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Over the past year, I've drained multiple bottles of Soma Ayurvedic's Body Oil. I actually used it as a perfume as often as I did a post-shower moisturizer: in addition to making my skin silky, it also made my hair and body smell like I'd run through a jasmine field. That's why when I heard the skin-care brand was venturing into the fragrance world in a more concrete way, I couldn't wait to see — and smell — the launches. The brand will roll out a line of ten perfume oils over the course of 2023, the first two launching December 7: Old Delhi Oudh and Mysur Sandalwood.  Essential Oil Diffuser

While Soma Ayurvedic is Los Angeles-based, cofounders Arjun Sampath and Pragathi Guruprasad hope to use this collection to bring their South Asian roots to the luxury market. "India is one of the richest olfactory sources in the world, yet Indian fragrance is largely underrepresented and overlooked on the global stage," explains Sampath. That's why the brand partnered with local perfumers in Kannauj, widely known as the perfume capital of India, to compose their fragrance oils rather than shipping their sourced ingredients abroad. "Conventional wisdom says the best noses are all in Grasse, France. We want to help decolonize the fragrance industry."

The long history of perfume making in Kannauj influenced the cofounders' decision to stick with perfume oils, locally known as attars, for their collection rather than translating the indigenous ingredients to sprays. "This particular region specializes in fragrance oils and their unique extraction process. The expertise and quality coupled with the more intimate experience of [wearing] a perfume oil made us really passionate," says Sampath. "You get this really exciting experience of smelling different notes emerge on your skin over time, and that was really appealing to us." 

The oils contain a base of almond, grapeseed, and jojoba oils (a blend of carrier oils chosen to avoid irritating sensitive skin) and will introduce the different facets of Indian perfume-making through gourmand, floral, spicy, and fruit-forward blends in the coming months. Some notes Sampath hints will be standouts in the range: marigold, vetiver, tuberose, and — to my pleasure — more jasmine. For now, though, I could get my hands on the first two perfumes for testing. 

The first of the oils, Old Delhi Oudh, was created with the ingredients and smells of Old Delhi's famous trading bazaars in mind. I should note that I'm not historically an oud wearer. Though I find it chic and refined when I catch its heady scent on others, I find it overwhelming on my own skin. Yet somehow, I found myself reapplying Soma's sample all over town. 

The oils are perfect for layering.

It's an ideal starter oud for those people like myself who find more traditional oud-driven fragrances too intense, but that's not because the formula isn't potent. Far from it: the brand's oud is sourced from Assam in northeastern India, where the precious ingredient is said to have been harvested and distilled into oil as far back as the thirteenth century. The resin, also known as agarwood, forms within aquilaria trees and is one of the most expensive raw materials used in perfumery. It's also wildly potent, and prone to overshadowing the other notes it's bottled with. But rather than skewing too serious, Soma Ayurvedic's oil delivers a more subdued, smooth iteration of the powerful ingredient. 

Cedar, mandarin, and galbanum instill the oil with a warm brightness that cuts through the oud's inherent heaviness, while top notes like pink pepper and bergamot add sparkle like a champagne float on a cocktail. As a result, this scent feels like a refined finishing touch made to luxe up your everyday ensemble — imagine a leather trench thrown over a slinky slip dress on the way out the door. 

The brand's other launch, Mysur Sandalwood, is named after India's Sandalwood City, which is said to produce some of the highest-quality sandalwood on Earth. Unlike its oud-y sister, I knew this scent would be right up my alley the minute I received it: sandalwood is one of the most recurrent ingredients in my own personal perfume collection. In fact, sandalwood is booming in multiple product categories — Necessaire's Body Scrub exfoliates rough spots while Sundari's Sandalwood Cleanser gently nixes oil — and for good reason, according to cosmetic chemist Ginger King. "It's shown promising results for anti-inflammatory, skin-brightening, and antiseptic effects, so it is more than just a fragrant oil," she notes. 

That said, while I'll never tire of the note itself, I do find myself feeling some major fragrance fatigue when it comes to the dozens of recent "second skin" perfumes, which very often include sandalwood, thanks to its mellow, grounding scent. But Soma's oil, thankfully, transcends that "your skin, but better" pigeonhole due to rich green notes like cedar and violet flanking the distinct creamy-cool smoothness of pure sandalwood. Amber and nutmeg round out the musky base and inject the formula with a barely-there touch of sweetness, like a drizzle of honey stirred into black coffee. If Old Delhi Oudh is your wardrobe's polished coat, Mysur Sandalwood is the merino wool scarf you wear from the office to the nail salon to cocktails and home for three months straight: cozy and versatile, yet still bold enough to get noticed. I've even been layering the two oils depending on my mood.

All in all, Soma Ayurvedic's new oils smell like two sisters with a shared taste for luxury — and distinct styles all their own. 

Old Delhi Oudh and Mysur Sandalwood retail for $60 each or $110 as a set at somaayurvedic.com.

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