Neela Vermeire Créations: An Olfactory Journey Blending Memories of India with French Craft

“I did not begin by trying to create a brand. It was something more organic. I wanted to create a tribute to India, the country of my birth. As someone living far away yet deeply connected to that place, I wanted to revisit the time I had once lived through and reconnect with the India I had left behind.”

— Neela Vermeire

Basic Information
The Founder and the Origins of the Brand
The Brand’s Distinctive Approach
1. A Philosophy of Fragrance Creation
2. Bottle and Packaging Design
The Fragrance Lineup
By the Way…

Basic Information

Brand name: Neela Vermeire Créations
Founded: Autumn 2011, in Paris. Global launch in 2012 at Elements Showcase in New York
Founder: Neela Vermeire
Perfumer for the main line: Bertrand Duchaufour
Official website: https://www.neelavermeire.com

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

Childhood in Kolkata: Beginnings Surrounded by Scent

Neela Vermeire was born in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The India she experienced as a child was a rich world that endlessly stimulated the senses.

“In India, you are always exposed to a flood of smells: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I spent summers at my grandparents’ country home, surrounded by tropical flowers and fruits. There are countless memories associated with scent: rituals, celebrations, and feasts with my family, holidays at seaside places across India and in the Himalayas. The sandalwood paste I applied to my face as I grew up. Tea gardens in Darjeeling and Munnar, journeys to other cities, life in Calcutta: pockets full of beautiful scents.”

— Neela Vermeire

Sandalwood, myrrh, the smells of flower and spice markets, the scent of earth soaked by monsoon rain: these would eventually become the olfactory pillars running through her life.

From Social Sciences and Law to the World of Art

After leaving India, Neela studied social sciences and then moved to the United States, earning a master’s degree at Temple University in Philadelphia. She subsequently moved to Britain and qualified as a solicitor in London. In an interview with Essencional, she reflected on a life lived across borders, moving through “India, America, Britain, Belgium, and finally France.”

A turning point came in late 2003. Moving to Paris for her husband’s work, Neela chose a life in the arts rather than a career in a law firm.

“I have always loved art in all its forms: visual art, music, and perfume. I went into art consulting, met emerging artists, and organized exhibitions to bring their work to the world.”

— Neela Vermeire

“Perfume Paths”: Her Activities as a Perfume Enthusiast

Having put down roots in Paris, Neela began to give form to her passion for perfume. She organized guided tours called “Perfume Paths,” offering private walks for small groups through Parisian niche perfume boutiques including Serge Lutens, Frédéric Malle, and Guerlain. She also held perfumer interview events in an “Inside the Actors Studio” format, introducing general audiences to the secrets of fragrance creation.

“I wanted to create a place where independent perfumers could work without depending on large corporations. The perfume world seems extremely secretive. I wanted more people to know the reality of the creative process.”

— Neela Vermeire

As these activities drew Neela deeper into the Paris perfume world, she would eventually have an “epiphany” about launching a brand of her own.

The “Epiphany” Behind the Brand: A Desire to Return to India

In an interview with Olfactif, Neela once said she had experienced an “epiphany.”

“I can feel comfortable wherever I am: Paris, America, India, Britain all feel equally like places where I belong. But there is a connection to the past. I wanted to create perfumes that meant something to me, for myself but also to share with others. I was not thinking in terms of creating a brand. Since I have no commercial background, my entry into the perfume world was very unconventional. To reconnect with India, I decided to create three works as tributes to three periods. That is how the first three bottles began.”

— Neela Vermeire

Her chosen concept was to capture three great periods of Indian history in one perfume each: ancient India, symbolized by the sacred Vedic texts; the period from the Mughal Empire through the British Raj (1526–1947); and contemporary India. These three fragments would form the first trilogy.

Meeting Bertrand Duchaufour

To bring the brand into being, Neela considered it essential to find a perfumer who would “understand cultural nuances and create the greatest effect without excess.” She initially considered using three perfumers for the three works, but changed her mind after a friend who ran a niche brand introduced her to Bertrand Duchaufour.

Bertrand Duchaufour, who began his career as a perfumer at the Florasynth Group in Grasse in 1985, is known for his work with Comme des Garçons and L’Artisan Parfumeur, and is sometimes called the “Master of Incense” within the industry. Duchaufour felt a strong affinity with the project.

