L’Oréal Teams With Cosmo on Green Sciences Extraction Process
The scalable, sustainable method allows for the capture of a fresh flower's exact scent, executives said.
PARIS — L'Oréal and Cosmo International Fragrances have inked an exclusive partnership for a cutting-edge, scalable green sciences-based extraction process.
“You really capture the exact scent of a fresh flower,” explained Marc Blaison, president of Cosmo.
The ambient scent capture uses only air, harnessing the volatile fragrance molecules of flowers, fruits and other naturally derived ingredients. The technology eschews water, heat, cooling and chemical solvents, which are all used in traditional scent extraction.
“It uses very low energy,” explained Blaison, of the new technology, adding the extraction machine can be plugged into any regular electrical socket.
Since flowers undergoing this green sciences extraction process retain their integrity, they generally can be used in a second extraction process, thus helping to reduce waste.
L'Oréal said the approach sets new frontiers for the group's fine fragrance development, expanding the perfumers' palette with wholly natural and pure scent extracts. The company has more than 100 fragrance experts in-house.
L'Oréal is open to collaborations aligned with its vision and values, the company said.
“Open innovation goes beyond commercial partnership, as we look for real cocreation,” said Barbara Lavernos, deputy chief executive officer in charge of research, innovation and technology, at L'Oréal.
“We have a lot in common with Cosmo, which made this collaboration a real meeting of the minds on top of the meeting of expertise,” she continued. “Cosmo is deeply committed to sustainability, as is L'Oréal, and sees it as essential to fragrance-crafting. Our business is deeply intertwined with nature, and we have a duty to act responsibly at every step of the process — from field to fragrance.”
L'Oréal's and Cosmo's first focus will be on tuberose, then other flowers and plants are to follow. The debut fragrance from
L'Oréal containing the tuberose is due out next year.
“True-to-life scents are the perfumer's dream come true and the ultimate luxury quality. Together with Cosmo, our brands will take fine fragrance crafting to new heights by offering unprecedented olfactive authenticity, allowing natural ingredients to express their full olfactive identity like never before,” said Cyril Chapuy, president of L'Oréal Luxe, in a statement.
“As the world leader in fine fragrances, embracing sustainability throughout the whole fragrance value chain is not just a choice, it's our conviction,” he continued. “From ingredient-sourcing to refill-adoption, we are innovating at every step to reduce our impact and shift toward a more responsible fragrance model.
This partnership with Cosmo allows us to inaugurate a new era of mindful crafting for our luxury fragrances.”
Green sciences are a keystone of the sustainability strategy at L'Oréal, which aims to develop a new paradigm with nature at the core. Today, 61 percent of the group's formula ingredients are biobased, derived from abundant minerals from circular processes.
“The more we move to green sciences, the more we can bring the best of natural ingredients to consumers,” Lavernos said.
L'Oréal has set a sustainability roadmap through 2030 called L'Oréal for the Future. The program is built on respecting the boundaries of planet Earth and bolstering the group's sustainability and inclusion commitments, with the environmental focus on addressing the preservation of biodiversity, sustainable water management, circular use of resources and climate change.
By 2030, the company aims to have wholly eco-designed formulas that respect aquatic ecosystems and 95 percent of the company's ingredients stemming from renewable plant-based resources or abundant minerals.
“We share the same values about sustainability, and respect of nature and the human being,” said Blaison, who explained the partnership happened naturally.
He said the tie-in also creates an opportunity Cosmo's research and processes to push the boundaries of green sciences further.
Cosmo is a private, family-owned fragrance supplier that is more than 40 years old. The group has creation and production centers in the U.S., Europe and Asia. It owns some farms in South America, where it cultivates plants and flowers, as well.
Cosmo's scientists are located in the region of Grasse, in the south of France.