By will-buy
Ever thought your favourite fragrance could be produced from wood waste, turpentine or perhaps carbon emissions? A new era of scents made from upcycled ingredients might be about to change the way we smell forever.
While upcycling – repurposing something set for the bin – isn't new, magnifying this on the corporate, global scale is needed to lower our collective footprint. And with 65% of shoppers saying they need more environmentally responsible scents, according to fragrance company Firmenich, it makes financial sense.
Indie brands such as UpCircle show others what it is done, turning used argument into products for the face and the body. The perfume industry has followed suit.
'There are a few cool ingredients that are upcycled,' says fragrance expert Alice du Parcq. 'Sawdust left over from cabinet making, for instance, turpentine (which when distilled smells like sandalwood) from paper production, and oak barrels remaining from the wine industry.'
Perfumer Emilie Bouge says the is finding 'exciting' new aromas from materials they have used.
Myrica Muse (lb95, millerharris.com) her latest creation for British fragrance house Miller Harris contains patchouli however in a way we've never witnessed before.
'Patchouli is an extremely complex blend and Two decades ago we accustomed to focus on the heart of the patchouli and discard the earthier areas of this acrylic to create a “purer” scent,' says Bouge. 'Now we're revisiting these discarded molecules, not just to reduce waste but also to use and highlight the ingredient in a new way.
