We go beyond traditional flavors & fragrances

Changes in consumer preferences and environmental concerns have seen our natural solutions become more important to our customers' products than ever before

Great taste and scent are at the heart of everything we do. At the same time, we recognize that today’s consumers care almost as much about the naturalness, health, nutritional and environmental benefits as well as the origin of the products they use day in day out.

Our focus on multi-functional, natural solutions – among others – address these changing concerns. In practice, that means a number of exciting expansions in our capabilities and solutions: from bringing our unique expertise to an increasingly discerning pet food market, to entering the probiotics market via our stake in Swedish innovators Probi.

30%

of sales are achieved in new business areas

CST

A by-product of the paper industry that we transform into fragrance materials

83.6%

of our strategic biological raw materials are derived from sustainable sources

The impact of mega-trends

Our extensive research identified the growing impact through mega trends early on, such as population growth, urbanization, increasing prosperity and economic progress in emerging markets. Additionally, people are increasingly aware of nutrition and care. With this approach, we are able to offer our customers matching solutions for their product portfolios adressing superfoods, craft, anti-aging cosmetics and many more. A big portion of these trends started in niche areas and has now become mainstream.

How mega-trends arise

Everything around us influences our preferences, from demographic changes to latest technologies.

The changing face of consumers

  • Disposable income is increasingly globally
  • The global population is aging
  • People are increasingly living in urban areas
  • Millennials are becoming the dominant generation of consumers
  • Household sizes are shrinking

Knowledge to keep us at the forefront of a changing world


Understanding, and even predicting, consumer trends and preferences plays a vital role in enabling us to create products and solutions that meet our customers' needs and that consumers love.

Our international marketing teams ensure that we have our finger on the pulse all over the world. From growing regional trends to universal changes in the way people consume certain products, we can offer our customers unparalleled market insights, helping them stay one step ahead.

Consumer trends

Are Europeans moving from three set meals to more frequent, snack-sized portions? Do pet owners now expect the same quality ingredients to appear in their cat and dog food as they do their own?

Our research teams study the way wide-ranging, shifting trends can impact on both our own products and those of our customers. They help us ensure that our strategy reflects the world we operate in, and that our solutions meet the expectations of consumers. 

Consumer insights

What specific flavors does a German person look for when enjoying a sweet snack? Does someone from South America look for the same sensorial experience?

Our in-depth consumer insights allow us to guide our customers from brief to final product, safe in the knowledge that the end result will appeal to exactly the demographic they’re targeting.

Who`s influencing market change?

Consumers, customers, other businesses, suppliers of raw materials, and the wider world in general… all impact our activities in the fragrance, flavor, natural nutrition and cosmetic ingredients market.

Consumers

Consumer needs and preferences are constantly evolving – whether it’s a universal move towards more ‘flexitarian’ diets, the way pet owners in different regions look after their animals or the lookout for renewable materials on the ingredient lists. Such shifts have the power to change the direction of the markets we operate in.

74%  of pet owners expect the food for their pets to be of the same quality as their own food.

Customers

Products for our customers often need to fulfil a vast range of criteria – from price and fragrance ingredients to multi-functional requirements. This directly impacts the solution they want from us. The broad portfolio of our Aroma Molecules division enriched by our renewable components make us the no. 1 producer of fragrance raw materials, while the innovative developments of our cosmetics ingredients have made us the no. 1 supplier of premium active ingredients.

No. 1  supplier of premium active ingredients.

Other businesses

Our acquisitions strategy allows us to both improve and expand the solutions we can bring to market: from the backward integrated natural nutrition solutions of Diana that bring a natural appeal to our customers’ products, sustainable capabilities of former Rennesenz that now support 30 % of our internal flavor and fragrance creations, to the added probiotic functionality that Probi bring to our offerings.

56 billion  Demand for probiotics to continue to rise within the next years considerably.

Suppliers

Our global supply chains encompass highly complex material flows and supplier relations. As we work to secure reliable, sustainable supplies in the short and long-term, the suppliers and types of suppliers we work with can change, influencing the products and solutions we develop for customers.

150+  countries from which we source over 10,000 raw materials.

The wider world

Environmental, social and political shifts around the world, such as urbanization and millennial’s consumption behavior, can impact on the fragrance, flavor, natural nutrition and cosmetic ingredients markets. We have set up our business to respond to these changes with maximum agility, at the same time enabling innovation and ensuring responsible approaches.

9  UN Sustainable Development Goals that we actively address through our sustainability measures.

Discover trends from our core areas!

Agrofood

People want to know increasingly where their food comes from, what nutritional and health aspects it delivers. This manifests itself in a demand for ingredients such as natural and authentic, ‘more conscious’ and natural snacking options, ‘free-from’ and authentic, or vegetarian/vegan varieties of products.

Beauty

Beauty care demands are changing around the globe, from multi-ethnic hair products to highly effective sun protection that also smells fantastic. Health, happiness and convenience are key drivers, with awareness around air pollution and environmental issues also leading to innovative solutions.

Cosmetics Ingredients

People want to feel comfortable in their own skin and look radiant. Promises they expect from novel cosmetic ingredients are preventing signs of aging before they become visible, nourishing even the most sensitive skin, protecting their outer shell from environmental aggressors and using natural treasures to create true beauty for everyone and long-term protection inside and out.

Pet Food

A growing number of pet owners consider their four-legged friends true members of their families. They celebrate their cat’s or dog’s birthday and create social media profiles for them. This phenomenon, called pet parenting, enjoys growing popularity around the world. Shoppers of pet products now expect more product choice and quality, as well as enjoyment for their pets.

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