The campaigns are equally striking, with a tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. One features a woman in a lavish sari and oversized sunnies posing at a wet market, balancing a Rahasya bottle on a silver thali, while another shows perfume flowing from a hot pink water cooler surrounded by flowers. Surreal and self-aware, the imagery reclaims Indian-ness on its own terms – neither romanticised nor exoticised.
Since launching in late 2024, Rahasya has sold over 650 bottles, with around 60 percent of sales from Indian customers. Their 50ml bottles retail at S$168 and are currently available via their website and Amaris, with two more upcoming retail locations – The Scent Parlor, a fragrance boutique at Boat Quay, and Design Orchard. There are also plans to launch in the US and UK soon.
While the team dreams of eventually opening a dedicated boutique – “in order to control the full experience,” Sood explained – they’re holding out until their product line expands. “Maybe in 2027,” he teased.
THE REAL REWARD
“The happiest moment for me? When someone told me our fragrance brings them joy. That’s crazy. This brand didn’t even exist a year ago, and now there are people in the US, UK, and Australia wearing something we made. We haven’t had a lot of time to reflect on our wins, but this is something that I think about from time to time, and it’s what keeps me going,” said Vijayvargiya.
The others agree. “We got so excited the first time we spotted someone carrying our tote on the street,” added Pogaru. “Fragrances are invisible, but that moment made it feel real.”
“My wife says I’m just happier all the time now,” shared Sood, who confessed to feeling burned out at his previous consultancy job. “I was working very, very long hours. Even though I still work long hours now and I’m tired sometimes, it’s like the happy kind of tired.”
They joke about seeing too much of each other – even on public holidays – but there’s an ease to their dynamic that’s impossible to fake. Some of their best meetings have happened over drinks. “Three’s a good number,” they laughed. “There’s always a tiebreaker.”
Shortly after our interview, Pogaru proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes. Just like Rahasya, some of life’s best moments arrive as a surprise.
