Seeing Through Natural Fragrances

By: Katie Schaefer, Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine

Posted: February 3, 2011, from the February 2011 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

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Maubert claims that his company is unique in its involvement in each step of the creation process, which happens throughout the world as the company sources nearly 100 ingredients from 35 countries. In addition, the company uses its knowledge of natural materials to help growers to be more successful.

Maubert emphasized, “In many cases, [our] experts work with farming communities all over the world and have done so for generations. Season after season, harvest after harvest, the company has taken its knowledge of naturals and added a true competency to help farmers produce better crops and achieve better yields.” He added that the company often owns or has joint ventures within these communities. An example is in the Isparta region of Turkey, the world’s second largest producer of Turkish rose, where the company has held a presence for 60 years.

Maubert added that in areas where the company does not have this presence, it extends its knowledge to the local growers and once the material is sourced, the company conducts advanced processing and extraction techniques to obtain usable scents.

Fragrance, Cosmetic Application

The company has applied its S2S program in the creation of Evening at GoldenEye, a fragrance developed to capture the essence of Chris Blackwell’s GoldenEye resort in Jamaica. “Rather than just being ‘inspired by [Jamaica]’ through an island visit, we established links with local growers and applied our knowledge to forge an ongoing commercial project with the grower,” he explained. Olivia Jan, the perfumer in charge of developing the scent, traveled to Blackwell’s resort to experience the environment, smell the ingredients located there, and select growers in the area that produce those ingredients. In particular, Jan chose Jamaican pimento oil to create the final fragrance.

Although the program has only been applied to concept fragrances, it can be applied to a variety of fragrance and flavor applications, according to Maubert, including fragrances for personal care products. In addition to providing natural and organic product formulators with added claims support in relation to sourcing, the program affords product developers the opportunity to put the minds of their eco-conscious consumers at ease.