France is already experiencing a threatening drought – in the middle of winter and after last summer with extreme heat and water shortages. The French weather service Meteo France is now fearing a second summer of drought in a row. The drought is now a permanent phenomenon in France: Since August 2021, less rain has fallen in all but three months than was previously the case on average.
The increasing frequency and intensity of drought periods are consequences of man-made climate change. Among other things, they lead to the groundwater level falling further, drinking water becoming scarce in some areas and agriculture, including flower growers for perfumes, having to fear lower harvests.
worry about the quality
Grasse, one of the centers for plant production for perfumes, but also for perfumes themselves, was hit by extremes last summer. Some of the producers lost half of their harvest, as the “Guardian” now writes. However, the high temperatures also affect the quality of the flowers, such as roses.
The tuberose, a plant species from the subspecies of the agave, sometimes did not grow at all. The harvest volumes fell by around 40 percent for some producers in and around Grasse last year, the newspaper continues. The oil from the plant that has not yet blossomed is used as a fragrance ingredient in perfumes.
Microclimate inland of the Riviera
Grasse has been known worldwide for its perfumes and also for its floriculture since the 17th century. The advantages of the small town in the hinterland of the French Riviera lie in its microclimate. This has so far been made possible by the fields of May roses, tuberoses, lavender and jasmine that can be seen from afar.
The region produces flowers for the biggest global luxury brands such as Dior and Chanel, which spend significant sums on these raw materials, the Guardian continues. According to the newspaper, the area’s jasmine sells for more than gold. The producers of Grasse are considered to be world leaders. In 2018, the region’s perfume culture was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Alert about vanilla and patchouli
But perfume plants are not only exposed to the vicissitudes of the climate crisis in France. Harvest yields are threatened worldwide by the more changeable and extreme weather. According to the Guardian, for example, people are concerned about vanilla.
Vanilla is one of the most important raw materials in the perfume industry. Mainly grown on the African continent, vanilla has been hit by heat waves in recent years. In 2017, for example, when around 30 percent of Madagascar’s harvest was destroyed by a cyclone, prices skyrocketed – much to the displeasure of perfume manufacturers. Alarm is also sounded for saffron.
Swiss company Givaudan, one of the largest perfume houses in the world, is particularly concerned about patchouli. About 80 percent come from the tropical island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. In recent years, however, Sulawesi has been subjected to sudden extremes of dry and wet. This put a strain on the plants, and less patchouli oil was produced, according to Bloomberg.
Natural raw materials or synthetic fabrics?
Drought, sudden and unforeseen changes in the seasons and more frequent and extreme weather in the form of increased frost, rain, hail and high temperatures are changing crop yields and the quality of the ingredients, according to Bloomberg in the autumn after the poor harvests of the previous year. You have to think about how certain smells are produced.
Perfume producers have two basic options: continue to use natural raw materials in the face of fluctuating harvests and prices, or rely on alternatives. One of them is the renunciation of natural materials through the synthetic production of the fragrances.
Classic perfumes should always smell the same
Synthetic components are easier to obtain and control, and the prices are more stable because they are not subject to fluctuating harvests. Well-known producers are still resisting the trend towards synthetic fragrances. This is not the same as natural substances. The big producers try to breed variants of the plants that are less susceptible to the extremes.
For the well-known and large perfume manufacturers such as Chanel and Dior, the consistent quality of the raw materials is of great importance. Classics that have been on the market for decades, such as Chanel No. 5, should always smell the same.
Study: Temperatures also affect flavor compounds
According to Bloomberg, there are already signs that the climate crisis is affecting the quality of raw materials. Alon Cnaany of the University of Copenhagen and co-author of a study looking at the topic, told Bloomberg last year that there is “strong evidence that changing climate — say, rising temperatures — could affect the aromatic compounds in plants.”
Cnaany found that the genetic makeup of flowers—the machinery that produces the aromatic compounds we perceive as fruity or floral—decreases at higher temperatures.
In Italy, too, scientists found a “clear correlation” between a decline in bergamot’s scent production and extreme conditions such as heat waves and droughts, as Bloomberg reported a while ago. Over 95 percent of the world’s production of cold-pressed bergamot essential oil comes from Calabria in southern Italy, where the climate is becoming hotter and drier.
debate about sustainability
According to the Guardian, the producers of the plants themselves are also being criticized by the climate crisis. There is a heated debate about sustainability. It’s a romantic view of perfume that it’s natural, says Benoit Verdier, co-founder of perfume house Ex Nihilo in Paris, known for his custom-made fragrances, in The Guardian. “Mysticism reigns in a place like Grasse, which makes people dream.”
But it is not always more sustainable. Plants for perfumes required a lot of water and land. Shipping raw materials all over the world also results in significant CO2 emissions. “It’s more sustainable to produce perfume in the laboratory,” concludes Verdier.
Hoping for “green chemistry”
However, synthetic production again has its own problems and environmental challenges. Many substances are by-products of oil refining or other chemical-industrial processes, so residues could pollute the environment or be disposable. The hope lies in innovations in the direction of “green chemistry”.
However, not only when it comes to natural raw materials, but also when it comes to water consumption, the producers in Grasse have a different opinion than Verdier. “We actually use very little water,” Carole Biancalana, a fourth-generation perfume flower grower, told The Guardian. Producers in the region would use drip irrigation, which historically accounted for just 5 percent of the region’s water use, Biancalana said. The plants would also be raised in an environmentally friendly way.
Biodiversity and science as weapons
In 2006, Biancalana founded Les Fleurs d’Exception du Pays de Grasse, an association that brings together producers from the region. The credo: All producers should operate ecologically in order to ensure the protection of biodiversity. Biodiversity is one of the greatest weapons against climate change, according to Biancalana.
Another weapon is science. Unfortunately, there are few scientific studies on how climate change is affecting crops in the region, said Armelle Janody, president of the Perfume Flower Growers Association. “We’re seeing changes, but we don’t have scientific studies of what’s happening objectively,” Janody continued.
Skepticism about outside influence
Leading companies in the perfume industry have already started to support local producers, investing in research but also in customization techniques. This is to save yourself in the future. But not all flower producers can gain something from the increased influence from outside. According to the Guardian, they are suspicious.
“For us, the question arises as to how we can support the industry without losing our autonomy and sovereignty,” Janody continued. She worries that big perfume companies may demand greater control over flower production under the pretense of supporting climate adaptation. And that cannot be done with most breeders.
