In a world where memories live inside fragrances and every scent carries an emotion, Ashwini Vira Raavan stands out as one of India’s emerging voices in modern perfumery. As Co-Founder and Director (Business Development & R&D) at VFB Enterprises, she is reshaping the Indian fragrance narrative by blending global inspiration with cultural authenticity. Her passion for scents began in childhood, watching her father — a master perfumer — return home carrying the aroma of countless creations. What started as curiosity eventually transformed into a calling.
On the Sri Shakti special episode of Koffee Conversation @TEIF, Ashwini takes us inside the deeply sensory world of perfumes — from scent storytelling to sustainability, from innovation to heritage, from creation to healing. Her voice is warm yet powerful, reminding us that fragrances don’t just sell — they connect, soothe, uplift, and tell stories that words often cannot
Ashwini’s journey began with the fragrances of her father’s shirts, the excitement of testing soap samples, and a one-week internship that changed everything. While her peers pursued biotechnology training, she chose perfumery — diving into evaluation, applications, and the science behind scent creation. Those early experiences taught her that perfumery was not trial-and-error; it was chemistry, memory, storytelling, and emotion woven together.
After enriching stints at global fragrance houses like Takasago, Cavinkare, and Jeeva, Ashwini returned home due to a family emergency — a moment that sparked her entrepreneurial leap. With her father’s mentorship and her own decade of expertise, she built VFB Enterprises (Vira’s Fragrance Boutique) from the ground up. The name honors both her parents, and today, VFB supports brands end-to-end — from fragrance mood boards to formulation, bottling, packaging, and product launch. Her story is one of courage, conviction, and the strength to transform passion into purpose.
Key Highlights of the Koffee Conversation with Ashwini Veeraraghavan:
- Fell in love with perfumery at age 5, inspired by her father’s aromatic world.
- First real training came during a one-week internship in perfumery during her B.Tech.
- Believes Indian fragrances must blend global inspirations with cultural authenticity.
- Creates brand fragrance stories through mood boards, pyramids, emotions, and co-creation.
- VFB stands for Vira’s Fragrance Boutique, dedicated to her parents.
- Helps brands end-to-end: formulation, sampling, bottles, packaging, and vendor partnerships.
- Launch of ScentFix — a premium fixative — came from industry gap analysis.
- Sustainability trends: vegan, plant-derived, clean, talc-free fragrances gaining demand.
- Advises perfumers to avoid copy-paste global scents and build true Indian signature notes.
- Biggest learnings from global houses: market dynamics, consumer behavior, people skills.
- Signature scent mistake: Indian brands rely too much on global dupes instead of originality.
- Core inspirations: her father (master perfumer), mother, sister, supportive husband, and her two dogs.
- Writes a blog “Inspiringly Yours” on mental health, acceptance, and personal growth.
- Practices energy alignment — healing herself after personal loss and helping others do the same.
- Five-year plan: expand VFB globally and evolve continuously as an individual.
🎥 Watch the full Koffee Conversation with Ashwini Vira Raavan on YouTube — an inspiring journey into perfumery, storytelling, healing, and the power of following your passion.
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