Natural Perfumery's Remarkable Journey in 2023
The year 2023 has been a remarkable chapter for the world of natural perfumery, marked by significant advancements and achievements that have elevated the industry to new heights. With a focus on sustainability, creativity, and compliance, several milestones have been reached, showcasing the industry's commitment to excellence and innovation.

Pascal Morabito, a luminary in the world of luxury, graced the year with a defining moment by signing our New Luxury Award, a testament to the exceptional quality and allure of our natural perfumes. This endorsement serves as a beacon of distinction, validating our unwavering dedication to crafting perfumes of unparalleled elegance and sophistication.

The art of Natural Perfume Development took a leap forward this year, as we dedicated ourselves, to turning creative concepts and formulas into tangible olfactory masterpieces, manufactured in the renowned fragrance hub of Grasse.
This endeavor not only celebrated creativity but also honored the rich tradition of perfume-making, ensuring that each fragrance carried with it a legacy of expertise leading to successful businesses.

Investments in Software and Training, spearheaded by Francoise Rapp, have been pivotal in ensuring that our natural perfumes adhere to European and international standards. This commitment to compliance has empowered our natural perfumers, granting them the resources to compile comprehensive regulatory files that align with the highest industry standards, fostering trust and reliability among our discerning patrons.

In a landmark move, our Natural Perfumery Academy expanded its reach, offering a diverse array of 10 courses and 35 MasterClasses online. This educational initiative has not only nurtured the next generation of perfumers but has also served as a platform for continuous learning and skill enhancement, enriching the industry with a wealth of knowledge and expertise.

Our presence at the Barcelona Perfumery Congress was a testament to our commitment to dialogue and exchange within the industry. It provided an invaluable opportunity to showcase our ethos and engage with fellow connoisseurs, further solidifying our position as a leading voice in the realm of natural perfumery.

The International Perfume Foundation's (IPF) support for projects aimed at the Development of Raw Material Growers and Distillers in Africa stands as a testament to our dedication to sustainability and ethical sourcing. Creezy Courtoy's compelling presentation on re-developing the Algerian bounty of perfume plants at the 5th "Salon des Plantes à Parfum et des plantes médicinales" in Algiers was a poignant reminder of our commitment to preserving botanical treasures and empowering local communities.

As the year drew to a close, our journey culminated in the vibrant and dynamic Natural Perfumery Exhibition in Taipei. This global showcase not only celebrated the artistry of natural perfumery but also served as a testament to our enduring commitment to sharing our passion with enthusiasts around the world.

As we reflect on the milestones of 2023, it is evident that this has been a year of remarkable progress, innovation, and collaboration for the natural perfumery industry. Each achievement stands as a testament to our unwavering dedication to excellence, sustainability, and the art of perfumery, setting the stage for an even more fragrant and inspiring future.​

For its first edition, The International Perfume Foundation's Perfume Celebration in Paris was a great success! 
We welcomed guests from China, Australia, India, Indonesia, USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Algeria, UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.
 
Homages were given to Jean Kerleo, Master Perfumer of Patou and founder of the Osmotheque and to Pierre Dinand, Master Perfume Bottle Designer.
 
The conferences were really interesting!
Jean-Marie Martin-Hattemberg, Perfume Bottles and Cosmetics Expert and Appraiser showed us the most beautiful packaging from the 1920’s followed by a round table about the future of packaging and the need to create beautiful collectible packaging before the industry could sustainably recycle packaging.  “To be recycled, all parts (plastic, glass, metal) should be separated, and it is not the case now but waiting for packaging to change brands could create beautiful collectible packaging” said Creezy Courtoy, IPF Founder and Chair.
 
Regarding the supply chain:    “We will need 30 years to relocalize “ said Ivan Borrego Valverde, General Manager at Beauty Cluster, the largest Spanish cluster on cosmetics and perfumes. Veronique Coty, President of the François Coty Association explained how she hardly found the last artisans to create her "Spoturno" perfume bottle. It was very informative as she had all the processes filmed and even learned how to create frosted glass stoppers with this ancient method not involving any plastic material.
Her conclusion is we need urgently to give more work to preserve these artisans, and help them to transmit their heritages to the next generations before they totally disappear.
 
