The business of smelling good is now booming in India, thanks to men.
Sales of premium and luxury perfumes are rising, driven by demand from men, according to industry executives and data shared with Mint.
Historically targeted at women and sold through high-end international retailers, these products are finding a growing base among men who are not just buying more—but trading up, reshaping the structure and pricing power of the category.
Men make up 60% of India’s $189.1 million fragrance market, according to research firm Euromonitor. Male fragrances grew 14.6% in 2024, outpacing the overall market growth of 11.9%.
Yet, mass deodorants have long dominated men’s grooming. Rising disposable incomes among India’s expanding middle class are now pushing up spending on premium personal care, including perfumes, increasingly seen as part of everyday grooming rather than an occasional indulgence, according to a 2025 Brickwork Ratings report. The rating firm expects the market to expand at a 15.23% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2032.
Trading up
“If you look at the fragrance category in India, men are over-indexed versus many global markets,” a Nykaa spokesperson said in response to Mint’s questions. “For many male consumers, fragrance is a natural entry point into beauty, and their participation is helping expand the category meaningfully.”
The beauty retailer's fragrance vertical, Nykaa Perfumery, reported that in the December 2025 quarter, the sub-brand’s average order value (AOV) was three times that of regular beauty products. Over 45% of its gross merchandise value (GMV) in the quarter came from sales to men, especially in high-end and luxury products.
Major beauty and personal care brands report a similar shift.
The best example is Skinn by Titan Co. Ltd, the top-performing fragrance brand in India according to Euromonitor, where most top-selling products are priced above ₹1,000.
Mass to premium
India’s fragrance market—comprising deodorants, perfumes, and other formats—is highly fragmented. Among the biggest organised brands is Vini Cosmetics, seller of largely men-focused Fogg deodorants and perfumes, acquired by buyout firm KKR in 2021. As of FY25, the company reported sales of ₹1,264.2 crore, up 17% year-on-year, with net profits of ₹247.6 crore, per Tracxn.
Newer brand Bellavita, founded in 2018 and focused largely on men’s products, closed FY25 with more than ₹450 crore in revenue and a modest ₹25 crore profit. It, too, is premiumizing with luxury variants of its flagship men’s perfumes.
Kolkata-based McNROE’s Wild Stone reported revenues of ₹624.4 crore in FY25, up 20% year-on-year, along with net profits of ₹15 crore. Wild Stone remains a men-focused mass market brand.
Premiumization is gaining pace even as prices rise at the top end.
The price of Davidoff Cool Water for Men (Eau de Toilette) for 75ml ranged from ₹2,900– ₹3,800 on Indian online shopping websites in 2023. It has risen to the ₹3,800– ₹4,995 range in 2026. Versace Pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) for men is now available at ₹12,750 on online shopping sites, up from ₹10,500 in 2023.
Luxury momentum
Fragrance is the largest luxury beauty category in India with a 43% share, driven by impulse shopping, gifting, and the contributions of men, according to a 2024 report by consulting firm Kearney.
Ken Research estimates that nearly 90% of luxury fragrance purchases in India happen through offline stores.
Legacy brands are riding the wave too.
“At Ajmal today, 45-50% of our fragrance sales come from men, and we are seeing a clear shift towards higher-value purchases,” said Abdulla Ajmal, CEO of Ajmal Group, a nearly ₹60 crore family-owned fragrance firm. Ajmal told Mint that most customers begin with an everyday scent and gradually move towards higher concentrations and sophisticated categories as they become repeat customers.
“This pattern of repeat visits and upgrading indicates that luxury men’s fragrances are increasingly part of daily lifestyle choices rather than occasional indulgences,” he added.
According to Euromonitor, men’s mass fragrances remain the single largest product segment in India. Women’s fragrances account for about 30% of the market, while the rest includes unisex products and body mists.
“While men’s share of the total fragrance market is not increasing materially, premiumization within men’s fragrances is accelerating, indicating a consumer shift toward higher-end men’s products,” a Euromonitor spokesperson said.
Global shelves
Global beauty brands were already well entrenched in women’s segments—from mid-premium players like Bath & Body Works and The Body Shop to luxury labels such as YSL, Armani and Gucci.
Now, men are getting similar access.
Reliance Retail’s beauty platform Tira sells men’s fragrances from Versace and Prada starting around ₹10,000, going up to Amouage priced at over ₹30,000 apiece. Nykaa Man offers products priced above ₹50,000, including The House of Creed and Bond No 9.
This variety was not widely available to male consumers earlier.
Celebrity endorsements are also following the premium pivot. While mass brands such as Denver (endorsed by Shah Rukh Khan) and Envy (fronted by Akshay Kumar) were popular a few years ago, luxury labels are now drawing star power.
French luxury brand Azzaro appointed Ibrahim Ali Khan as its Fragrance Local Ambassador for India in September 2025. Ajmal Perfumes roped in Saif Ali Khan as brand ambassador, while Ranbir Kapoor’s premium lifestyle brand ARKS sells unisex premium perfumes. Reliance Retail’s Tira recently signed Ahaan Pandey as its brand ambassador.
That said, mass brands still dominate volumes. Seven of the ten top-selling fragrance products on Amazon India are men’s perfumes and deodorants from mass-market brands, often including dupes and recreations of iconic scents—pointing to aspirational demand and price sensitivity coexisting.
According to the Brickwork Ratings, India’s strong gifting culture—spanning birthdays, weddings, festivals, corporate gifting and even off-season occasions—has boosted sales of perfume gift sets due to their premium appeal.