Expertise
Combining our local expertise with global reach across 10 manufacturing sites
Natural ingredients
Responsible innovation, inspired by nature
Nature is a rich and complex ecosystem – and it’s no coincidence that our naturals palette is similar. After all, we take inspiration from the world around us, harness nature’s bounty, and collaborate with others in our own ecosystem to continuously develop our world-leading portfolio.
How? We combine the “savoir faire” of traditional cultivation and extraction with state-of-the-art green technologies. We work with suppliers and partners to protect natural resources and growers at source and make ingredients more sustainable for people and planet alike. And we enhance what nature provides through high-quality innovation at our Center of Excellence, producing unique ingredients that inspire perfumers and anticipate the fast-changing demands of the industry.
Our strategy for excellence in naturals
Discover how our ingredients are born and raised
Sustainable procurement standards
Engage
Mandatory Code of Ethics and Responsible Sourcing Policy for all our suppliers
Responsible sourcing
Protect
A portfolio of responsibly sourced ingredients with three collections
Advance
Involvement at source to support people and nature
Connect
Privileged links with some of the best producers to assess progress and challenges in naturals supply chain
Innovation
Craft
Innovative ingredients from advanced and clean extraction technologies, including our revolutionary, sustainable Firgood® process.
Ethically sourced naturals
From rose and vanilla to frankincense and pink pepper, we source hundreds of delightful naturals – always making and measuring a positive difference by following the dsm-firmenich Responsible Sourcing Policy and working with independent partners.
We also collaborate closely with our suppliers to ensure the quality and sustainability of our ingredients. We ensure we source ethically, providing a fair deal for growers and greater traceability and transparency for customers and consumers. In other words, we're supporting a more ethical perfumery value chain and driving progress for people and planet.
A history of expertise
We're continuously growing our experience and capabilities as industry leaders in naturals. Discover our story so far: a tale of innovation, inspiration, and acquisitions.
A natural home for naturals excellence
Our unique Naturals Center of Excellence is where more than 100 years of timeless tradition meet the twenty-first-century face of science, innovation, and quality.
Located in Grasse, in the south of France, our Center of Excellence has been home to our world-leading naturals experts since 2007. Specializing in everything from sourcing to bioscience, our teams work together to support traditional cultivation that respects the natural world we rely on. Then, it’s all about responsibly scaling up our laboratory innovation to pilot development and, ultimately, to industrial production.
Evolution
Reviving local cultivation by improving traditional farming and implementing high-tech extraction methods
Innovation
Innovating, developing, and delivering natural and renewable solutions
“Innovation in naturals combines responsible sourcing, extraction technology, and our leadership in biotechnology and green chemistry.”
Xavier Brochet, Global Head of Natural Product Innovation
Extraction techniques
We know natural materials are precious – so we use them responsibly and innovatively. In Ingredients, we combine traditional and advanced extraction methods to obtain 100%-natural ingredients. These processes include supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), molecular distillation, and hybrid technologies like co-extraction, headspace analysis, and natural reconstitution.
Biotechnology
We’ve long been pioneers in biotechnology: exploring its potential, pushing new boundaries, and leading a fast-moving revolution. By producing 100%-natural ingredients through fermentation, we ensure the supply reliability and product consistency that customers and consumers demand.
Natural molecules
After more than 30 years of producing natural molecules from natural feedstocks, we know a thing or two about continuously improving our processes. Thanks to enzymatic reaction, fermentation, bio- or natural transformation, isolation, and more, we’re constantly enriching our naturals palette – and inspiring new generations of perfumers.
Certified quality
We’re proud to offer ingredients that have been awarded the official “Absolue Pays de Grasse” geographical indication. It’s a mark that recognizes the region’s three-century-long contribution to and know-how in perfumery cultivation and industrial processes – so you know you’re getting the unique quality of a Grasse absolute and an ingredient that meets high standards of cultivation, extraction, and transformation.
Valorizing precious resources
With customers and consumers increasingly demanding more sustainable formulations, we embrace upcycling as part of the solution. Whether it’s salvaging citrus oils from discarded orange peels, or collecting cedar oil from furniture woodchips, our approach is to turn by-products, waste, or unused material into higher-value products. By minimizing waste, pollution, and consumption of energy and resources, upcycling enables high-quality ingredients with a lower environmental footprint.
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