Vanesha Majithia is the owner of Luvih scents. At Youth Incorporated, we had an opportunity to interview her at the launch. We had an amazing time at the event. The fragrances and packaging were both aesthetically pleasing and meaningful. She is a gem of a person, patiently answering all our questions and is definitely a great host.
Perfumes, fragrances and scents have been in use since 4000 BCE, with the first traces found in history in Mesopotamia. Initially, scents were used for offering prayers to the gods, but over the centuries, they have evolved into a deeply personal luxury. Having a good smell is now looked on as a sign of hygiene and good character.
Vanesha has studied this art and taken inspiration from nature, looking deeply into her own lifestyle in different cities across the world. She has come up with beautiful, long-lasting scents that can help one feel confident and precious. We got to know a lot about how and why she came up with Luvih; find out her full ideation in the interview below:
Q: What inspired you to create Luvih, and how is it different from other luxury fragrance brands in the market?
A: So, I started Luvih from a very personal obsession with scent, memory, and storytelling. I've lived in different places throughout my whole life, and I realised over time that I associate those places with some kind of smell more than a visual remembrance. For example, my days in Paris were powdery and romantic, and my Atlanta days were softer and more emotional. And my working days in New York, you know, were fast and chaotic, and they smelled like coffee, skin, and an expensive hotel lobby. And, of course, nothing like India, especially the monsoon in India, which smells so nostalgic.
So, I think Luvih began from a personal obsession with these scents. How we are different from other fragrance brands is that we are not a traditional perfume brand. We curate fragrances all over the world, and we try to bring in fragrances that, you know, create some kind of feeling, whether it is warmth, intimacy, or even presence. And they make you, you know, question what you're wearing, and they leave you wondering. So, we try to create fragrances that are a little bit different from the traditional ones, and give them access to the Indian market.
Q: You studied neuroscience at MD University and then analytics at Columbia University. So, how did these seemingly different fields eventually lead you into perfume?
A: I think, actually, they're connected. I think a lot of people don't realise that scent is actually very linked to nostalgia. In fact, if you see scientifically, scent is connected to the most emotional centre of the brain, which is why a fragrance will give you more of an emotional reaction than any other scent. So, if you see something versus you smell something, a smell will make you react a bit more, just because it is connected to those centres of the brain, which is known as the limbic centre. And then, studying analytics, it helped me in decision-making strategically- how to launch a brand and how to sustain a brand. So, I think fragrance is a mix of psychology, beauty, strategic decision-making, and all those things, which led me to create Luvih, because they just gave me different aspects and different views on fragrance.
Q: It's safe to say that it was a passion turned into a profession?
A: Yeah, I think so.
Q: How has your experience at Estée Lauder shaped your understanding of the global fragrance industry and what goes on around it?
A: Oh, that was massive.
I think working at Estée Lauder taught me how brands are created and grown. I have seen big beauty and fragrance brands being born there, and you know, just grow and develop into these luxury niche brands, and I think it also taught me how to differentiate between the traditional and the niche. I think it taught me that people all over the world are becoming more intentional, so you know people care about what goes in their products, especially when they're using it on their body, which drew me to niche fragrances and to cater to that side of the market.
Q: So I just noticed that you speak about scents being the storytellers, that there is always a story attached to a scent. So, what would be, is it safe to say that there is always a scientific explanation behind every smell, and is there a thing wherein fragrances trigger some memories or emotions or something like that?
A: Yeah, I think fragrances are scientifically linked to those centers of the brain so they do trigger certain kind of emotions and I think we want storytelling to be a part of our brand because we want each fragrance to have a world of its own and that's what we've done for our jobs like the first brand was a brand from Italy and it was based out of textiles and we dropped it with an art show. The second brand we dropped with a food pairing because it was a French brand, and the third brand from Florence, we did a jewellery pairing, so we want to create a world and tell a story when we drop each brand, because I think luxury should feel like an emotion and not just a product that you are buying.
Q: That was really nice. Okay, what are some common mistakes that people make when choosing perfumes, as per you?
A: I think a lot of people just tend to go based on the common brands or like the common notes, but I think what they don't realise is that fragrance works differently on every skin and works different on every climate. So how one fragrance would react with my skin is not necessarily how it would react with your skin, and it would smell different on different people. So I would suggest picking something that feels personal to you because what works for someone else may not work for you. I think that's one of the most common mistakes.
Q: We spoke of this in the session as well: humidity and climate influence fragrances a lot. What do you think?
A: So, how do climate and city lifestyle, for example, Mumbai's, as if we work on humidity? They influence fragrance choices and the way perfumes perform on the skin; it is different for everyone.
Q: Would you like to go and tell something in depth to the viewers if they can choose something everlasting, or if there is any underrated brand apart from Luvih that you are very interested in, or you look up to?
A: Yeah, so I think Mumbai is very hot and very humid, which is why it makes sense very difficult you know, for scents to last for a long time, and I think what I would personally pick for those climates are like fresher scents, like citrus based scents and not overly sweet scents because I think they can leave you feeling a little heavy and weighed down. So, for a climate like Mumbai, I think something fresh, citrusy and one of our Mother's Day scents would work. And from the brand URME, it makes a really lovely citrus scent, so that is something I would really recommend to everyone. And I think another thing in Mumbai is that it's such a fast paced life that people want something you know that stays on for a long time like it can turn from a day wear to like a night wear and you don't have to keep refreshing or reapplying and I think Luvih fragrances do that beautifully because we've picked brands that use such high quality ingredients that the fragrances will last you know throughout the day and I think in Mumbai it's very important to pick something like that.
Q: So for beginners like us, there is a lot of variety of fragrances to choose from, so without feeling overwhelmed, what are the key two to three steps that we can just look into and then start our journey with our fragrances or the type of perfume that we do?
A: So I think for a beginner, some notes that I think would work really well are musk notes because I think you can't go wrong with a musk. It's light, it's airy, even a really nice vanilla, if it's done very well, it's such a comforting smell, and you can't go wrong with a really nice vanilla. Some scents like jasmine and some floral notes like rose are all-time classics. That being said, I think fragrances are very personal, so these are just some recommendations. But I think everyone has to pick whatever stands out to them.
Q: So, one scent that you think universally works and wears out for everybody really nicely- is there a scent as such that can work for everybody?
A: For everybody? That is a difficult one.
I mean a lot of scents can work for a lot of people but I think it's difficult to say that this scent is the best or this scent would work for everyone because like I said it depends on the climate it depends on the person's skin it depends on so many factors how long you want to use it so I think it would be very difficult to say that this scent is the one. I think the whole thing about fragrance is that it is so personal for each person, and I think that's the magic of it.
Q: Anything else that you would like to add for the viewers, because I'm sure they're going to be very thrilled with such a customised brand. It's very beautiful; the labelling is very nice, the branding is very perfect.
A: I'm so happy- not just nothing, just check out Luvih’s Instagram, check out the website and connect with us and tell us what you think. We love to hear reviews all the time, so if something stands out or even if something doesn't, we would love to hear it. Thank you!
As fragrance becomes increasingly personal, Luvih is positioning itself at the intersection of luxury, emotion and storytelling. For its founder, scent is more than an accessory - it's a way of preserving memories, expressing identity and creating meaningful experiences. In a market often dominated by familiar names, Luvih is introducing Indian consumers to a more intentional way of experiencing fragrance.
