dsm-firmenich is positioning floral perfumery as both a creative and technological frontier with the launch of Flowers Are Watching Us, a global activation designed to inspire perfumers, showcase proprietary ingredient innovation and reinforce the company's leadership in fine fragrance creation.
Debuting in Paris this June, the immersive experience pairs dsm-firmenich perfumers with an international roster of contemporary artists to challenge conventional representations of flowers. Rather than treating florals as decorative notes or familiar accords, the initiative explores them as living, evolving organisms—an approach the company says is intended to open new creative territory for fragrance development while aligning with changing consumer expectations.
The activation also serves as a showcase for dsm-firmenich's expanding technology platform. Building on more than a century of floral innovation—from early breakthroughs such as Iralia, Wardia and Hedione—the company highlights how modern technologies including Firgood extraction, NaturePrint capture and the new captive ingredient Heliobliss are enabling perfumers to create more nuanced, sustainable and expressive floral signatures.
dsm-firmenich's proprietary Firgood extraction technology uses electromagnetic waves to gently release aromatic compounds from plant materials without solvents, producing 100% natural extracts that closely replicate the scent of fresh botanicals. The technology reportedly expands the creative palette by capturing olfactive profiles that were previously inaccessible while supporting the industry's demand for differentiated, high-quality and more sustainable natural ingredients.
The company's NaturePrint technology captures the scent molecules naturally released into the air by flowers and other botanicals that cannot be conventionally extracted, allowing perfumers to recreate authentic natural aromas without harvesting or damaging the source material.
Heliobliss is "a new captive ingredient under the Beyond Muguet program," which "brings together superior biodegradability and a refined olfactory profile," per the company.
Those capabilities are brought to life in Fleur de Papier, an exclusive fragrance created by principal perfumer Amandine Clerc-Marie and perfumer Coralie Spicher in collaboration with French sculptor Junior Fritz Jacquet. Centered on Heliobliss, the composition combines Dried Ylang Flower Firgood, Evening Primrose NaturePrint, Vulcanolide and signature musks to imagine a contemporary floral accord that exists beyond the constraints of any single flower found in nature.
Alongside the fragrance, the activation features installations and works by photographers Almudena Romero, Sophie Zénon, Anaïs Tondeur, Hideyuki Ishibashi, Anne-Lou Buzot and Vittoria Gerardi, as well as porcelain sculptures by Studio Ranarivelo inspired by iconic floral fragrances including Anaïs Anaïs, Pleasures, Flower by Kenzo and Good Girl Gone Bad. Together, the artists and perfumers create a multisensory dialogue intended to reframe how floral notes are perceived, remembered and translated into fragrance.
"For Flowers Are Watching Us, we wanted to question how we think about florals—not as something to reproduce, but as something to interpret and reimagine," said Jonathan Simon, president of global fine fragrance at dsm-firmenich. "By bringing together our perfumers with leading artists, we are opening new creative territories and reaffirming our role in shaping the future of perfumery."
Following its Paris debut, Flowers Are Watching Us will travel to Barcelona, São Paulo, New York and Shanghai, extending the initiative beyond a one-time exhibition into a global platform for engaging customers and the fragrance community.
