Our Story

“Having grown up around fragrances I have always been drawn to them and as I ventured towards exploring it more, I came to realise that Indian perfumery has its own unique charm. There are a lot of people who appreciate it but know little about the art. Thus, through ISAK my intention is to talk more about our roots, heritage and the charm in Indian perfumery and introduce it to the rest of the world to be mesmerised with ” - Vidushi Vijayvergiya.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

It was in the era of the 1850s, when our story came to life. The then Begum, received an anonymous consignment of the most exquisite lucknowi chikankari ensembles, lingering with the rarest of aromas, enticing even the discerning 'royal nose' and making her fall in love with the scent.

The founder of our apothecary, Mr. Chhunnamal Vijayvergiya knew how to entice, excite and create an experience, the sign of a true perfumer. Though the Nawab was the last to hold the mantle in Awadh, his patronising lasted and only grew for the brand.

The House of CMRD spread its wings wide, scoring rarest of rare ingredients, developing a distinct infusion and distillation techniques to handcraft uncommon fragrances for the royal houses across Awadh and beyond. It was the discretion with which the rasookdars(leaders) were serviced rapidly became part of the CMRD legend.

The unrivalled fragrance formulations along with the lingua franca graced with the ever so famous tehzeeb and nazaaqat of the city of Lucknow, spreading and winning discerning patronage across regions. Over the last century, our fragrance house has managed to build and blossom the business driven by the artistry and perfection of hand blending and not commercial priorities; along with a keen inherited nose, counting 170 years and 6 generations to be precise. What our recipe is, is hard to divulge, but we acknowledge, it is a dream commission.

WHO WE ARE TODAY

We are a fragrance house dedicated to the creation of unrivalled niche Indian artisanal fragrances of rare notes and blends, backed with the family experience of over a century and a half.

Still based in Lucknow, we manufacture and extract many of our own essences using traditional infusion & distillation techniques that captures the complexity and notes of raw and rare ingredients of each blend – a process now foregone as too meticulous in times of machine made. Each essence is still measured, blended and formulated by hand, as it was a century ago. Perfected the art of fine balance and proportions, our fragrance house creates progressive compositions for today!  

ISAK

ISAK is a hindi word derived from ‘ISHQ’. It is pronounced as /IS(e)K/ and is largely used in the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, also our home.

As our biggest strength lies in our continuation to be artisanal, handcrafted and original over the years, and not get touched by the commerciality, in an industry that’s otherwise mass and stereo typical; ISAK represents who we are. We have managed to survive and thrive over the last century and a half because, while staying true to our founding roots, we have remained relevant to the current times.