DSM-Firmenich Partners With Biotech Start-up to Create Natural Scent Ingredients

Jennifer Weil

19 March 2024 at 3:26 pm·3-min read

PARIS — Nutrition, health and beauty supplier DSM-Firmenich has partnered with Interstellar Lab, a biotech start-up that develops biofarming solutions, to conceive exclusive natural ingredients for sustainable scents.

“Together, the two companies aim to spearhead advancements in botanical ingredient production, marking a significant leap forward in DSM-Firmenich’s quest to expand and explore the boundaries of natural innovation in agrotech, and to unlock new dimensions in olfactive richness and sustainable innovation,” DSM-Firmenich said in a statement Tuesday.

More from WWD

“This collaboration aims to pioneer an ingredient research program focusing on the impact of environmental conditions on plant yield and phenotype evaluation,” the company continued.

Fragrance suppliers have been expanding their biotech know-how as their clients and consumers are on a rising quest for more natural and sustainably made perfumes.

The compound annual growth rate of the natural fragrance market globally is expected to be 7.5 percent between 2022 and 2030, when it should reach $48.3 billion, according to Market Research Future.

Interstellar Lab develops and operates advanced biofarming platforms in order to speed up plant growth and trigger specific molecules in plants. It has artificial intelligence-controlled biofarms to optimize energy and resources consumption, capture carbon dioxide and improve ingredients’ life-cycle assessments with a data-driven approach, according to DSM-Firmenich.

“Our biofarming platform represents a revolution in the perfumery landscape, understanding and addressing the current industry needs to provide renewable ingredients, responsibly sourced and produced, that inspire creators and respect the environment,” said Barbara Belvisi, chief executive officer and founder of Interstellar Lab.

“At DSM-Firmenich, we valorize natural ingredients and continuously push the boundaries of innovation and sustainability for perfumery,” said Michal Benmayor, vice president perfumery innovation and sustainability at DSM-Firmenich. “Our partnership with Interstellar Lab represents another avenue of exploration in agrotech, expanding our ability to harness the synergy of nature and science, breaking the conventions to uncover unparalleled excellence in both olfactive quality and sustainability for our creations.”

Together, Interstellar Lab and DSM-Firmenich will also try to reduce the climate impact of farming and to preserve biodiversity in critical ecosystems.

“Our commitment to innovation drives us to continually expand the horizons of natural ingredients,” said Xavier Brochet, global head of natural innovation at DSM-Firmenich.

“By exploring cutting-edge agrotech advancements, we’re reshaping the landscape of species selection, anticipating challenges of production and sourcing and prioritizing the highest quality of ingredients,” he continued. “This dedication ensures we deliver the purest and most authentic natural extracts for perfumery.”

DSM-Firmenich, a Swiss-Dutch company listed on Euronext Amsterdam, is increasingly focusing fully on its core nutrition, health and beauty business. In mid-February, the group said it will spin off its animal nutrition and health activity with that aim in mind.

Firmenich and DSM merged in May 2023 to become the world’s largest fragrance, beauty, well-being and nutrition supplier.

In 2023, DSM-Firmenich’s net profit rose 26 percent to 2.15 billion euros on sales that grew 27 percent to 10.63 billion euros.

