‘Sky’s the limit’: DSM-Firmenich on advancing wellness solutions through collaborative breakthroughs

The DSM-Firmenich merger was completed in May, bringing together Firmenich’s global perfumery and ingredients business with DSM’s personal care and aroma business.

Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia​, Parand Salmassinia, president of personal care and aroma, DSM-Firmenich, said the merger enabled the company to tap into a common customer base and explore new opportunities where beauty and perfumery intersect.

“Normally, with​ skin care formulations, we do this and that, and the last step is to add a fragrance to it – it’s always a process that has been detached. Now, we're trying to put it together so that we can design the ingredient and perfumery in a way that it will be more impactful for our customers,”​ said Salmassinia, who was appointed to this role in January.

The company has said it would invest a combined EUR700m (USD763.6m) into R&D annually. In its initial months, the company has been busy identifying potential areas of collaboration.

“We’re realising that there are interesting products that we have in both portfolios that could be applicable to something else. For instance, our UV filters can be used as fragrance stabilisers,”​ said Salmassinia.

“As a result of collaboration, we realised that perfumery has a particular excellence when it comes to encapsulation and how to let a particular fragrance bloom and be released. We’re trying to if there are ways to translate that to skin care with ingredients as well as UV filters. Sky’s the limit.”​

‘Positive perfumery’

She continued that fragrance plays a pivotal role in formulating cosmetic solutions that effectively meet the growing consumer demand for products focused on well-being.

“One of the topics that we are learning about as a result of this merger is positive perfumery. We’re bringing the idea of positive perfumery, which creates positive emotions, and addressing well-being all under the same umbrella,” ​said Salmassinia.

“Everything is very holistic. Everything is very much interconnected. And I think that once we bring all of our ideas together and also the technologies, then we will be able to be much more impactful.”​

The company hopes to explore the role of fragrance in various personal care segments, such as acne care or sun protection, said Salmassinia.

“When you’re saying fragrance-free, the first thing that pops into your head is some sort of very dry, nearly pharmaceutical product you’re applying to treat a condition. But being DSM-Firmenich, we can bring the technology on the perfumery side to enhance the experience. That process itself is part of well-being and fragrance also enhances that.”​

“For instance, the relationship between fragrance and sunscreen is a lot deeper in our heads than you think. The minute you think about a coconut smell, you’re thinking vacation and sunscreen. It’s something that’s so ingrained in all of us. We can also apply the scent of freshness to promote the use of sunscreens.”​

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