A good perfume is always an encounter. Or the sum of many, as was evident in the cultural exhibition The Art
Reason, intuition, know-how, storytelling, power… and green science. Creative and scientific innovation, from the extraction method to the design of the bottles, as a driving force to develop exceptional olfactory qualities with a sustainable and responsible approach. A mirror of what the times demand and the ability to capture its essence.
Since 1964, L'Oréal has been building a solid portfolio of luxury scent brands that already have a place reserved in the collective memory. Lancôme, Prada, YSL, Mugler, Valentino, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Viktor
“We have created Signature palettes with ingredients that are unique, and that can be used here and there in different proposals, but each fragrance is completely different. The common link is the production and origin of the ingredients,” summarizes the directive.
In addition to raw materials, there is a relevant element in all proposals: time. “For YSL's Libre, it took seven years and 1,500 tests to find the exact formula,” recalls Lavernos.
Smelling good is feeling good. “Today we seek uniqueness and well-being, and perfumes have that magic. They allow you to express who you are at different times,” says Barbara Lavernos. “The beauty of the future is reinvented with biotechnology, better harnessing the power of nature and with a more sustainable extraction of its natural assets,” she anticipates.
The example applied to perfume is Osmobloom, a new slow process, without water, with low energy consumption and based on green sciences. “We are beginning to create the first fragrances with this technology and it will be revolutionary,” says the L’Oréal board.
“It fulfills the dream of everyone who creates perfumes: to achieve exactly the same fresh smell found in nature by obtaining 100% natural and pure extracts. With precision and without solvents”, he specifies. An extract of tuberose that will star in one of the novelties of the season will be the first to apply it.
At the Parisian exhibition you could appreciate the natural ingredients chosen for their olfactory uniqueness for the Group's Signature Collection, remember memories linked to perfumes that have made history and discover some, still secrets, ready to surprise.
A model of the Domaine de la Rose, a refuge of exceptional biodiversity in Grasse that Lancôme acquired and rehabilitated in 2020, vindicates the power of the Centifolia rose and anticipates some future commitments: by 2030 L'Oréal wants 95% of the ingredients for their formulas are biologically based – 100% traceable, coming from sustainable sources and not linked to deforestation –, derived from abundant minerals or circular processes. At the Aulnay-Sous-Bois factory, around 100,000 perfumes are manufactured per week.
AI and neuroscience can now help us choose perfumes based on the reaction and emotions that the smells provoke in our brain. For Barbara Lavernos, poetry is not at stake. “AI helps to imagine. It will not replace the art of experts, but it will simplify the path,” she predicts.
