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From farm plots to production plants
According to the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, around one million tonnes of fragrance ingredients are used every year. Fragrances come from all over the world, in both natural and synthetic form. About three-quarters of fragrance now comes from modern synthesis plants around the world, while the remaining share is sourced from natural ingredients. Bringing these two worlds together gives perfumers both consistency and the creative freedom that consumers expect.
Global origins of key inputs
Synthetic fragrance creation begins with molecules crafted in chemical plants located on every continent, from the Gulf Coast of North America to coastal provinces in East Asia. These facilities, operating to pharmaceutical-grade standards, supply approximately seventy-five percent of the global volume of aroma materials.
The remaining share originates in fields, forests and waterways worldwide. About ninety-thousand hectares of land are devoted to crops such as lavender, rose, patchouli, vetiver and citrus; tens of thousands of families collect resins, gums and spices; and coastal communities evaporate sea water in salt pans to crystallise natural aldehydes.
Whether engineered or harvested, every litre of material passes through refining, quality control and safety assessment before perfumers combine them into fragrance concentrates that brands can dose into fine perfumes, shampoos, detergents or candles.
This global movement of ideas, labour and raw materials results in scents that can evoke a memory in Paris, add reassurance in Nairobi or convey luxury in São Paulo, and yet always trace their origins back to a seamless partnership between science and nature.