This article is only available to registered users.
Log In to View the Full Article
Read the full 2026 Fragrance Leaders & Newsmakers issue here.
*Commentary courtesy of Mane
- 2025 revenue: €2.012 billion ($2.273 billion), representing 6.5% growth at constant exchange rates and scope
- Headquarters: Le Bar-sur-Loup, France
Mane
Ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainties are reshaping markets worldwide. Inflationary pressures, currency volatility and shifting global trade dynamics are affecting both consumer confidence and industry value chains. This context calls for agility, resilience and a clear long-term vision.
For Mane, these challenges also represent strategic opportunities.
Mane’s longstanding multi-local operating model is a key asset in navigating this increasingly volatile landscape. With a global presence supported by 54 R&D centers worldwide, Mane is uniquely positioned to respond quickly to evolving market conditions while remaining close to customers and consumers.
This decentralized organization enables faster decision-making, greater flexibility and the ability to adapt formulations, creative approaches and innovation pipelines to local realities. In times of uncertainty, proximity to markets is more critical than ever.
One of Mane’s strongest differentiators lies in its deep understanding of local cultures and scent preferences. Supported by robust consumer insight capabilities, the group continuously invests in regional expertise and local talent to translate cultural nuances into relevant olfactive solutions.
Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, Mane co-creates fragrances that are deeply rooted in local usage, rituals and aspirations. This ability to interpret local consumer expectations, while leveraging global creative and scientific excellence represents a decisive growth lever for the coming years.
Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East remain at the center of Mane’s growth strategy. These regions continue to show strong demographic fundamentals, and an increasing appetite for fragrance across all categories.
Mane has reinforced its footprint in these markets by expanding R&D capabilities in Bangladesh, opening a new perfume creation center in Thailand to further strengthen local creative teams, and celebrating 20 years of presence in the Middle East with the opening of a brand-new perfumery creative center in Dubai as well as the opening of a branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These investments reflect Mane’s long-term commitment to building sustainable, locally anchored growth platforms.
Local R&D centers act as innovation hubs that combine creativity, technical expertise and market intelligence. This model allows Mane not only to anticipate emerging trends, but also to respond rapidly to changing consumer behaviors. Perfumers have the voice of consumers at their fingerprint.
While 2026 presents undeniable challenges, Mane approaches the future with confidence. Its global yet local organization, strong vertical integration particularly into natural ingredients, unique creative culture, and continuous investment in talent, insights and infrastructure provide a solid foundation for sustainable growth.
By combining local relevance with global excellence, pursuing its strategy of continuous investments, Mane is well positioned to shape the future of fragrance.
Tapping Neuroscience, Biotech and AI to Redefine Fragrance’s Role
On the consumer side, one of the most significant changes is the growing demand for fragrances that go beyond scent. Consumers increasingly view fragrance as a wellness companion, seeking emotional and functional benefits such as relaxation, stress reduction, or enhanced focus.
At Mane, this shift is addressed through the integration of neuroscience into fragrance creation. Our Wellmotion platform, a unique technology based on salivary biomarkers, paired with AI-assisted consumer insights, allows us to measure emotional responses and design fragrances that demonstrably support well-being. This science-backed approach enables perfumers to create scents that are not only beautiful but also validate claims and are emotionally resonant.
In parallel, fragrance is increasingly used as a tool for self-expression. Consumers are moving away from the idea of a single “signature scent” toward curated fragrance wardrobes. Layering, personalization and mood-based rituals are becoming the norm, with collections reflecting the many versions of oneself throughout the day or across life moments. Fragrance is no longer static, it is fluid, intimate and identity driven.
The evolution of the beauty market is shaped by several major trends: heightened demand for sensory performance, credible and emotionally resonant sustainability, and a multi-dimensional approach to wellness and longevity. Inclusive culture driven by demographic shifts and new innovation territories also plays a pivotal role.
On the ingredients side, innovation is accelerating at the intersection of green chemistry, biotechnology and artificial intelligence as a tool to accelerate research. These technologies such as Mane Jungle Essence and E-Pure Jungle Essence are expanding the olfactive palette available to perfumers.
Biotechnology is opening new creative horizons. A clear illustration of this shift is Antillone, Mane’s natural biotech ingredient. Naturally found in certain fruits, particularly pineapple, Antillone delivers a powerful fruity-green note with outstanding vibrancy. It exemplifies how biotechnology can preserve the essence and emotion of nature, while ensuring consistency, sustainability and long-term availability. This is where the future of fragrance lies: at the meeting point of sustainability and craftsmanship.
