Coty partners with LanzaTech for sustainable scents leveraging carbon-captured ethanol fragrances

03 Feb 2022 --- Beauty company Coty is teaming up with the fermentation pros at LanzaTech to create a line of fragrances created with LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart ethanol derived from carbon emitted from industrial activities. The products will be the “first globally distributed” fragrances made from carbon-captured ethanol.

Coty hopes to use sustainable ethanol – which is set to transform the market – in the majority of its fragrances by 2023.

The ingredient was made in a two-year effort between Coty’s scientists, LanzaTech’s experts and production partners to create a high-purity alternative to traditional ethanol. 

“We are excited to see Coty bring the first globally distributed fragrances made from CarbonSmart ethanol to market so that consumers can choose products made from recycled carbon,” enthuses LanzaTech CEO, Dr. Jennifer Holmgren.

The company is currently ahead of schedule on this goal, and the first line of fragrances using carbon-captured ethanol is set to hit stores in just a few months. 

Coty’s plant in Spain received over 20 metric tons of LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart ethanol in mid-January. 

Production of the fragrances began in mid-January. The transport of the ingredient is the first deliverable realized under the companies’ partnership, which was announced in March 2021.

Beauty from the ugly
LanzaTech says it is turning the carbon crisis into a feedback opportunity. CarbonSmart ethanol is created by capturing industrially-emitted carbon before it is released into the earth’s atmosphere. 

Using fermentation supported by bacteria, the carbon is then converted into ethanol that can be used in cosmetic products or fuel.

CarbonSmart carbon-captured ethanol doesn’t just transform emissions into a beneficial ingredient; the process involves next-to-zero water consumption and reduces the need for agricultural land. 

All of this translates to lower carbon emissions and higher sustainability cred for ingredients using the product, giving consumers peace of mind when buying Coty’s fragrances. 

Ethanol is a major ingredient in the manufacture of fragrances, comprising a majority of Coty’s fragrances by volume. 

By making the ingredient in a significantly more sustainable way, LanzaTech is set to transform the fragrance space and reduce the beauty industry’s climate impact.

LanzaTech’s ethanol meets the same quality requirement standards as traditional ethanol, and its production is beneficial to the environment. 

“We are now on course to integrate carbon-captured ethanol into a majority of our fragrance portfolio ahead of our ambitious 2023 goal, putting Coty on the leading edge of sustainable fragrance innovation,” tells Dr. Shimei Fan, Coty’s chief scientific officer.

Edited by Olivia Nelson