The Flavor Houses’ View
Kathleen Crossman of Givaudan discussed the delicate give and take in which flavor houses find themselves—the balance between the pressure to disclose and the pressure to defend IP. The solution, as Crossman put it, lies in identifying needs versus wants. And when disclosures are made, the presenter stressed that companies must mark anything they consider confidential as such. Doing so establishes an expectation of privacy. Companies that do not mark sensitive documents as confidential will have a hard time later arguing such information was privileged. Crossman also voiced some misgivings about e-mailing such information, as confidentiality is more difficult to establish. She suggested alternate means of delivering documents.
Kathleen Crossman of Givaudan discussed the delicate give and take in which flavor houses find themselves—the balance between the pressure to disclose and the pressure to defend IP. The solution, as Crossman put it, lies in identifying needs versus wants. And when disclosures are made, the presenter stressed that companies must mark anything they consider confidential as such. Doing so establishes an expectation of privacy. Companies that do not mark sensitive documents as confidential will have a hard time later arguing such information was privileged. Crossman also voiced some misgivings about e-mailing such information, as confidentiality is more difficult to establish. She suggested alternate means of delivering documents.
Other topics discussed: Identifying requesters; Disclosing carrier system information; IP disclosure hot spots; Medical enquiries; The Fragrance House’s Outlook; De minimis disclosure levels; The Customer’s View; Changing project briefs; Disclosure of ingredient sources; Defining fragrance-free; Worker safety
!['[W]hen a perfumer is given a brief, you're taking parts from different parts of your life and experiences, you're bringing such a personal POV to create an olfactive experience that can't be replicated by a computer that doesn't have those touchpoints,' says perfumer Nicole Mancini.](https://img.perfumerflavorist.com/mindful/allured/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/img-7063.PH7aX8fPat.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=191&q=70&w=340)
