Prada Turns Chai Into Luxury Perfume: Would You Spend ₹17,000 To Smell Like Your Cup Of Tea?

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Big global brands have always looked to India for colour, craft and inspiration. What's changing now is how they're doing it. Instead of vague nods to "the East" or surface-level motifs, luxury houses are tapping into everyday Indian experiences - food, rituals, habits and translating them into global products. Sometimes this lands beautifully and sometimes it sparks debate. Prada's latest fragrance, inspired by chai, sits right in the middle of that conversation.

Photo Credit: Not Just Drink, Smell Like Chai!

Prada's Chai Perfume Comes With A Luxury Price Tag

Prada has launched 'Infusion de Santal Chai Eau de Parfum', a unisex fragrance inspired by chai. The part that immediately stands out?

A 100 ml bottle is priced at around $190 - roughly ₹17,000.

For something that evokes a drink most Indians associate with home, routine, and a few spare minutes of calm, the contrast is hard to miss. That price point alone has pushed the perfume into wider conversations well beyond fragrance circles.

What Exactly Is Infusion de Santal Chai?

This release is part of 'Les Infusions de Prada', the brand's long-running fragrance collection known for reworking familiar, everyday scents into polished, minimalist perfumes.

Prada describes the scent as chai-inspired not as a literal Indian reference, but as a warm, comforting tea-based experience. It's positioned the same way Prada has previously treated iris, cedar or rose: familiar, softened, and luxury-coded.

Breaking Down The Scent Profile

So what does a chai perfume actually smell like?

According to official listings and fragrance databases, 'Infusion de Santal Chai' features:

• Chai latte accord for a creamy, spiced tea feel
• Sandalwood as a smooth, woody base
• Cardamom adding gentle spice
• Citrus for a light, fresh opening
• Musks to keep the finish clean and soft

The overall impression is woody, milky and spiced, designed to feel comforting rather than bold. This isn't meant to smell like a boiling pot of tea, it's Prada's restrained, wearable interpretation of warmth.

Who Is This Perfume Meant For?

Like most fragrances in the Infusion line, this one is marketed as unisex. There's no gendered storytelling, no heavy floral or overtly smoky lean just a neutral, polished scent designed to sit close to the skin.

The Packaging Keeps Things Minimal

The bottle follows Prada's familiar Infusion design language:

• Brown-hued glass
• Camel-coloured Saffiano-textured cap

The colour palette subtly mirrors chai tones without being literal. No teacups, no spice illustrations just understated luxury cues.

Why The Internet Has Opinions About This

The launch has triggered mixed reactions online.

Some fragrance enthusiasts are curious, even excited, about a chai-inspired scent entering a luxury perfume space. Others are openly skeptical questioning whether chai translates into a wearable fragrance at all, especially at this price.

What's also fuelling discussion is timing. Social media users have linked the perfume to Prada's recent India-related cultural debates, including last year's Kolhapuri sandal controversy. That context has made people look harder at how and why Indian cultural elements are being reinterpreted and sold by global luxury brands.

Chai Is Not Just A Scent And That's The Point

For many, chai isn't an abstract aroma. It's habit, memory, routine. It's deeply cultural, especially in India. That's why this launch feels more loaded than a standard fragrance drop.

Even though Prada does not officially frame the perfume as "India-inspired," the use of the word chai carries meaning and people are responding to that, not just the scent notes.

So What Does This Launch Really Say?

Prada's Infusion de Santal Chai is less about tea and more about how global luxury now mines everyday experiences for inspiration then reframes them through a premium lens.

Whether that feels interesting or uncomfortable depends on where you're standing. But one thing is clear: Indian cultural touchpoints are no longer sitting quietly in the background of global fashion and beauty. They're being spotlighted, priced, and debated and this perfume proves it.