The beauty industry has long harnessed biotechnology — namely taking the most powerful skincare ingredients in nature and recreating them using science to make them more potent, stable, skin-compatible, and environmentally friendly. As these processes have developed and become more commonplace, uptake and investment have increased, costs have come down and new possibilities have emerged.
Initially rather slower to incorporate such technology in a widespread way, the fragrance sector is now steadily moving biotech processes from the fringes to the forefront of its development plans, with iconic perfume houses like DSM-Firmenich and Givaudan incorporating lab-grown ingredients into both new and heritage fragrances.
