The Spanish fragrance house has unveiled Verdenix, an active ingredient offering malodour counteraction (MOC) benefits. The innovation is made from upcycled material via a natural process.
When used with other perfumery ingredients, Verdenix acts as a booster in hand and body wash applications, as well as in dishwashing liquid products to quickly chemically eliminate foul smells. This new raw material, which was launched at the in-cosmetics Asia trade show in Bangkok earlier this month, comes hot on the heels of L’Âme du Bois, Eurofragance’s first captive ingredient dedicated to perfume creation. Actually, the two substances are closely related!
A sustainable, twice upcycled ingredient
“To understand Verdenix one must go back two years to the launch of L’Âme du Bois,” explains Eurofragance in a press release.
L’Âme du Bois was made by upcycling the discarded sawdust of western red cedar wood (Thuja plicata), which grows in western Canada. In the process of upcycling the cedar wood oil into L’Âme du Bois, 60% of material was set aside. The R&D scientists at Eurofragance decided to take a look at this unused fraction of material. Through an eco-friendly process, they were able to transform the leftover liquid into a new ingredient. This is how Verdenix was born: an ingredient upcycled from the manufacturing process of another upcycled ingredient!
Quantified efficacy
Tests have shown that in just over two minutes, Verdenix renders half of the malodour molecules (of certain compounds) undetectable by GCMS analytical equipment, and that in under six minutes the malodour is virtually gone. These findings were corroborated in sensorial panel tests conducted in the company’s labs.
According to Eurofragance, Verdenix controls foul smells in two complimentary ways: elimination and harmonization. In contact with certain compounds known to smell bad, Verdenix boosts their chemical elimination. In other cases, Verdenix harmonizes olfactively with the source of the malodor to reduce its perception.
“Verdenix works on two fronts, rendering it effective across a broad spectrum of malodors, and it produces its desired effect at extremely low dosages. A low dosage and a naturally agreeable olfactive profile, makes it easy for Perfumers to incorporate it in their fragrance compositions,” highlights Marina Melendo, R&D Scientist and leader of the Verdenix project at Eurofragance. “The most promising attribute of Verdenix is its ability — in conjunction with other ingredients — to quickly eliminate precise types of malodors. This is what consumers want; they want to restore a sense of purity to a situation that is unpleasant to them and potentially embarrassing.”
The upcycled ingredient is designed to be used in any type of product application that is positioned to combat disagreeable smells; this includes personal care products, including deos, soaps, and shower gels, as well as home care products such as cleaners, laundry detergents, or dishwashing liquids…
Eurofragance plans to create scents for its customers’ with Verdenix already embedded in the fragrance formula. “This means that there are no extra steps for the manufacturer—Verdenix offers a turnkey solution,” the company concludes.