At the global market level, the fragrance industry is becoming more fragmented, faster and increasingly local. While globalization remains a reality, growth is now driven by regional dynamics, cultural specificity and local consumer behaviors.
In this context, proximity to markets has become a strategic advantage. Local creation, supported by global expertise, enables Mane to respond quickly to trends while maintaining creative excellence and consistency.
Fueling Growth with Biotech Acquisitions, AI Investment and Market Expansion
Recent initiatives that best illustrate our current growth strategy reflect a strong focus on innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation, while continuing expanding on markets.
The acquisition of Chemosensoryx, renowned for its expertise in olfactory and gustatory receptor chemistry and sensory biotechnology, enables MANE to accelerate research into the intricate mechanisms of scent and taste perception, paving the way for more effective and distinctive fragrance and flavor creations.
In parallel, we continue to invest in biotechnology capabilities, further expanded by our acquisition of Avoca in 2025, which has significantly increased our expertise and production capacity. These initiatives underscore our commitment to strengthening our R&D capabilities and pioneering sustainable innovation in flavors, fragrances, and ingredients.
Mane growth strategy is also based on expanding our customer portfolio across all market segments while remaining resilient and committed to growth within our core business. This balanced approach sets us as a unique partner in the industry, ensuring both diversification and strength in our foundational expertise.
Finally, we are accelerating our digital transformation, with increased investments in artificial intelligence, digitization and operational process optimization.
Supercharging Fragrance Innovation with AI-Driven Creation and Insight
Mane sees artificial intelligence as a transformative force reshaping many facets of the fragrance sector. AI and machine learning are now central to our innovation strategy, enabling us to create more relevant fragrances, faster, and to better align them with both technical requirements and consumer expectations. We launched a global AI transformation program to accelerate adoption across the business while ensuring robust governance and responsible use.
Through generative AI, our perfumers and evaluators can rapidly brainstorm new concepts and generate alternative directions based on olfactive briefs or market needs. AI-driven formula optimization allows us to predict and enhance key technical properties such as blooming, long-lastingness, and overall sensorial performance, enabling earlier performance prediction and reducing time-consuming trial and error. In addition, our GenAI Regulatory Assistant helps teams anticipate regulatory constraints, ensuring safe products for consumers.
AI also empowers deeper consumer understanding: with our Wellmotion platform, we combine neuroscience with advanced algorithms to predict the emotional responses specific fragrance profiles may elicit, allowing us to design scents that evoke targeted feelings. Our AI analytics further enable us to better listen to consumers, scanning online reviews and social conversations to detect emerging scent preferences, faster triggering business answers to market trends for our clients. This year, we launched ManeGPT, our internal Generative AI assistant, as a global acculturation program to maximize the impact of our initiatives. ManeGPT is not just a tool, it is the starting point of our digital transformation all within a secure and responsible framework.
From Source to Scent: Mane Accelerates Regenerative, Risk-Free Fragrance Supply Chains
To achieve this, we are intensifying our efforts to secure sustainable supply chains that are free from major human, social, and environmental risks and ensuring compliance with upcoming regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). We have implemented systematic risk mapping across all our natural ingredient supply chains, allowing us to identify strategic high-risk areas and take focused action through tailored remediation plans. This continuous improvement approach requires working hand in hand with our suppliers to address challenges and build long-term resilience.
At Mane, we also consider sustainability to be inseparable from our responsibility toward people. We aim to foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse industry while actively engaging all our employees in our sustainability journey, in programs such as MANEkind in the Americas.
Climate change is another critical issue, already impacting yields and harvests. In response, we are actively supporting more sustainable farming practices by investing in regenerative and agroecological farming models. These initiatives not only strengthen the resilience of our supply chains but also help restore ecosystems and support local communities. Our partnership with The Red List Project illustrates our engagement and allows us to bring the scents of endangered plant species to consumers in a form that both protects and supports these precious habitats.
Following our involvement in the Climate Convention for Businesses, we are drawing an even more ambitious ESG strategy. Our new ten-year compass is built around planetary boundaries, living systems, and regenerative (positive net impact) ambition, with the goal of fully integrating socioeconomic and environmental considerations into every facet of our corporate decision-making.
