April 2024 Highlights

This was the fourth appointment in the eight years of life of this entity and, as Juan Pedro Abeniacar, president of the Fundación Academia del Perfume, pointed out, the distinction is not only a recognition, but a commitment that binds the new academicians to build and expand the culture of perfume in Spain.

"Spain is a country of perfumes and we have a large international production. We are the world's second largest exporter of perfumes, only behind France and ahead of countries such as Germany, the United States and Italy. This phenomenon is supported by the fact that we are home to some of the most sophisticated and efficient production plants in the world of perfumes", said Abeniacar as a finishing touch to the ceremony held in the auditorium of the historic University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).


New Academicians of the Academy of Perfume:



Luz Vaquero (perfumer and director of the Iberchem Global Creation Centre): Full Academician, Tuberosa chair.

Adriana Medina (perfumer and Vice-President of Givaudan): Full Academician, Cinnamon chair.

Kilian Hennessy (perfumer, founder and creative director of Kilian Paris): Full Academician, Rum Chair.

Ane Ayo (perfumer of dsm-firmenich): Full Member, Peony chair.

Cecilia Bembibre (professor of sustainable heritage at University College London): Academician of Merit, Jacaranda chair.

Dominique Roques (raw materials sourcer): Academician of Merit, Benjuí chair.

Adriana Izquierdo Domínguez (doctor specialising in allergology): Academician of Merit, Amberwood chair.


The Foundation's activity also includes, at this time, the selection process of candidates for the XVII Perfume Academy Awards, which has already received the assessment of the jury of distribution professionals, as well as the vote of the general public through online voting. Now, it remains to decide the jury of specialised press and, finally, the jury of art and culture that will choose this year's winners who will receive their awards at an awards gala to be held next October.

Although recreating smells and teleporting fragrances may still seem like a thing of the future, it seems that future is getting closer every day. Disruptive software company Osmo has set out to achieve this through Scent Teleportation, a technology that captures a scent in one part of the world and reproduces it anywhere - can you imagine watching a sailor's movie and smelling the salty scent of the sea in the cinema?


Osmo aims to make it easier to record, analyse and reproduce fragrances with environmentally friendly molecules so that digital environments learn to reproduce smells more and more accurately. First, a sensor detects the fragrance of a lavender field, for example; then a processor identifies all the molecules; and then a printer finds the right combination of scents to reproduce it in a different part of the world.


According to Osmo, the company already has the technology to reproduce fragrances, but to do it efficiently, human intervention is still required. The challenge now is to get AI to learn how to do it and connect the digital world with the sensitivity that fragrances provide by engaging one of the most emotional senses, smell.


"When we succeed, we will bring scent into the digital age and be able to automate large-scale data collection in a completely new mode of computing," explains Alex Wiltschko, founder of Osmo and an expert in olfactory neuroscience and digital technologies.

The ITF (Intention to Float) document, presented by Puig on 8 April, was the last step towards receiving approval from the CNMV (Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores) and being able to operate on the Spanish stock exchange.


Thus, 110 years after its foundation, the family company Puig, specialised in cosmetics and fragrances and owner of fashion brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Rabanne, Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, Jacquemus and Dries Van Noten, is preparing to grow and consolidate its presence in the international beauty market in the coming years.

Puig's objective is to raise approximately €1.25 billion through a new share offering. Another larger share offering will go to the company's majority shareholder, Puig S.L., controlled by Exea, the Puig family's holding company, which will retain the majority of voting rights in the company.


"Becoming a listed company will align our corporate structure with that of the best family-owned companies in the global premium beauty industry, help us attract and retain talent, and support our strategy to grow our portfolio and brands," said Marc Puig, CEO of the company, who also underlined the success of the company's strategy by focusing on building a portfolio of own brands, prestige products and leadership in niche fragrances, make-up and dermo-cosmetics, which has resulted in steady, solid and profitable growth over the years.


In fact, the figures for fiscal year 2023 have set historic figures for Puig, with a 19% growth to 4.3 billion euros in turnover. Puig currently represents 11% of the global selective fragrance business and 95% of its revenues come from brands that are wholly or mainly owned by the company, a portfolio strengthened just a few months ago with the niche cosmetics firm Dr Barbara Sturm.


The post IPO fundraising will be used for general corporate purposes such as the refinancing of the acquisitions of additional stakes in Byredo and Charlotte Tilbury and for the financing of any future strategic investments and capital expenditure.

Tru Fragrances & Beauty has received backing from Los Angeles-based private equity firm Monogram Capital, which has become a majority investor in the fragrance and beauty company, which operates both private label and licensed brands.


Tru Fragrances & Beauty's growth over the past three years, with a focus on clean formulas, is due in part to the success of the Le Monde Gourmand fragrance brand among Generation Z, a brand of affordable creative perfumes characterised by delicious scores of sweet notes.


"Monogram's expertise in identifying and growing innovative consumer brands reinforces our own focus on the best consumer experiences in the fragrance and beauty space. We look forward to developing our platform through accelerated growth of our own brands, the launch of new brands and the addition of strategic acquisitions, leveraging Monogram's extensive experience in each of these key areas," said Eric Bilenko, CEO of Tru Fragrances & Beauty.

The French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has published a book focused on the universe of fragrances that invites us to discover the raw materials that can be found in its perfumes with an olfactory journey around the world.


Entitled A Perfume Atlas, the book has been created in collaboration with Jacques Cavallier, the maison's master perfumer. It reveals where the precious natural ingredients of fragrances such as neroli from Tunisia, rose and jasmine from Grasse and cinnamon from Sri Lanka come from.


The curious and sybaritic lovers of haute perfumery can purchase, in addition to the book, a box with perfume samples for a complete perfumery experience.