Scent is one of the most intimate ways we express ourselves.
With the new year unfolding and Valentine’s Day on the horizon, now feels like the right time to reconnect with fragrance, whether you’re curating something for yourself or picking up a bottle for someone you love.
From personalisation to expressive, modern blends, Masala explores the perfume trends worth knowing right now.
Many conventional perfumes contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, and synthetic musks.
These ingredients can interfere with the body’s hormone system by mimicking or blocking our natural hormones.
Below are some of our favourites that are considered more hormone-friendly, without compromising on pleasure.
OUAI’s Melrose Place Eau de Parfum
A crisp blend of rose, bergamot, lychee, cedarwood, and white musk.
Polished yet playful, it carries the energy of a well-connected nepo baby stepping out of a G Wagon, Erewhon smoothie in hand, entirely unbothered.
Available at Sephora Thailand.
PHLUR’s Missing Person Eau de Parfum
Highly praised within the fragrance community, Missing Person captures the soft, lingering scent of a lover’s skin.
Subtle and provocative, this memory-in-a-bottle blends white musk with jasmine, orange blossom, and subtle woody notes that stay close, long after the moment has passed.
Available on Shopee and phlur.com.
While it’s tempting to reach for a familiar scent at the mall or duty-free, the rise of independent perfume brands raises a fair question.
Why smell like everyone else?
India has become an exciting source of niche fragrances, offering scents that feel far from predictable.
Before purchasing another bottle of Sauvage or Paradoxe, consider testing the waters with something more original.
SASVA’s MOHA Eau de Parfum
A layered composition of Madurai Malli (jasmine), temple florals, and soft sweetness from local confections.
Warm café notes blend with burning wood and a subtle hint of cigarette smoke, creating depth and quiet sensuality.
Sun-warmed, intimate, and softly lingering on the skin.
Available at sasva-parfums.com.
RAHASYA’s Hill Station Eau de Parfum
Inspired by the early hours of an Indian hill station, this fragrance captures the tranquil beauty of a town before it wakes.
Notes open with rain accord, black tea, and fig, unfolding into petrichor and soft spice.
The base soothes with sandalwood, vetiver, and ambergris for a calm embrace.
Available at rahasyafragrances.com.
Ittar, also known as attar, is deeply rooted in India’s cultural and olfactory heritage, rising to prominence during the Mughal era.
Crafted using time-honoured distillation methods, it is prized for its long-lasting nature and its role in aromatherapy practices.
Today, ittar’s influence extends far beyond South Asia, finding a devoted following across Asia and the West.
Fragrance lovers are drawn to its clean-beauty origins, intimate yet enduring projection, and the sense of tradition it brings to modern scent wardrobes.
Kannauj Fragrance’s Marigold Attar (Gendha)
Long treasured in Indian perfumery, Ayurveda, and spiritual rituals, this Kannauj-made attar captures the pure essence of marigold in its most authentic form.
The scent is pure, botanical, and radiant, with bright marigold blossoms that unfold into a fresh, golden floral softened by a soft sandalwood base.
Available at kannaujattar.com.
PAÑPURI’s Siamese Water Extract Perfume Oil
A modern ode to ancient perfumery, this highly concentrated extract perfume oil feels both indulgent and sensorial.
The scent recalls jasmine steeped in rainwater, once used to revive the senses, layered with the cool clarity of mint.
Potent yet gentle on the skin, the fragrance is blended with antioxidant-rich moringa seed oil, long revered in Ayurvedic wellness rituals.
Available at PAÑPURI stores across Thailand, and via their website panpuri.com.
With the rise of fragrance influencers, many people are gravitating towards the same familiar labels.
They’re polished and reliable, but scent is deeply skin-intimate, and the most memorable ones often feel personal rather than prescribed.
This is why more fragrance lovers are turning to the craft of blending their own bottles, creating something impossible to replicate.
It also offers an intuitive way for newcomers to explore and understand their own olfactory palette.
MY ONLY FRAGRANCE
A refined destination for custom fragrance, rooted in Kyoto, Japan, with a serene outpost in Suan Luang Square.
Here, scent becomes personal.
You’re guided through a thoughtfully curated selection of 40 fragrance profiles, narrowing your favourites to just a few notes that truly resonate.
Each blend is crafted on the spot, tested, refined, and finished with a name of your choosing.
Learn more about the experience at myonlyfragranceth.com or through their Instagram @myonlyfragrance_bangkok.
Rebellion Lab and Perfume Bar
Located on the second floor of Dragon Town on Soi Chula 5, Rebellion Lab and Perfume Bar is a cutting-edge hub for bold Thai fragrance.
It spotlights rising local perfumers while offering intimate, hands-on scent workshops.
There, explore over 100 fragrance notes, learn the foundations of perfumery, and blend a 50 ml scent that’s entirely your own.
Workshops are offered in limited slots, so it’s best to check their social pages for booking details.
For reservations and more details, head to their Instagram @rebellion.perfumestore.