Boond Fragrances

Boond Fragrances was founded in Kannauj, India, in May 2021 by the siblings Krati and Varun Tandon, during the pandemic lockdowns. Kannauj is their hometown. Varun is a National Award-winning writer and director, and Krati spent more than ten years as a senior executive. Al Jazeera reported in 2023 that the aim was to keep the town's perfume craft alive and to support its artisans.

Its attars are natural perfume oils without alcohol, made with the old deg-bhapka method of slow distillation. Artisans grow and source the ingredients and oversee the distilling. The house says its attars carry the Geographical Indication tag for authentic Kannauj perfume. Each box holds a cotton tester, a poem paired with the scent and a handwritten note.

It has no walk-in shop. Instead you can book a visit to its attar workshop at Khasra 208, Behrin, on Tirwa Road in Kannauj, to watch the artisans at work, learn the deg-bhapka process and, in season, walk through rose or marigold farms. Book through the Visit Us page on its site. A 3 ml attar costs from Rs 1,499. Try Maati first: it bottles petrichor, the smell of first rain on dry ground.