The SymTrap technology holds its promises. After creating the first passionfruit note (maracuja), it has just given birth to new original extractions. Derived from the synergy between the Food and Fine Fragrance Symrise Divisions, this environmentally friendly creation is based on upcycled food by-products, which means the latter are valorised.
For these new creations, Symrise selected vegetables from organic cultures in France, Germany, and Belgium used by the Dianafood plant, a recent Brittany-based purchase. The vegetables are grounded, cut, and then heated to be used as food ingredients. The SymTrap technology captures the odorous molecules in steam and residual waters, concentrates them, and then removes water to inject alcohol. The highly concentrated vegetable alcoholate is a clean ingredient, since it results from waste recycling requiring neither heat nor chemicals.
A new playground
Symrise has managed to develop “old” vegetable SymTraps with asparaguses, artichokes, onions, leeks, and cauliflower – a new playground for perfumers. These real new materials, whose olfactory result is as close to the natural smell as possible, also provide certain compositions with a new texture or give more classic ingredients a new dimension, working on different aspects. “As perfumers, we work with an evolutionary palette. We keep looking for new creations with no prejudice about the smells. It is a real milestone for us to get five new materials in our palette,” explains Alexandra Carlin, perfumer at Symrise.
To illustrate the creative potential of these five new ingredients, Symrise perfumers shaped them and integrated them in original compositions. For example, Alexandra Carlin used artichoke from the Pyrenees to create a fern which enhances the choke, coumarin, tender and green accents of the vegetable.
As for Aliénor Massenet, she worked with a white asparagus from Germany. She highlighted its green, crunchy qualities in a thrush note. Similarly to galbanum, asparagus exacerbates the herbaceous undertones of the flower, while offering iridescent, powdery, cereal facets.
Leslie Gautier played with leek tones to enhance the saline, mineral dimensions of grey amber. The rather dense formula is endowed with the “violet leaf” greenness of this vegetable.
Cauliflower is also a real surprise: its unctuous texture and roasted tones were staged by Aliénor Massenet in a sweet, truly vanillin, pyrazine, ethyl-maltol-like fragrance with a pop-corn effect. The “texture” aspect of this new ingredient is a stimulating advantage for perfumers.
Lastly, onion’s sulphur notes were subverted by perfumer Alexandra Carlin to work on a spicy, woody perfume. She highlighted its skin, sensual characteristics, which she melted into the creamy, milky notes of sandalwood, “loosening it up”.
This small revolution paves the way for new olfactory territories. And it has only just started, since Symrise is now working on other ingredients, like carrot in France and cashew nut in Brazil.
Will brands highlight the presence of these new ingredients in their perfumes? Will this new palette be rather used to play with texture and undertones, without explicitly indicating it? The current craze for natural, organic, sustainable products cannot but play in favour of this innovation.
