Bottled ESG: Firmenich’s latest fragrance collection champions renewable ingredients

18 Jan 2023 --- To drive transformation in renewable ingredients, fragrance giant Firmenich has launched Re:New, a collection of ten upcycled ingredients powered by its innovation program Sylvergreen.

“With the Sylvergreen innovation program, we are now going the extra mile following green chemistry principles to convert perfumery ingredients toward renewable versions, with the intention to minimize their environmental footprint,” says Dr Maud Reiter, VP of discovery chemistry and development at Firmenich.

The Re:New collection increases the diversity of the company’s renewable palette, specifically in the floral and woody olfactive families. Anthamber Premium, also known as IsoE Super, is a woody molecule with a delicate cedar wood note and violet undertones.

In addition, the renewable floral molecules from the geraniol family add a blooming essence to fragrance compositions. Its feminine, fresh and aromatic notes of rose and slightly green facets bring a delicate sweet roundness to compositions.

The company announced its 2030 environmental, social and governance (ESG) ambitions for renewable fragrances in 2022, and now, Firmenich is launching conscious perfumery ingredients as a follow-up.

Purifying fragrance ingredients
Sylvergreen has set out to convert existing essential fragrance ingredients obtained through petrochemistry into renewables derived from renewable carbon sources without compromising its olfactory standards.

The company believes it is necessary to reduce and eventually stop the industry’s reliance on fossil fuels by promoting more sustainable alternative technologies guided by green chemistry principles.Firmenich aims to create all its fragrances through renewable sources by 2030.

Perfumers have been blending natural and synthetic molecules since the 19th century. Synthetic molecules are currently designed to be environmentally sustainable with a focus on biodegradability and eco-efficiency, which uses less energy and water consumption to develop.

As a result, safer alternatives (regarding allergenicity) are produced. The Re:New collection is designed to take on the challenge of sourcing, the next crucial step.

Renewable ingredients contain more than 50% carbon content from renewable sources, and it is a material that can be replaced in a finite amount of time (decades). Both natural and synthetic molecules can qualify as renewable. 

Meanwhile, Firmenich’s traditional natural ingredients have been certified with the Geographic Indication Absolue Pays de Grasse. Absolute Pays de Grasse showcases the southeastern French region’s historic contributions, and know-how (dating back to the 18th century), in the cultivation of perfume plants and associated industrial processes, while it is also approved by the National Institute of Industrial Property. 

Absolutes must be produced in the area identified as a historic area for cultivating perfume plants straddling the Alpes Maritimes, the Var and the Alpes de Haute Provence. The Geographic Indication covers plants and flowers such as Clary Sage, Rose Centifolia, Mimosa or Hay.

The craft of hitting the right notes
Firmenich’s renewable ingredients are produced from various renewable feedstock sources that replace virgin fossil carbon sources. The ingredients of the Re:New collection are derived from pine trees.

Wood is the most abundant bio-sourced feedstock on Earth, and pine trees specifically grow on poor soils, where food crops cannot be grown. 

Pine and its extractives, bio-sourced Terpenes, play a vital role in replacing fossil-based products with renewable materials. Firmenich upcycles co-products of the wood or paper industries, primarily for kraft paper, transforming it into molecules that adhere to green chemistry principles.The Re:New collection consists of ten upcycled ingredients. 

“We have set two major targets for 2030, the first one of being number one in renewable ingredients, with 70% renewable ingredients in our palette,” says Michal Benmayor, VP of global perfumery sustainability at Firmenich. 

“This is a major innovation challenge because it cannot be achieved using naturals alone. It would not be sustainable. We need to ensure that we shift to renewable sourcing for our synthetic molecules. Progress in green chemistry, as well as in biotech, will be pivotal to this shift.” 

Biotechnology-based solutions in the fragrance space are paving the way for a sustainable future while promising the scalability of rare novel fragrances. PersonalCareInsights recently delved into the potential of biotechnology for clean cosmetics.

Earth in a bottle
There is a growing need for consumers to know that ingredients are environmentally sustainable. In line with this, Firmenich perfumer Elise Benat created Polo Earth by Ralph Lauren, a 97% natural origin fragrance, the company’s first eco-friendly fragrance.

Benat used EcoScent Compass, Firmenich’s digitally integrated eco-fragrance design tool, which measures the percentage of renewable ingredients in real-time and the formula’s environmental and social impact. 

By Inga de Jong