From leftovers to luxury: Pioneering upcycling in fragrances
You have probably heard of upcycled furniture, but how about upcycled fragrance ingredients? Givaudan has been exploring this exciting new concept as part of our commitment to ‘Innovating Responsibly’ – one of the three focus areas of our sustainability approach, ‘A Sense of Tomorrow’.
The result is an exclusive range of upcycled ingredients to enhance our perfumers’ palettes and help our customers to reach their sustainability goals. This important development is good news for perfumers, businesses, consumers, and the planet.
What is upcycling?
Also known as creative re-use, upcycling is all about transforming side-stream materials into new innovations of better quality or uniqueness. Much more than a passing trend, it’s a vital way for all of us to make better use of the earth’s resources and reduce our impact on the environment.
At Givaudan, we leverage our scientific and technological expertise to ensure that sustainability is always at the heart of our products and processes. We classify an ingredient as upcycled if 50% or more of the carbon it contains comes from upcycled raw materials.
Innovative by nature
We recognise that natural ingredients in particular must be used in the most efficient and careful way possible. That’s why we are constantly investigating and developing alternative sources of key natural raw materials. This not only helps us to protect fragile natural resources, but also offers our customers an ever-evolving palette of fresh and fascinating ingredients.
We also focus on sustainable processes, using green chemistry and exploring opportunities to reduce energy consumption or optimise efficiency in natural ways. Upcycled carbon features in our FiveCarbon Path™ sustainability ambition, which sets out our aim to optimise carbon waste in the most efficient ways.
As we continue to innovate responsibly, we have also taken the necessary steps to screen our entire palette for upcycled ingredients. Through this, Givaudan will be able to certify the total percentage of upcycled elements used in a formula as well as highlighting our unique upcycled ingredients by the end of 2019.
Ingredients of the future
Exclusively available to Givaudan perfumers, our upcycled ingredients offer endless possibilities to craft exquisite new scents with maximum respect for nature. Each one tells its own story, and shows how applying innovative techniques to traditional raw materials can bring extraordinary results.
Appreciated for its wonderfully fresh and clean aroma, Apple Oil Orpur® is a true treasure. Its unique olfactive components are extracted from leftover apple juice pulp using a revolutionary, Givaudan-exclusive method. The pulp then goes on to be used as animal food, ensuring minimal waste.
Rose NeoAbsolute™ Colourless Orpur® has a unique olfactive profile that blends the freshness of the essential oil with the opulence of the absolute. It is achieved by extracting the olfactive components from rose petals a second time in order to highlight their different facets. It offers a completely new perception of this classic scent, combining petally notes with a warm sensuality.
Also popular is Akigalawood®, with its vibrant, spicy aspects of pepper and woody facets of patchouli and agarwood. Using a ground-breaking biotechnology process, this precious natural captive is derived from patchouli oil fractions that previously would never have made it to the perfumers’ palette.
Other highlights include Cedarwood Atlas NeoAbsolute™ Morocco Orpur® and Nectaryl. Many have already been used in fine perfumes, such as ‘I am Trash’ by Etat Libre d’Orange.
Crafted with care
We are proud of our pioneering role in bringing upcycling to Fragrances, breathing new life into ‘useless’ or ‘unwanted’ materials through responsible innovation. Givaudan’s exclusive upcycled ingredients pave the way for our perfumers to create uniquely beautiful new scents, which will delight consumers everywhere and propel our customers forward in their sustainability journeys.
