Naturals take centre stage with DSM-Firmenich

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How do you feel about the enthusiasm natural ingredients have met with in perfumery over recent years?

Nature resonates with everyone, something we’re seeing more and more, as illustrated by the fact that it features in every sector of the mainstream press: health, food, the environment, and so on. Consumers are increasingly well-informed and are more familiar with plants, thanks to aromatherapy, with regional produce, thanks to gastronomy, and with good practices that are ecologically friendly. This greater access to information closes the gap that used to exist between professionals and the public. It’s a very positive phenomenon because messaging about natural ingredients is now more responsible and reliable.
But this newfound enthusiasm also faces some drawbacks: 2024 is riddled with countless geopolitical, financial and climate-related uncertainties that are shaking up the naturals sector. Inflation quickly dampened the euphoria of the post-pandemic economic upturn. And today’s globalized, naturals market is experiencing some inevitable tensions in various production zones. Over the past few years, warfare has had a major impact on energy costs, leading to considerable spikes in the price of distillations and extractions.

How is the market for naturals developing against this background?

While the overall fragrance market is growing, mostly thanks to new markets opening up, use of natural ingredients has flatlined, representing a small percentage of fragrance and flavor components. With production costs rising and budgets remaining the same, brands inevitably end up cutting the proportion of naturals in their formulas.
And market growth, although stable, is also highly fragmented: as raw materials all have different costs, processes and origins, the contrasts appear even starker than before. Naturals sectors are a good illustration of developments impacting today’s world: in a time of crisis, some actors struggle to survive, while others find themselves in a more positive situation and manage to make big savings. 
A final factor is that the frameworks provided by regulatory considerations surrounding corporate social responsibility have a beneficial effect, despite the additional restrictions they bring. Today, it is very important that the same rules are followed at every stage of growing and production: use less water and energy, cultivate a smaller area and apply the precautionary principle.

As alternative solvents and new extraction processes emerge, how do you see the future of these ingredients at DSM-Firmenich?

Faced with this complicated background, we take a very holistic approach to naturals that involves actions in all three of the traditional areas for innovation: agronomy via, for example, the selection of varieties; transformation processes  ; regulations and certification. The search for alternative solvents is something we have been interested in for a long time. Among all the green solvents that have been identified, DSM-Firmenich is opting to focus its research on CO₂ and water. They are the most sustainable and the most respectful of fragile ingredients, while offering a greater capacity to harness all the facets of a biomass.

CO₂ extraction: a green solution ahead of its time?

This technology, also called SFE or supercritical fluid extraction, is one of DSM-Firmenich’s major technological specialties, and we are constantly investing to improve the process further. CO₂ preserves biomass freshness because it makes it possible to extract an ingredient at a lower temperature. It also captures a broader spectrum of facets. Its applications have kept growing since it was first used by the fragrance industry for pink pepper in 1995. It was initially used exclusively for dried materials such as spices, but for the past dozen years it has also been applied to fresh products. Working, at first, with small quantities, it is now used at-scale with our Indian partner Jasmine Concrete; our jasmine flower India SFE is a good example. The technology is now being applied to liquid products: fruit and vegetable juices, and infusions. And as the type of biomass processed evolves, the CO₂ used also undergoes major upgrades. At first it was extracted from underground pockets, but now it is captured from the air and recycled.

What does electromagnetic extraction add to the palette?

This extraction process, called Firgood,^[1]Firgood is a DSM-Firmenich registred trademark consists of exposing fresh biomass to electromagnetic waves. Water molecules in the ingredient heat up, releasing the plant’s aromatic matter. Certain naturals that were previously impossible to extract now have a voice: flowers that used to be silent in perfumery such as wisteria, violets and peonies, and high water-content fruit and vegetables like pears, strawberries and peppers.
This process offers a response to the critical need to cut the amount of energy used in transformation, leveraging the fact that materials are transformed faster than with traditional extraction. Lifecycle analysis has demonstrated that Firgood lavender emits 48% less carbon than a lavender obtained by conventional distillation. This is a benefit that brands value, and the latest Firgood ingredients already feature in some of the market’s standout successes: Firgood jasmine grandiflorum is central to Fame from Paco Rabanne while Firgood vanilla is the star of Burberry Goddess.

You have just signed a partnership with Interstellar Lab, what does it involve?

DSM-Firmenich has a long-standing interest in vertical farms in controlled environments. This is an approach that seeks to tackle two problems: cut the land-use footprint, and reduce risks related to agricultural uncertainties, such as soil exhaustion and pollution and severe climate events. As part of this research, we work with three different families of specialists. First are manufacturers specializing in robotics, air filtration, LED lighting and so on. Jungle, a company we partner with, is in this category. Then come what we could call the agronomists of tomorrow, researchers who can develop innovative recipes using micro-organisms and inputs. The third group comprises computer experts that incorporate Artificial Intelligence and process data from the sensors to help optimize agricultural practices. Interstellar Lab is a new partner, which belongs in the latter two categories. It develops systems for growing plants on an experimental platform called Biopod, using automated agriculture in a controlled environment. This solution radically improves management of water (98% of which is recycled), energy and land-use footprint. At present our partnership is still in the initial research phase, carrying out a range of experiments on a strategically important plant (its name is confidential), such as selecting varieties and finetuning the recipe used to grow it. The experiments help us understand interactions between different plants, the impact of lighting and ventilation, and so one. If this phase produces conclusive results, we will switch to phase two, production, which will involve scaling up the processes developed.

Is it fair to say that fragrances on the market today are more environmentally friendly?

Messaging always highlights innovations in terms of ingredients, sometimes ignoring the fact that these products represent only a very small fraction of the market. SFE extraction, Firgood, and the rest are alternative propositions that respect the environment but are currently only to be found in new products. If we say that 10% of the market changes every year, it would take ten years for an innovation to truly find its place among existing products! Reformulating a classic fragrance to incorporate these innovations can involve regulatory hurdles, meaning that brands can be reluctant as well as fearing consumer reactions if the product is changed. Some brands, however, are starting to lead by example, such as Nina Ricci: Nina has been reformulated to become vegan and its top notes reworked with upcycled Italian lemon. 

What ideas do you have for giving naturals a bigger role in formulas?

An infinite quantity of natural ingredients is sometimes used simply so it can be highlighted in perfume advertising or shower gel packaging. Using naturals needs to be meaningful: do they have a real olfactory impact on the composition? This needs to be checked using an evaluation test to determine whether there is an identifiable difference with and without the ingredient. My view is that there should be a minimum level for the presence of naturals in the formula, and that it should not dip below a threshold so that any chance of having a meaningful impact is not lost. A minimum dosage would be genuinely perceptible in its own right, and would also generate enough income to ensure the long-term viability of a small-scale sector: a dozen kilos are enough to allow a grower to plant or even set up an extraction or distillation unit if volumes can be guaranteed. Bulgari, the jewelry brand, is a great example of this responsible approach with its recent investment in the elemi sector in the Philippines [read the report in Nez #17]. Let’s assume that other brands will follow this lead, and for a wider range of materials, so that it will be beneficial for everybody, small-scale producers in particular.

Main visual: © Philippe Frisée