The Swiss company manufactures a range of ingredients but has decided not to license the molecule to its competitors for now.
According to a Bloomberg report, Givaudan researcher Felix Flachsmann said that it won’t sell its pine-tree based Ambermax molecule for “at least a couple more years.”
Potential money-maker
Givaudan filed the trademark for Ambermax back in 2008 as a chemical used in the manufacture of perfumery, cosmetics, soap and detergent compositions.
Many fragrance companies have developed their own alternatives to ambergris but Givaudan has made the decision to keep Ambermax exclusive as it could potentially be worth millions.
According to Flachsmann, the exclusive molecule is “a huge advantage for our perfumers and beneficial for our perfume sales.”
The fragrance industry has long been looking for effective alternatives that can reduce its use of ambergris; a scented compound derived from the regurgitation of the endangered sperm whale.
Ambergris controversy
When sperm whales consume sharp objects, such as seashells and fish bones, their gut produces a sticky substance to protect their digestive organs which is then regurgitated, and the vomit, reacting with seawater, turns into rock-like objects that wash ashore.
This is collected and refined for its fixative properties, forming ambergris, and is added to high-end perfumes to help the fragrance stay on the skin longer.
Even though much of the ambergris approved for use today is manually collected along the shorelines of known sperm whale habitats in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in the Caribbean, it is still a costly venture.
The use of ambergris in the fragrance industry has been controversial as it is an animal byproduct and the use of such in cosmetics has been problematic, not to mention it comes from the sperm whale; an endangered species.