Chen Li Morisset, President Rose Road Group and Founder of CABIO, the China Organic Beauty Association, confirmed the fact that Chinese are looking for Natural Perfume Brands. “An IPF China bureau in Beijing could support Natural Perfume Brands entering the Chinese Market, we have already signed agreements with the IPF Teacher’s Academy for teaching their curriculum in China”, she said. 

Terry Johnson, IPF Vice Chairman and Chairman of the International SEOS (Sustainable Essential Oils Standards) Committee explained the increasing demand for natural perfumes in the USA and 2 years of Committee work creating the SEOS standards for certifying the whole essential oil supply chain.
Regarding the cohabitation of synthetic-natural, Françoise Rapp explained the difference between working with naturals and working with synthetics “Most synthetic perfumers coming to my Natural Perfumery course have never touched naturals and have no idea what the differences are. They think it is impossible to work with natural while all perfumers in the past were only using natural,” she said.
After sharing views all parties decided to work hand in hand towards a positive future for the industry: the major issue concerning all perfumers: perfume should be removed from the Cosmetic Directive as every year there are some restriction in the use of natural, these modifications in perfume formula are changing the smell of perfumes: consumers don’t recognise their perfumes and brands are spending fortune recomposing and changing all their packaging and labelling.
As perfume is not a cosmetic, we smell perfume, we don’t have to put perfume on the skin and perfumers should be free to use lavender, rose…  “The lobby at the EU Commission in favour of the big lab is putting all farmers in danger” said Pascal Morabito. Rachel Binder explained that American Perfumers have much more freedom than European Perfumers and the Natural Market is growing fast. “We need more than this day to continue this discussion and we will do many more meetings and conferences trying to get all actors of this industry involved in the protection of the perfume heritage and the freedom to use natural in Europe ” said Creezy Courtoy, IPF Founder and Chair)

​Regarding the future of Selective Distribution, after a visit in the Metaverse, everyone explained the way they were distributing their perfumes. “We are handling our distribution ourselves” said Gilles Thevenin, owner House of Lubin. This is what more and more niche brands are doing and it is an issue for distributors who are losing part of the market. ​

The New Luxury Awards 2022 for Sustainable Perfumes
The Winners are:
In the Student Category
Rondo Sandyakala by William S. Wijaya from Indonesia, a fresh amber perfume.
In the Perfumer Category, Elixir of Heaven by Anuja François Raja from France with a myrrh, frankincense perfume.
In the Brand Category
Surinam by Françoise Rapp from France for Flowering Pharmacy USA, a powdery and woody chypre.
Special Prize given to White by Sri Kudaravalli from India for Xila Apothic
with a flowery jasmine perfume.
 
The New Luxury Awards 2022 for Sustainable Packaging
The Winner is:
Phantom by Pierre Dinand for Paco Rabanne
 
About the New Luxury Awards
The New Luxury Award is given each year to stimulate creativity in perfume and packaging in adopting the New Luxury Code as sustainability standards for Authenticity, Integrity and Transparency.
This competition also has the goal to create and empower upcoming brands, new perfumers, new designers and students in perfumery or packaging and make this industry a leader in sustainability!
To participate in the competition, perfumers should respect the New Luxury Code
and perfume should respect the standards of sustainability of the International Perfume Foundation for Certification:
-Formulating perfumes from 100% natural materials, using quality biodynamic and botanical ingredients that do not include GMO Plants and that have been sustainably and ethically sourced.
-Refraining to use animal musks, animal testing (by perfumers or their suppliers), synthetic compounds, parabens, phthalates (carcinogens and endocrine disruptors), isolates, phenoxyethanol, glycols, ethoxylated compounds.
-Creating a perfume with a soul and a story to tell.
This year the Awards were created by Murano Artists Muriel Balenci and Giovanni Nicola.
We would like to thank them and our partners for this first edition, Autur City, PCD show, Rose Road, Youlan, Beauty Cluster, Boroli Barolo, Mefex, IPF Teachers Academy, SEOS, Marquise Invest, BiopasticsNews and CosmeticObs. Our exhibitors: Wild Oils Australia, Anuja Aromatics, Flowering Pharmacy, Wild Coast Perfumery, Pomarestolen Perfumes, Maison William Sicher and Balenci. We also would like to thank all our New Luxury Awards Finalists, the Speakers, and Nataly Joubert for the press.