Coty unveils Gucci fragrance in “global first” bottled carbon emission

06 Apr 2023 --- Coty’s portfolio brand Gucci has launched the “world’s first” globally distributed fragrance manufactured using 100% carbon-captured alcohol. A part of Gucci’s The Alchemist’s Garden collection, Where My Heart Beats Eau de Parfum uses “CarbonSmart” alcohol developed by Coty’s partner LanzaTech using a novel technology that captures carbon from industrial emissions and converts it into alcohol for use in fragrances.

“Industrial activity generates waste gasses that usually end up as carbon emissions – for example, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (CO2) waste gasses produced during steel manufacturing. LanzaTech captures and uses these waste gasses to produce ethanol via a natural fermentation process similar to conventional alcohol production – such as beer brewing,” a Coty spokesperson informs PersonalCareInsights.

“This innovative fermentation process does not require sugar from plants as the source of carbon. In this case, carbon-captured ethanol skips this natural process, which would otherwise consume environmental resources.”

Through the carbon-capture approach, carbon emissions, which would typically be released into the atmosphere, are recycled into alcohol pure enough for use in fine fragrances, Coty details. Furthermore, this process uses less water and reduces the need for agricultural land compared to traditional methods of alcohol production.

According to the beauty company, the CarbonSmart innovation is a key development in Coty’s “Beauty That Lasts” sustainability strategy and follows wider fragrance sustainability innovations, including its first refillable fragrance from its brand Chloé called Rose Naturelle Intense Eau de Parfum.

Where My Heart Beats is encased in a lacquered white glass flacon.Layered aroma
Gucci’s The Alchemist’s Garden collection consists of seven floral fragrances designed to be combined to exude a different character when paired with each other.

The decorative porcelain bottles in this collection are conceptualized around old apothecaries jars and don illustrations of motifs relating to the aroma notes.

“Where My Heart Beats is encased in a lacquered white glass flacon, gilded with a decorative rose gold foliage loosely shaped like a heart,” the spokesperson shares.

“At the top of this pattern is the scent’s unique symbol – the bewitching butterfly – while a green bow is tied at its base. At its center, flourishing holds both the Gucci logo and the poetic name of the scent. The perfume is nestled in an accented white box and presented within a delicate white pouch.”

Upcycling carbon
In March 2021, Coty announced its partnership with LanzaTech and started production of the “world’s first” globally distributed fragrances made using the carbon-capture technology in January 2022.

Moving away from mixing traditional alcohol with carbon-captured alcohol – mass balance methodology – Coty has, for the first time, produced a fragrance utilizing 100% carbon-captured alcohol.

“Coty is the first company to introduce carbon-captured alcohol into fine fragrances for global distribution. This is an inspiring example of sustainability being the ultimate driver of innovation,” says the company’s chief scientific and sustainability officer, Dr. Shimei Fan.

“Beyond the science, there is something magical in upcycling industrial emissions into alcohol pure enough for use in fine fragrances. That is why Gucci’s The Alchemist’s Garden Where My Heart Beats Eau de Parfum was the natural choice for our first fragrance manufactured using 100% carbon-captured alcohol.”Decorative porcelain bottles in The Alchemist's Garden collection are conceptualized around old apothecaries jars.

Conscious perfumery
Last November, Coty released Chloé Rose Naturelle Intense as a lower environmental impact perfume.

The 100% natural origin fragrance was awarded a Silver Level Cradle to Cradle Certified Material Health Certificate, used to verify the safety and health of a product’s composition.

According to Coty, its refillable fragrance bottles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 65%, water consumption by 67%, energy consumption by 66% and mineral resource consumption by 75%.

Industry harnesses carbon
Last month, BASF advanced carbon capture tech for Japan’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal with the launch of HiPACT, a carbon capture technology developed by BASF and its engineering partner JGC Corporation. The production facility is expected to start in 2025. “The recovered CO2 will be injected into the reservoirs of the depleted gas fields leveraging Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage technologies for enhanced gas recovery,” informed BASF Japan.

Additionally, UK industry giants, universities and NGOs, including Unilever, Society of Chemical Industry, BASF and 12 others, initiated a two-year program worth £5.4 million (US$6.5 million) dubbed Flue2Chem, aimed at converting industrial waste gasses into environmentally sustainable materials for use in consumer products.

LanzaTech also entered a research partnership with Givaudan last September to leverage synthetic biology capability and establish pathways to produce key fragrance ingredients used across Givaudan’s portfolio.

According to the company, LanzaTech’s first two commercial-scale gas fermentation plants have produced over 30 million gallons of ethanol, offsetting the release of around 150,000 metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Moreover, the European Council previously outlined a plan to create a European Carbon Capture and Utilization market, implying that companies could be offered greater economic or regulatory incentives to use captured carbon in manufacturing personal care ingredients.

By Radhika Sikaria

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