“The idea of paying tribute to India, a country I particularly admire and love… I am convinced that I must have lived in India in a past life. Perhaps this was the best way to honor that memory… And I was able to do it through three different stories corresponding to three different historical periods in India. What could be better?”

— Bertrand Duchaufour

Neela handed Duchaufour her “India list”: at least forty olfactory memories, including wet earth, the smell of roti, an Indian bread, cooking on the street, henna, vetiver, sandalwood, rose attar (rose essential oil), and mango. At times she even had Duchaufour smell a shower gel containing Ayurvedic herbs or Indian books from the 1950s. Working from this “olfactory brief,” as it might be called, the trilogy took shape through countless trials.

“Duchaufour was a very sincere, humble person with respect and a deep appreciation for other cultures. He is a true professional who has not lost his soul.”

— Neela Vermeire

The brand was established in autumn 2011 and, following a preview in the Paris studio of the painter Géricault, made its global launch at Elements Showcase in New York in early 2012.

The Brand’s Distinctive Approach

A Philosophy of Fragrance Creation

Neela repeatedly emphasizes her approach of “treating perfume as fine art.”

“Our values are craftsmanship, emotion, and depth. The brand exists to express history, identity, and feeling through scent. Every fragrance should tell a story, evoke memories, and possess lasting value. That means using the finest ingredients and not rushing: testing again and again, and releasing it only when we are certain it is complete.”

— Neela Vermeire

This “unhurried” philosophy is reflected in numbers too. Early introductory materials issued by the brand explained that Trayee used a high concentration of Mysore sandalwood oil, around 1% pure oud, and two types of jasmine, while Mohur contained around 11% rose accord as well as natural oud. The current official website also describes a generous use of fine natural ingredients such as sandalwood, rose, and oud. These are concentrations described as “ridiculous” by the standards of commercial perfumery. No budget ceiling was imposed on Duchaufour, leaving him free to use the finest materials.

Neela also actively rejects trends. Her deliberate refusal to put the word “oud” into her fragrance names reflects that spirit.

“I did not want to use the name oud for any of my perfumes. I would not make, for example, Trayee Oud or Mohur Oud. What matters is including materials that feel authentic to that period, not using them because they are fashionable or, sadly, becoming a little overused.”

— Neela Vermeire

Neela herself is an “outsider” without professional training in perfumery, but believes that this, in fact, brings the brand’s individuality into sharper focus.

“Many founders in niche perfumery come from within the industry, but outsiders like me bring influences from various fields, such as art, literature, psychology, and music. That diversity enriches the field.”

— Neela Vermeire

Bottle and Packaging Design

The bottle was designed by the celebrated perfume-bottle designer Pierre Dinand. The original logo and cap design fuse two cultural symbols, one Indian and one French.

The starting point is the “Ashoka Chakra,” the wheel of law associated with Ashoka the Great, emperor of India’s Maurya dynasty. With its twenty-four spokes, the chakra symbolizes “life in movement, death in stagnation.” In the NVC logo, each of these twenty-four ridges incorporates the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower. Twenty-four represents the twenty-four hours of the day, a complete cycle of life and renewal. An Indian philosophical symbol and a French emblem of Paris, the “capital of perfume,” are condensed into a single design.

The Fragrance Lineup

In a 2025 interview, Neela described the brand as having eleven fragrances. They are broadly divided into two lines: the main Creations range and Fragments by NVC. Below, we trace their development, including versions in different concentrations.

The Creations Range

The main line consists of works inspired by Indian history, culture, people, and nature.

Trayee (2012): The Vedic Era
“Trayee” means “triad” in Sanskrit, referring to the first three Vedas, Hindu sacred texts. A complex woody-incense fragrance, it embodies India’s spiritual world: Ayurveda, yoga, and the smoke and aromatic materials of rituals. Its ingredients include a high concentration of Mysore sandalwood oil, oud from Laos, and two types of jasmine. Neela describes the perfume as her very “spiritual connection to India,” saying it is so personal that she became emotional during its development.

Mohur (2012): From the Mughal Empire to the British Raj
“Mohur” is a Sanskrit word referring to the most valuable gold coin in Indian history, last minted in 1918. This rose-led scent combines the opulent rose perfumes of the Mughal Empire with the leather bouquet of polo matches during the British Raj. It is also a tribute to the Mughal empress Noor Jahan, herself known for inheriting the art of perfumery from her mother. Early introductory materials described a rose accord of around 11%. Neela has said that her late mother loved the perfume and suggested the name “Mohur.”

