Secret Alchemist raises $3 million in seed round led by Unilever ventures

Actress Samantha Prabhu’s perfume brand Secret Alchemist has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by Unilever Ventures with participation from DSG Consumer Partners. 

The funding round included both primary and secondary capital. Out of the total, $2.5 million was new (primary) investment, while the rest was secondary, with some early angel investors selling their stakes.

The startup will use the funds for branding and marketing, expanding its product range, and growing its team.

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Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Co-Founder of Secret Alchemist, said, “As Secret Alchemist evolves, this feels like the right moment for us. It gives us the opportunity to build more deeply on what matters: clean ingredients, thoughtful formulations and fragrances people genuinely enjoy using every day.”

Akash Valia, Cofounder of Secret Alchemist, said, “Clean fragrance is seeing strong traction globally and India is ready for brands built with that mindset from day one. This fundraise allows us to scale Secret Alchemist as a fragrance-first, ingredient-led clean perfume brand while strengthening distribution and brand presence and eventually bringing Indian perfumes to the global market.”

Pawan Chaturvedi , Partner & Head of Asia at Unilever Ventures, said, “We are delighted to partner with Secret Alchemist as it builds one of India’s first clean, fragrance indie brands. Clean has already become a norm in beauty globally, and we are beginning to see fragrance follow the same trajectory, and Secret Alchemist is well positioned to lead this emerging category in India.” 

Secret Alchemist originally offered a range of wellness products but has shifted to focus mainly on fragrances since mid-2025.

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Its products are sold on the company’s website, e-commerce platforms like Amazon, and quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit. The brand plans to expand to more websites and apps soon.

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