A note from the founders

It was during the times of peak pandemic in 2021, away from our working cities and left without a choice to go back, we were stuck at our home in Kannauj.

Away from the hustle bustle of city life, we had a lot of time to ponder about our lives and where we were headed. It was during this time that we saw the fragrances and perfumeries of our town in a new light, honestly it was something we had taken for granted.

We realised their unmatched beauty and the great heritage value they hold. It was like someone had finally opened a magical window in our minds and we saw what was hidden in plain sight.

It was also during this time that we saw the artisans and perfumeries struggle firsthand, and were worried that the pandemic could be the final blow to our indigenous art. We just knew that we had to do our bit. We wanted to try and help the artisans and to revive the ancient Kannauj art of perfume making. Without really knowing what lay ahead of us, we started बूँद | Boond. It started as a passion project and continues to remain so.

Our mission

With बूँद | Boond, our mission is to revive the ancient art of Indian perfume making, support the artisans and take Indian fragrances to the world.

Reviving an ancient Indian perfumery

All our fragrances are handcrafted using the millenia old Deg-bhapka technique of slow distillation. The technique results in pure, natural and alcohol-free fragrances that can be used as perfumes and fragrances for candles, diffusers, soaps etc. Popular for centuries, natural fragrances struggled for their place among Indian consumers after the liberalisation of the economy in the 90s. As cheaper, alcohol-based perfumes from marketing-heavy brands became available, natural perfumes or attar lost out. The natural fragrances industry that supports most of Kannauj has seen a steady decline in the decades since. With बूँद | Boond, we want to revive the ancient art of Indian perfume making.

Supporting artisans and local communities

We are an artisan-led brand. Each element of a बूँद | Boond box has been thoughtfully crafted by artisans. Skilled perfumery artisans craft the perfume by growing and sourcing the right ingredients and overseeing each aspect of the slow distillation process. Our packaging too is handmade from recycled paper and screen printed by artisans. Each perfume box includes a locally stitched pouch and a note and a poem handwritten by local school teachers for additional income.

Ensuring sustainability

We are conscious of our responsibility towards the environment. Our raw materials are locally sourced. Our production is free of chemical waste. Our packaging is completely plastic-free and made from handmade paper crafted by recycled cotton scraps. A large part of our team is fully remote.

Special initiatives

The Boond Artisan Support Fund

We launched this fund on our 2nd birthday. With this initiative we aim to support the perfumery artisans of Kannauj and their families. In May 2023, we supported the deg-artisan Shivanthji with the educational needs of his three children. We hope and plan to continue to support many more artisans and their families in the future.

The Boond Art Initiative

As patrons of the arts, and filmmakers ourselves, we’ve always loved our conversations with artists at Boond. Their perspective and interpretation of our fragrances have been endlessly fascinating and inspiring for us. With this initiative, we collaborate with artists from around the world to share their interpretation of our fragrances and the emotions that they evoke in them. The initiative was launched in April 2023 with Marigold Dancers by artist Srijan Jha. We unveiled Sukoon, an interpretative art work on our fragrance Maati by graphic designer Manasi Mathur in July 2023.

About the founders