Symrise sends perfumers to Madagascar to seek sustainable sources for raw materials

The journey also enabled the group to better know the island and its biodiversity, and promoted contact with farmers and raw material producers.

As part of what Symrise has called its ‘Scent Expedition’, the researchers worked their way through a range of Madagascar’s flora and took the opportunity to study the exotic blossoms, leaves, woods and roots in their natural environment.

This enable the perfumers to carefully examine the scents and raw materials they are made of, with the aim of turning this into fragrance creations and perfumes for the beauty industry further down the line.

“Consumers today are paying close attention to whether their fragrances contain sustainable raw materials,”​ says Béatrice Mouleyre, SVP Global Fine Fragrance at Symrise.

“The raw materials and inspirations brought back from Madagascar meet this demand excellently. Be it fine perfumes, personal care, household perfumes, fragrances, oral care or cosmetic ingredients, we take all these aspects into consideration in our fragrance creations.”​

Successful trip​

According to the German supplier, the excursion was a success as it was able to enrich its raw material palette and improve backward integration, with the company emphasising working with local producers who are involved in sustainability programs.

The perfumers visited local producers to study the qualities, cultivation and the production sites of further raw materials; and some of these natural materials made it into the Symrise perfume portfolio right away.

If they are cultivated sustainably, the ingredients company says these raw materials have a good chance of gaining entry at its raw material portfolio.

Special value is also placed on cooperation with non-governmental organizations and local farmers’ cooperatives.

“It partially depends on whether the essential oils themselves come from sustainable sources,” ​says Dr. Torsten Kulke, Head of Fragrance and Oral Care Research at Symrise.

“When they do, Symrise ensures that it is supplying customers and consumers with top-quality products in keeping with Symrise’s high quality standards. This allows us to develop unique qualities that are superior to standard materials.” ​