THE INVESTMENT PIECESUn Air de Diptyque
The Paris-based house that gave us joys such as Oud Palao and Tam Dao also makes the most luxurious car perfume. Un Air de Diptyque is an oval-shaped diffuser that clips onto your car’s AC vent. The understated design is marked by a golden metal regulator to control diffusion, and cartridges come beaded with Diptyque’s complex, Fragrance Foundation award-winning aromas like 34 Saint Boulevard ($38 per cartridge). Diptyque also retails scented ovals ($52) which can be dangled from your rear-view mirror. $60 (approx Rs 8,200) without cartridges, Nordstrom.com
Editions de Perfums Frederic Malle
Frederic Malle fashions himself as an ‘editor of perfume’, and indeed the house of Editions de Perfums Frederic Malle has collaborated with some of the best noses in the business for modern classics such as Musc Ravageur and Portrait of a Lady. The house also retails its creations in the form of a ‘rubber incense’, a scent made from fragrance-infused Ethylene Vinyl Acetate. Available scents include Jurassic Flower, Russian Nights, Rosa Rugosa and their signature woody-spicy Saints de Saints. 70 GBP (approx. Rs. 10,824), Harrods.com
Bath & Body Works
Their range of car air-fresheners come in B&BW favorites such as Cactus Blossom and Pumpkin Apples. But you might just find the catchy air-vent holders even harder to resist. Scentportable, Rs 700, Select City Walk store, Delhi; Mall of India, Noida
THE NON-PERFUMES
Trying to get ride of that annoying colleague’s cigarette odour or your pet’s wet-dog smell, or that nephew’s Axe overdose?
Moso Natural bags in linen, Rs. 899, Firstcry.com, Amazon.in
Whiteleaf coconut shell boxes with activated charcoal, which adsorbs moisture and aromatic compounds from the cabin. Rs. 450,
JKM Car Air Purifier, plugs into the cigarette lighter socket, and claim to remove odor and pollutants by emitting negative ions and ozone which oxidize the organic matter in the air. rs 2,999 , amazon.inHoneywell Move and Gliese Elegant are full-fledged car air purification systems with a HEPA filter. Rs. 7,990, honeywellsmarthomes.com; Rs. 5,000, mygliese.comCARS THAT SMELL GOOD!
BMW 7 series
The optional ambiance air package offers a choice of eight fragrances which can be dispensed in three levels of intensity in the cabin. The system which was three years in the making works by dispensing fragrance from one of the two perfume cartridges which are docked in the glove compartment. Activated from the car's iDrive menu the fragrance is gently dispensed with ionized air from the air-conditioning vents. Owners have four different suites to choose from: refreshing Blue and Green suites, or woody, comfortable Golden and Authentic suites each of which have been created with natural materials and crafted by a trained perfumer exclusively for BMW.
Mercedes S Class
The German automaker offers an optional 'active perfuming system' a fragrance atomizer that is located in the glove box. Once activated, it dissipates fragrance air from a cologne cannister through the AC vents in five-minute intervals. The fragrances have been created by ace perfumer Marc vom Ende, Freeside Mood (light citrus), Nightlife Mood (spice, oud), Downtown Mood (floral, musk), and Sports Mood (green, citrus). The fragrances have been specifically created to compliment the leathery smell of a new car. Being ionized the fragrance does not stick to the passenger's clothes or interfere with any perfume that they may be wearing.