High notes: Aeronot

Founded in 2018, the fragrance brand has grown from a customer base of 200 initially to 50,000 today

Bengaluru: There are very few fragrance brands focusing on the concept of perfumery as a whole, and Aeronot is one of them. The brand not only provides high-quality fragrances to customers but also incorporates emotions and memories into every bottle, thereby taking users on a poetic scent journey.

Story of growth

Aeronot was founded in 2018 by Akshay Raina during his college years with a mere capital of `10,000. The pilot launch was of just 200 perfume bottles in four variants, which were sold out in less than three days at various luxury pop events in Gurugram.

The brand then exhibited at events in hotels such as Ambassador New Delhi, Courtyard Gurugram Downtown, The Palms Town & Country Club, and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Gurgaon. A few years down the road and despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Aeronot has managed to stay on its feet on major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, MensXP and Smytten. “By October 2021, we re-designed everything and launched our new collection, and kept only two sales channels: the official Aeronot website and on Amazon India,” the founders share. Aeronot’s website, he continues, was launched on 22nd October 2021 with an all-new collection featuring four fragrances and a ‘discovery set’ (comprising four fragrance samples in one box), which got sold out in less than three months.

Aeronot recently upgraded its entire line of products based on feedback from all quarters. The brand’s new collection and discovery set (featuring a revamped design) were launched on 1st September this year. “Since then, we have seen a tremendous response, especially for our discovery set. And this is even though we do not use any flattering or shiny marketing gimmicks to promote Aeronot; instead, we have kept the brand intentionally transparent and pure. The sheer number of requests to restock a sold-out Aeronot fragrance, the happy feedback and reviews, and overall, the appreciation of the work that we are doing is what keeps us going,” conveys Akshay.

Innovation at the core

The fragrance market in India is still flooded with mass-market brands offering low-quality products to the masses. Aeronot’s vision is to bring high-quality fragrances inspired by French perfumery and the Parisian fashion culture to Indians. “All our ingredients are sourced directly from France via our outsourced fragrance oil manufacturer based in Hyderabad. Apart from the high-quality ingredients, we use a higher oil-to-alcohol ratio of about 20-25% to ensure our fragrances have higher longevity and sillage [the trail created by a fragrance when it is worn on the skin],” says Abhishek. Aeronot is also clean and conscious in terms of the ingredients it uses. It opts for sustainable packaging for products and shipping. Moreover, the brand strives to
maintain a gender-neutral stance in the world of perfumery. This is a big thing as most fragrances out there are still gender assigned—be it explicitly or via advertising. Each Aeronot fragrance, he continues, is not a gender-based creation, and instead, is built around emotions and memories.

Being customer ready

Strong communication has always been Aeronot’s forte; the brand actively engages with customers across all social media platforms. The brand also uses Shopify’s inbuilt technology offered via various applications to cross and upsell within its website.

Additionally, it leverages third-party integrations on its product pages, such as direct chats with customers via WhatsApp that also serve order confirmation and shipment details. “This helps in building trust and easy accessibility. All chats are monitored closely, and every suggestion and feedback we receive is implemented right away,” Akshay adds. For example, Aeronot introduced the Aqua Cordelia fragrance to its Iconic collection as customers were requesting a fresh oceanic fragrance.

After the success of its discovery set, Aeronot is working on similar scent palettes in travel-friendly boxes. The brand will also be foraying into the skincare segment with body moisturisers and body washes that incorporate some of the fragrances from its collections. “As a brand, we must keep on inventing new products and entering new segments to keep alive the elements of surprise and awe among our customers,” he shares.

Brownie Points 

• Aeronot witnessed revenue growth of over 100% between FY 2021-22 and is currently on its way to achieving a 400% increase in revenue at Rs. 2.5 crore ARR (annual recurring revenue) for FY 2022-23.
• Aeronot has grown from a customer base of 200 initially to 50,000 today. It has loyal customers who appreciate its product quality and brand aesthetics.
• Aeronot’s fragrances have been shipped to more than 600 cities across India.
• The brand is looking to expand its current fragrance line-up while also venturing into body and skin care products. After this, it plans to launch exclusive boutique stores in tier-1 cities across India.

First appeared in The India D2C Yearbook 2022

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