Coty is making good on its promise to consign single-use carbon to history with the announcement that production has begun on the world’s first globally distributed fragrances made using carbon-captured ethanol.
The beauty giant revealed last year that it was partnering with carbon recycling expert LanzaTech, which captures and ferments industrial emissions before they can be released into the atmosphere.
Coty said its manufacturing facility in Granollers, Spain began producing the fragrances in mid-January using 20 metric tons of LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart ethanol.
This means the first carbon-capture ethanol fragrances should hit shelves ahead of schedule this March.
The conglomerate, helmed by Sue Y Nabi, includes Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Chloé, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs and Tiffany & Co among its licensed fragrance roster.
Ethanol is a key ingredient in the production of fragrances and is Coty’s top fragrance ingredient by volume.
Carbon-captured ethanol involves nearly zero water consumption and reduces the need for agricultural land, in turn limiting Coty’s impact on biodiversity and lowering the company’s carbon emissions related to fragrance production.
“Coty’s accelerated release of fragrances made using carbon-captured ethanol represents the ground breaking sustainability progress that I joined Coty to lead,” said Dr Shimei Fan, Coty’s new Chief Scientific Officer, who joined the company in January 2022.
“This exciting step forward in Coty’s sustainability journey demonstrates our ability to meet and exceed the ambitious clean and green roadmaps we have set for the future.
“We are now on course to integrate carbon-captured ethanol into a majority of our fragrance portfolio ahead of our ambitious 2023 goal, putting Coty on the leading edge of sustainable fragrance innovation.”
Dr Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaTech, added: “After two years of working side by side with Coty scientists to develop a high purity ethanol suitable for use in fine fragrances, we are excited to see Coty bring the first globally distributed fragrances made from CarbonSmart ethanol to market, so consumers can choose products made from recycled carbon.”
Carbon capture's potential within the beauty industry goes beyond ethanol, however, with LanzaTech telling Cosmetics Business in an exclusive interview last year that its technology could also be used to create sustainable plastics, as well as fragrance ingredients for a ‘carbon smarts inside and out' approach.