Best of WWD

BBC
World's smallest elephant in danger of dying out
Only an estimated 1,000 individuals remain in the wild but conservationists remain optimistic.
Euronews
Beat them or eat them: What should we do about invasive species in the ocean?
Should we beat them, or eat them? In this episode of Ocean Calls, we’re embarking on a journey to unravel the mysteries of invasive species in EU waters. They unsettle the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, so what can we do about them?
HuffPost
Trump Did Say 1 True Thing At The Presidential Debate
The former president spoke about one simple, "immaculate" truth about his first term in the White House.
PA Media: UK News
Bornean elephant assessed as endangered in new threatened species list
An update to the IUCN Red List of threatened species also warns of a threat to lizards from invasive snakes and impacts of illegal cactus trade.
South China Morning Post
2 giant pandas set off from China to the US - for first time in over 20 years
For the first time in more than 20 years, giant pandas are travelling from China to the United States. The five-year-old male Yun Chuan and nearly four-year-old female Xin Bao are expected to arrive at the San Diego Zoo in California later this week after setting off from China on Wednesday. The pair will travel 7,000 miles, accompanied by caretakers who will help them adjust to their new environment. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answer
The Telegraph
Last woolly mammoths were inbred, but that’s not why they became extinct
The last woolly mammoths were inbred, scientists have discovered, but this is not the reason they became extinct.
The Guardian
‘It’s a poison and it’s killing us’: the hidden dangers of old UK landfills
With thousands of sites possibly leaking toxic chemicals, some people have already faced years of misery
Associated Press
Female capybara goes to Florida as part of a breeding program for the large South American rodents
A female capybara has arrived at a Florida zoo as part of a breeding program to bolster the population of the large South American rodents. Iyari, a 10-month-old capybara, went to the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in May from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
PropertyGuru
Sime Darby Property Continues to See High Demand for the City of Elmina with 98% Overall Take-up for Elmina Ridge 1
The overwhelming response reaffirms the strong demand for exclusivity and sustainable living in the award-winning township of the City of Elmina.
Reuters Videos
Bornean elephants endangered due to human activity
STORY: Elephants living on the South Asian island of Borneo have become endangered.And human activities such as agriculture, mining, and logging are to blame.That’s according to a recent assessment by wildlife experts.The International Union for Conservation of Nature says there are around 1,000 Bornean elephants left in the wild.Craig Hilton-Taylor heads the IUCN Red List Unit, which assesses animal species' risk of extinction. "A thousand individuals, of which only 400 are mature. Those are the breeding individuals. It's a small population, and it could easily disappear if we just let development happen without any conservation actions.”The IUCN says the number of Bornean elephants has decreased over the last 75 years - initially due to extensive logging.The animals have since entered human-dominated areas, searching for food.That in turn can cause them to destroy crops and face retribution killing.Malaysian and Indonesian authorities are working on conservation action plans to help the species cope with human development.The plans will require extensive coordination with corporations, private landowners and conservationists.
The Hill
Garbage dumps may be ‘burping’ toxic ‘forever chemicals’: Study
As many municipal landfills belch out gas from decomposing organic matter, they are also releasing toxic “forever chemicals” into the air, a new study has found. Scientists measured unexpectedly high levels of airborne per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at three dumps they surveyed — demonstrating the ability of these persistent contaminants to escape into the…
CNN
Panda express: First pair to enter the United States in 21 years arrive in California
San Diego’s newest giant pandas landed in California on Thursday, according to Chinese state media – marking the first time Beijing has granted new panda loans to the United States in two decades.
The Edge Singapore
Sembcorp secures long-term power purchase agreements with GSK subsidiaries
The agreements have tenures of up to 10 years and will commence Jan 1, 2025.
The Telegraph
Damage to protected chalk stream left unchecked by Natural England for 11 years
Damage to a protected chalk stream has gone unchecked by Natural England for more than a decade, according to new analysis.
The Independent
New drone footage shows 97% of coral is dead in northern Great Barrier Reef
Bleaching event, which follows a similar one last summer, is fifth in eight years after parts of reef subjected to extreme heat stress
AFP News
'Not crazy to be optimistic' on climate tech, Gates tells investors
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday urged investors to get behind cutting-edge climate technologies he says would drive a "green industrial revolution" and a next wave of global prosperity.- 'Green industrial revolution' - Less than a decade ago, Gates said, there was very little investor interest in climate technologies.
PA Media: UK News
100% of energy from renewables ‘essential’ for the planet, Greens say
Moving towards renewables would ‘save the public billions’, Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater has said.
INSIDER
The Supreme Court is poised to unleash a weapon against Biden's climate policies
The Supreme Court is poised to curtail the federal government's power to regulate the environment, including President Joe Biden's climate policies.
CNN
This technology could transform one of the world’s dirtiest industries. Experts say it’s way off pace
Steelmaking is responsible for up to 9% of global planet-heating pollution. The technology exists to clean it up but big obstacles remain
Associated Press
Rainforest animal called a kinkajou rescued from dusty highway rest stop in Washington state
One of the mammals — which look like a cross between a monkey and a tiny bear — was found far from its normal rainforest habitat this week at a highway rest stop amid the rolling sagebrush plains of central Washington state, officials say. Kinkajous have prehensile tails, and this one was spotted Sunday climbing on a tall wooden post along Interstate 82 southeast of Yakima, the state Department of Transportation said in a post on X. The animal was rescued by the state Fish and Wildlife Department.

Latest stories