Bombay Bling (2012): Contemporary India
It opens with an explosion of green mango, lychee, and white flowers, followed by patchouli, tobacco, and vanilla. The work expresses the Bollywood-like energy and joy of contemporary India.

“Do you remember the feeling of watching fireworks as a child? That instantaneous surge of happiness. Bombay Bling had to be like that: an explosion of feeling.”

— Neela Vermeire

Fans have described it as “serotonin in a bottle,” “a Technicolor perfume,” and “a natural antidepressant,” comments Neela recounts with delight.

Ashoka (2013): The Mauryan Emperor
Inspired by Ashoka, who ruled India’s Maurya dynasty and lived around 304–232 BCE. Although he expanded his territory through warfare, the death and destruction he witnessed in the war against the Kalinga people moved him to convert to Buddhism. This spiritual transformation is expressed in the structure of the perfume itself: it opens with fierce leather, passes through a floral heart, and settles quietly into meditative sandalwood. In 2014, it won in the Independent category at the first Art & Olfaction Awards in Los Angeles.

Mohur Extrait (2014)
A richer, more complex extrait version, a highly concentrated form of perfume, based on the Mohur eau de parfum.

Pichola (2015)
Inspired by Lake Pichola in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Luxurious white florals including orange blossom, tuberose, jasmine sambac, and rose depict light and shadow like the reflection of palaces on the lake’s surface.

Rahele (2016)
Meaning “traveler,” this work was inspired by the travel accounts of three Frenchmen who journeyed to India in the seventeenth century: Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, François Bernier, and Jean Thévenot. Centered on osmanthus, a flower with an apricot-like scent, it weaves together green mandarin, leather, oakmoss, and other notes. Expressing in scent the perspective of a traveler looking at India from outside, it has a somewhat different character within the NVC lineup.

Niral (2018)
“Niral” means “quiet, serene, unique” in Hindi. The fragrance was inspired by the relationship between India and the British silk expert Sir Thomas Wardle (1831–1909). Wardle perfected natural dyeing techniques for Indian tussar silk and collaborated with William Morris and other artists of the Arts and Crafts movement. Iris, Darjeeling tea, rose, leather, and other notes evoke the texture of silk. The packaging uses a purple silk jewel box reflecting the jewel-like hues of tussar silk.

Fragments by NVC (2022)

A new line created around the pandemic period. Neela has said it was inspired by her love of the mosaic art Marc Chagall left in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Nativité in Vence. The names are based on colors and emotions associated with the scents, and the fragrances were initially released without disclosing the perfumer’s name.

Nemus: Green and renewal are its themes. A refreshing fragrance built around lemon and bergamot.
Purpureum: Mysterious warmth. Coffee, cocoa, fig, and leather intersect richly.
Thyina: Gentle repose. Hazelnut, violet, and birch tar create a distinctive moment.

Eshal (2025)

The first new addition to the main line in almost seven years, unveiled at Esxence 2025 in Milan. This tuberose-centered extrait de parfum takes its name from an Arabic word meaning “flower of heaven” or “flower of paradise,” also connoting joy, desire, and purity. In India, tuberose is called “rajnigandha” and is deeply connected with offerings to the gods, weddings, and everyday happiness, making it one of the Indian scents most familiar to Neela.

By the Way…

A Connection with Mother Teresa
As a teenager, Neela volunteered at an orphanage run by Mother Teresa in Calcutta. In her Olfactif interview, Neela mentions having grown up “surrounded by strong, intelligent women,” naming Mother Teresa as one of those female figures.

Working with Bottle Designer Pierre Dinand
Neela commissioned her bottle from Pierre Dinand, the legendary designer behind many celebrated perfume bottles for Coty, Cartier, Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, and others. This illustrates her commitment: while financing everything herself and maintaining control, she partnered with the industry’s finest where specialist expertise was needed.

Arrival in Japan (2024)
After an advance appearance at “Salon de Parfum @ ISETAN MEN’S” in October 2024, the brand made its full Japanese debut on December 13 that year through NOSE SHOP’s Azabudai, Ginza, and Kobe stores and official online shop.

Bertrand Duchaufour’s Independent Venture
Duchaufour, who has partnered with Neela for many years, launched his own brand, L’Entropiste, in 2025. Regarding his relationship with NVC, Neela said in an interview that October that they had “worked together since the founding,” describing a collaborative approach in which they repeatedly revise and evaluate the fragrances together.

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