyone that we’re an original luxury house, because we’re not, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. What I am trying to do is make sure that anyone who buys from us feels like they got genuine value — a fragrance that performs well, at a price that doesn’t hurt.
Q: There’s often skepticism around “inspired” perfumes — that they’re somehow lower quality. How do you respond to that?
I understand where the skepticism comes from. There have been brands in this space that didn’t take formulation seriously and gave the whole category a bad name. My approach has been the opposite — treat the formulation process with real discipline. That engineering background helps here too. I care about consistency, about how long a fragrance actually lasts on skin through a full day, not just how it smells for the first few minutes out of the bottle. If you get those fundamentals right, “inspired” doesn’t have to mean “inferior.”
Q: Can you tell us about your current product range?
Sure. We currently have five fragrances, each built around a distinct mood. Power 7 is our bold, woody-amber option — strong and confident, great for daily wear. After Dark is deeper and more intense, designed for evenings and celebrations. Fresh Unity is lighter and more energetic, popular with younger customers. Crystl Rouge is dramatic and bold for people who want to stand out. And Blossom Veil is a soft, floral, cherry-blossom scent for those who prefer something more delicate. We built the range around real occasions people actually have in their lives, rather than just launching random scents.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge in building the brand so far?
Trust, honestly. When you’re new, and you’re openly positioning yourself as an inspired-fragrance brand rather than pretending to be an original luxury label, you have to earn customer confidence the hard way — one good experience at a time. There’s no shortcut. But I think that’s actually been good for the brand in the long run, because the customers we do have are genuinely loyal. They know exactly what they’re getting, and they keep coming back.
Q: Where do you see the brand going from here?
I want to keep the core promise intact as we grow — that every single customer feels like they got the best rate for a genuinely good inspired perfume. It would be easy to chase higher margins by moving upmarket, but that’s not really the mission. The mission has always been making sure a good fragrance experience isn’t limited to people who can afford designer prices. As long as we’re doing that well, I’m happy with how the brand is growing.
Q: How do you personally decide when a new fragrance is ready to launch?
It has to pass a few honest tests before I’m comfortable putting it out to customers. Does it hold its character for several hours on skin, not just in the first few minutes? Does it stay consistent from one production batch to the next? And, maybe most importantly, would I feel comfortable telling a customer this is genuinely worth the price we’re charging? If I can’t answer yes to all three, it doesn’t launch, no matter how good it might look on paper.
Q: What’s been the most rewarding part of this journey so far?
Honestly, it’s the messages from customers — people telling me they finally found a fragrance they can wear every day without worrying about the cost, or that they gifted a bottle to someone and it became that person’s new favourite scent. Those moments matter more to me than any sales number. It’s proof that the original idea — making a good fragrance experience accessible to more people — is actually working the way I hoped it would.
Q: Any final thoughts for readers who haven’t tried Dinu Perfumes yet?
Just try it and judge for yourself. That’s really all I’d ask. Compare it to whatever you’re currently used to spending on, and see if you feel like you got real value. That’s the only pitch I’ve ever needed.
Explore the collection: dinuperfumes.com
Follow along: @dinu.perfumes on Instagram