Stimulate innovation; preserve our heritage

IFRA champions the preservation of traditional fragrance ingredients and methods that are culturally significant and unique to specific regions – while integrating the innovation that keeps the sector at the forefront of quality, safety and consumer enjoyment.

Fragrance is more than just attractive smells: it is an entire ecosystem. Fragrance businesses of all sizes – including hundreds of SMEs across the EU – craft high quality products, foster sustainable tourism, and underpin cultural traditions that are at the heart of the identity of many European regions. 

By investing 8% of the annual turnover – representing 2x the EU average investment of large global companies – in research and development, the fragrance industry is a role model in Europe embracing new technologies and encouraging creativity. Innovation allows the fragrance industry to maintain and sustain the roots of these traditions. It has enabled the sector to stand out, develop and expand whilst continuously adapting to the evolution of tastes, techniques and legislative change. 

The sector drives continuous improvement and is investing heavily in digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence. AI tools can support the management of evolving consumer needs, through digitalizing informed use of sustainable alternatives, incorporating the cutting-edge knowledge on the safety and environmental footprint of raw materials, and in parallel optimizing raw material management, and reducing waste.

European policy makers must build on the fragrance sector’s demonstrated ability to innovate and grow while embracing its deep cultural roots. 

The European Union has already identified this need, having created a mechanism to assess these characteristics. The European Commission’s Better Regulation Toolbox requires these legitimate factors to be carefully considered and weighted. 

The Toolbox includes, inter alia, evaluation of elements such as Research and Innovation, an SME ‘test’, and reflects upon cultural aspects. However, the commitment to the implementation of these tests is still not as robust as it should be.