2016 World Perfumery Congress in review

26-Jun-2016 - Last updated on 27-Jun-2016 at 19:37 GMT

Earlier this month, the fragrance industry event took place in Miami Beach, Florida, and according to reports from the organizer was very well attended and sparked a lot of discussion about sustainability in the perfume business.

That was, of course, by design. This year’s congress was entitled “Scents & Sustainability: A Responsible Future for Fragrance.” Presentations centered on natural fragrance ingredients, sustainable sourcing, and more.

Footfall

This year over 1,100 people attended the event, and nearly 200 of those attendees were perfumers, according to a media release from the American Society of Perfumers and P&F magazine (the presenter and producer of the event, respectively).

Exhibitors like MANE, Robertet Group, Symrise, and Givaudan were on hand to do business. “There were serious buyers at WPC 2016 – the people we wanted to speak with,” says Andy O’Shea, senior vice president of fragrances at Berje, who’s quoted in the release. “The traffic flow to our stand was good and we saw a lot of firm interest from people we spoke to, with a lot of samples requested.”

And he has good things to say about this year’s event format and the industry interest in the recurring congress too. “Having the exhibition open all day, in contrast to previous years, was great as it meant we had more time with our clients. It is an ideal place to meet with customers old and new.”

“I think WPC is the pinnacle event for the fragrance industry because it offers us an outlet to connect with the perfumers directly. They want to see what is new, and some shows do not necessarily answer that demand.”

Sustainable perspectives

In the first day alone several sustainability issues were open for discussion. Achim Daub, global president of scent and care at Symrise AG, and Andrea Alvares, chief marketing officer at Natura, talked about natural ingredient trends and sustainable sourcing. They focused on partnerships, transparency, and the array of ingredient alternatives.

Other presenters on day one highlighted the idea that “sustainability is not a trend, it is the reality.” Torsten Kulke, SVP of global innovation at Symrise, Mike Popplewell, VP of corporate R&D for International Flavors & Fragrances, Hervé Fretay, Global Director of naturals in the fragrance division at Givaudan, and Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks, looked at biotech and green chemistry options.

Kulke, according the media release, “urged those in the fragrance industry to use waste materials and fossil fuels in a smarter way.”

Next stop

The next WPC event will take place in June 2018 and be held in Nice, France, at the Palais des Congrès Nice Acropolis.