Fragrance > Regulatory & Research | Perfumer & Flavorist

Research suggests that odors below the threshold of conscious detection can still shape perception, influence behavior and alter emotional responses.

The Invisible Influence: Why Subthreshold Odors Deserve More Attention

Seemingly innocuous components can elevate a product, but they have the potential to tarnish it too.

Webinar: Understanding GRAS, Navigating the Future of Food Ingredients

Webinar: Understanding GRAS, Navigating the Future of Food Ingredients

Webinar: Understanding GRAS, Navigating the Future of Food Ingredients - Join us for an engaging webinar on GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), a critical framework for qualifying food ingredients in the USA.

'Perfumery has a transformative power that goes beyond evoking emotions,' said Magdalena Rey, technical perfumer at Eurofragance and leader of the project. 'This project clearly demonstrates that a fragrance can be much more than a scent: it can provide relief, confidence and well-being.'

Eurofragance and MartiDerm Turn Fragrance Into Therapy for Fish Odor Syndrome Patients

The collaboration offers a reminder that fragrance technology can create impact far beyond the beauty aisle.

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'If I step back, what defines the past year is our indisputable leadership in naturals, built on a unique ability to take craftsmanship from Grasse to the world, and bring the world back to Grasse to continuously enrich perfumery’s future,' says Ana Paula Mendonça, president, IFF Scent.

Inside IFF: Where Nature, Biotech and AI Converge in Fragrance

'The fragrance industry is evolving into a high-growth, emotionally resonant, and digitally enabled sector,' says José Balibrea, Managing Director Iberchem/Vice President, F&F Croda. 'With our positioning, craftsmanship, and strategic execution, we are well placed to capture opportunities and outperform the global market over the next five years. I am confident the best is yet to come for us.'

Scaling Fragrance: Iberchem on Growth, Emotion and the New Creative Tech Era

Givaudan delivered strong results in 2025, with sales of CHF 7.5 billion, up 5.1% on a like-for-like basis.

Givaudan’s Next Era of Growth, Innovation and Fragrance Excellence

Elevating the Taste Experience with BioSymphony™

Elevating the Taste Experience with BioSymphony™

From Soil to Scent: Indesso’s Responsible Patchouli Journey

From Soil to Scent: Indesso’s Responsible Patchouli Journey

At Indesso, patchouli sourcing is guided by three pillars: traceability, environmental stewardship, and social empowerment. Together, these ensure that every drop delivers not only olfactory richness, but also integrity.

The work identified molecular weight, size, shape and polarity as the dominant drivers separating weak from powerful odorants—findings that align with long-established mass-transport principles governing volatility, sorption and receptor access.

AI Takes on Odor Strength: New Study Maps the Molecular Drivers of Fragrance Impact

Odor strength reportedly proved consistently predictable across a range of state-of-the-art models.

Patina sees its long-term vision as building a “Pantone for scent”—a universal system of primary scent building blocks that can be used to construct any fragrance or flavor on demand.

Patina Raises $2M to Build a “Pantone for Scent” Using AI-Driven Molecular Design

Patina envisions a future where scent and flavor can be designed on demand, allowing perfumers and brands to compose fragrances with the same precision as digital media.

The fragrance industry stands ready to work constructively with Government to achieve a regulatory framework that maintains the UK's well-deserved reputation for the highest standards of safety, whilst removing unnecessary barriers to competitiveness, growth and innovation. The ATRm, as currently designed, does not meet that test.

Scent, Science and Sovereignty: IFRA UK's Position on the UK REACH Alternative Transitional Registration Model

The fragrance industry stands ready to work constructively with Government to achieve a regulatory framework that maintains the U.K.'s well-deserved reputation for the highest standards of safety.

Patients on GLP-1 drugs sometimes describe stronger or more noticeable smells, particularly a reduced tolerance for heavy or fried food odors, alongside occasional increased awareness of perfumes and ambient scents.

GLP-1 Drugs Are Reshaping Scent Preferences and Perceptions

Accounts point to a spectrum of olfactory changes rather than a single predictable effect as reward signalling is subtly rearranged.

Researchers developed a topical cream based on Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) essential oil and evaluated it against Aedes aegypti, the mosquito responsible for dengue, Zika and yellow fever transmission.

New Study Shows Patchouli's 3-Hour Mosquito Protection Potential

molecular docking showed key oil constituents binding to mosquito odorant-binding proteins.

Reaching adverse-effect levels for common fragrance materials would require exposures such as eating approximately 166,000 almonds or more than 300,000 raspberries per day or applying tens of thousands of perfume sprays daily.

Dose, Exposure, and Daily Life: Putting Fragrance Toxicology in Context

How should toxicological findings be interpreted in the context of human health and real-life fragrance use?

A central concern is the estimated cost of more than £500 million associated with generating and submitting U.K.-specific data packages for substances already registered under EU REACH.

UK Chemicals Industry Warns REACH Divergence Still Threatens Trade, Innovation and SME Viability

A central concern is the estimated cost of more than £500 million associated with generating and submitting U.K.-specific data packages for substances already registered under EU REACH.

The identification of a spatially organized receptor system—rather than a purely combinatorial or random one—could inform future strategies in aroma design, receptor targeting and predictive modeling of olfactory perception.

Spatial Mapping of Olfactory Receptors Reveals New Blueprint for Odor Perception

Contrary to the traditional “zonal randomness” model, each receptor occupies a distinct spatial domain, forming a continuous and stereotyped sensory map.

P&f Patchouli Lead Image

From Soil to Scent: Indesso’s Responsible Patchouli Journey

At Indesso, patchouli sourcing is guided by three pillars: traceability, environmental stewardship, and social empowerment. Together, these ensure that every drop delivers not only olfactory richness, but also integrity.

The company is positioning scent as a tool to influence a broader range of emotional states beyond traditional cues like relaxation, including comfort, reassurance and optimism.

IFF Details Data-Backed Scent Platforms at in-cosmetics Global 2026

The company is positioning scent as a tool to influence a broader range of emotional states beyond traditional cues like relaxation, including comfort, reassurance and optimism.

By combining fMRI data with consumer testing and market insights, the system reportedly enables brands to directly link formulation choices—such as texture or scent—to how a product is perceived, experienced and ultimately valued.

Can Sensory Neuroscience Rewire Cosmetic Product Development

The company’s research is claimed to reveal that sensory experiences can have deeper and more lasting neurological effects than previously understood.