Organic perfumes developed by students of the Botany Department at USTM

 

9th Mile, Khanapara, Ri Bhoi, Monday, June 16, 2025: In a dominantly synthetically geared world, there’s a growing effort to help nature gently reclaim its place and restore environmental balance and health. Amid the booming perfume industry, it’s always refreshing to see an organic fragrance rise and claim its place in the market.

In alignment with this vision, the University of Science and Technology is delighted to announce Miss Archi Phukan, M.Sc. 4th Semester (Botany), under the mentorship of Dr. Mautushi Das, Associate Professor, Department of Botany, USTM, has successfully formulated a unique, organic perfume.

Guided by her mentor, she explored the abundant perfumed biodiversity of the Northeast, captured the delightfully rejuvenating earthly undertones, tangy citric fragrance, and light flowery fresh aroma of the landscape, resonating with the lively ethos and aromatic sweetness of Northeast India, reflecting both cultural heritage and environmental consciousness.

     

With botany students and researchers collaborating hand-in-hand to develop natural sustainable innovation, a perfume such as this tells the story of Assam’s botanical wealth with the regionally sourced ingredients of citrus species, flowers,  and aromatic herbs that are indigenous to the Dibrugarh region, including wild-growing fragrant plants traditionally used in folk practices.

This eco-conscious, sustainable effort, which sources essential oils directly from local farmers and natural habitats, minimizes dependency on imported synthetic ingredients and actively supports rural livelihoods, all achieved through ethical and low-impact methods.

The perfume has the potential to open a great gateway to the market, supporting local livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and rural economic development by promoting the local cultivation and artisanal processing of aromatic plants.

The University of Science and Technology is actively engaging with various companies to explore opportunities for launching this product in the market, while also remaining open to the idea of developing larger-scale organic perfumes in the future. Encouragingly, the response from companies has been positive.

USTM looks forward to a meaningful breakthrough, as this biodiversity-based innovation not only highlights the richness of local flora but also facilitates carbon footprint reduction, sustainable harvesting, and the empowerment of local communities.