” Xavier Renard, Givaudan” />
At the World Perfumery Congress 2024, Givaudan presented its new House of Naturals program. Intended to highlight the fragrance house’s expertise in natural ingredients, the project is based, among other things, on the creation of Campus 52, a center of excellence based in Grasse, in the south of France. Premium Beauty News talked to Xavier Renard, Global Head of Fine Fragrances, and Maxence Billas, Head of Naturals, at Givaudan.
Premium Beauty News – What is behind the launch of House Of Naturals?
Xavier Renard – With this project Givaudan wanted to highlight its experience in the production of natural ingredients. Roure, which merged in 1991 with Givaudan, was one of the first companies in Grasse to develop expertise in natural ingredients, to the point of being the first to open a trade counter in Madagascar. A heritage that we have nurtured over time through acquisitions such as Naturex, a company dedicated to botanical extraction, or Albert Vieille, a company that sells natural ingredients for perfumes and flavors.
We have enhanced our expertise through numerous partnerships with the main ingredient producers in the countries of origin of natural ingredients. Givaudan aims to bring together this large network within a single entity in Grasse, which will supervise the production of natural ingredients for perfumery.
Premium Beauty News – How is this project coming to fruition?
Xavier Renard – We acquired land in Grasse, where we plan to build our new Campus 52, which will bring together a factory, to transform and process natural ingredients, as well as an experiential space for our customers. This Center of Excellence dedicated to natural ingredients will also allow us to manage our supply chains around the world.
In addition to technical management, the new entity will host a perfumer, who will be in charge to guide the innovation work together with our creation division, and to define the qualities of each ingredient. Ultimately, our Mouans Sartoux and Vallauris sites will be grouped together in Grasse.
Premium Beauty News – What is at stake?
Maxence Billas – This project aims to bring the best quality of natural ingredients to our perfumers, whether they are well-known ingredients, or new innovative materials. With House of Naturals, our objective is to reach an unmatched level of uniqueness and quality, while renewing the natural palette available to our perfumers.
Premium Beauty News – What do you mean by innovation when natural ingredients are concerned?
Maxence Billas – In perfumery, innovation begins in the field. Agronomy is a great strength of Givaudan, it allows us to implement eco-responsible, regenerative agricultural practices that respect biodiversity. Botanical innovation also involves varietal selection, to bring both differentiation and uniqueness to our natural palette. Innovation here is based on the choice of a botanical variety or sub-variety. This selection can take into account a host of parameters, including climate adaptability.
We also seek to reduce distillation times – which are long and energy-intensive – with physical or enzymatic pretreatments of plants, that will provide easier access to odorous molecules and, maybe, reveal new olfactory facets.
Premium Beauty News – What about technological-based innovation?
Maxence Billas – This is another essential stake with this program: moving towards greener extractions. Indeed, many ingredients come from distillation, which is a very energy-intensive process, or from extraction, which usually uses solvents derived from petrochemicals. Our research and development work focuses on finding more efficient solvents, capable of extracting sufficient odorous molecules, while being cleaner. Our industry has already improved in this matter, but we must continue to explore new avenues to reduce our carbon footprint.
Premium Beauty News – With new ingredients in the sights?
Maxence Billas – Indeed, these new technologies can reveal new facets of classic ingredients. We are keen, through House of Naturals, to engage perfumers in the olfactory design of ingredients that will create a signature specific to Givaudan. Using fractionations for example, to highlight certain specific facets of a specific ingredient, such as the green, fruity or animal nuances of jasmine.
Our goal is to add to the perfumer’s palette all the facets of the same material. This is a way to elevate the natural ingredient experience. A tailor-made and haute-couture vision of naturals.
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