City girl turns perfumer with vegan fragrances

A few months ago when Khushi Lalwani was looking for perfumes as a birthday present to one of her friends, she realised there weren’t many in the market for children and teens. “I was looking for something fresh and new to gift, but all I found were adult perfumes. That was when the thought of trying out a do-it-yourself (DIY) perfume occurred to me. A family relative living in Rome, Italy, who is an expert at perfumes, offered to guide me through the process of making vegan perfumes. With the help of those workshops, I made my first-ever perfume and my friend loved it. After the positive reception, I decided to turn perfume-making into a business,” says Khushi, 14, a Class 10 student from Chennai.

She then got enrolled in young entrepreneurs course, that allowed her to learn how to run a business, Khushi adds. Her brand of fragrances named Ura has been in the market for six months now. “All the perfumes I create are vegan, and do not use beeswax that goes into many perfumes, and are not tested on animals. I only use essential oils and a solvent to create the products, making them safe for children as well,” elaborates Khushi, the Chief Executive of the company. The brand has unisex fragrances in chocolate (for kids and teens), coffee (for teens and young adults) and another in aqua scent for adults.

“Not many perfume makers keep children and teens in their mind while making perfumes, so their scents are usually too strong for youngsters. I wanted to change that with my fragrances. I love chemistry a lot, as it involves mixing various solutions and compounds together — so perfume-making is a very fun activity for me,” she adds.

While she takes care of creating the fragrances alongside her studies, Khushi takes help from her mother, an image consultant, for marketing and financial support. “A perfume can be bottled in two hours, but takes at least 15-20 days for the scents to set and mix. So, I work on the perfumes over weekends. I’m currently also working on creating a website, so that I can cater to people all across the country,” asserts Khushi, who also got her book Krazy Diaries published in 2017, when she was all of 11.

“Even though I’m always caught up with my studies and the business, I’m very grateful that I have got an opportunity to make a mark, which many children my age do not,” she signs off.