Premium Beauty News - What is EcoBoost technology, in a nutshell?
Alexandra Paumard - EcoBoost is based on a compact formulation with reduced dosage, which allows the use of intense materials in larger quantities, without compromising intensity. I have been working with EcoBoost since I joined CPL Aromas, which means for about 6 years. This innovation has several advantages, not least of which are the environmental benefits, as it significantly reduces the carbon footprint of a fragrance through lower concentrations, volume and sourcing.
Premium Beauty News - Do you often use EcoBoost in your work?
Olivier Maurel - I became familiar with this technology upon my arrival at CPL Aromas, 9 years ago. The project, which had been underway for a few years, was starting to become well-known by then. Today, our teams are using it more and more often.
EcoBoost technology is proving to be a relevant choice for companies, with the specifications for, becoming increasingly demanding. The technology initially won over mass-market brands because it reduces transport and storage costs and also allows for a smaller quantity of concentrate to be ordered. It is now appealing to a niche market, looking for creativity and high-end products. EcoBoost is also very attractive to image-conscious brands looking for new and innovative eco-friendly solutions.
Alexandra Paumard - EcoBoost can also help the industry solve the sourcing problems that it is facing today. Thanks to its reduced dosage, this technology allows less and better sourcing. With no loss of quality or olfactory performance, quite the contrary. A valuable advantage at a time when the price of raw materials has risen. EcoBoost also reduces labelling, as it contains fewer allergens, a plus for brands as consumers are increasingly demanding about product composition. This innovation also offers a solution to stability or colour constraints. EcoBoost also facilitates access to a palette of top-of-the-range materials for customers on a tight budget. Finally, it allows the same formula to be used in different media (perfumes, candles, personal care products), with no need to rework it. A significant economic advantage. In fact, our clients are becoming more and more receptive to the benefits of EcoBoost.
Premium Beauty News - Does the reduced EcoBoost concentration mean formulating differently?
Olivier Maurel - I wouldn’t say a specific formulation but rather an adaptation to the mechanisms of EcoBoost. After its launch in 2009, each ingredient was tested at different concentrations for five years. A research phase that allowed senior perfumers to pass on to junior perfumers a methodology that was enriched with the arrival of new materials. The major difference in the Ecoboost formulation lies in the choice of ingredients since a low concentration allows using them at very high and unusual levels for greater intensity. The EcoBoost perfumer’s palette includes about 200 ingredients, including some potent materials, like some of the CPL Aromas captives, whereas a classic palette has about 3000. Technically, the emphasis must be on intensity in the head notes and tenacity in the base notes to reach the same level of intensity as a classic fragrance, with a ten times lower dosage. Apart from the intensity requirement, there is no EcoBoost "signature", this technology applies to all registers: modern, classic, retro...
Premium Beauty News - What about IFRA-regulated ingredients?
Olivier Maurel - EcoBoost does not enable the use of materials prohibited by IFRA, but it is possible to use those whose use is limited thanks to a less concentrated formula. Like for example, oakmoss-like naturals, or molecules like certain musks or coumarin. Because it is at least ten times less concentrated, you can use up to ten times more. Thanks to the reduced and compact dosage of Ecoboost, the formula is often less expensive, giving access to a higher quality of naturals or synthetics, to craft richer or more sophisticated accords.
Premium Beauty News - What are the criteria to certify that a formula is EcoBoost?
Alexandra Paumard - Criteria vary depending on the medium. For fine fragrances, the juice is tested according to our evaluation protocol. First, on a perfume stripe, then on the skin. Candles follow the same process, first in a cabin, unlit then when lit. The perfume or candle receives the EcoBoost designation once the test protocol is validated.
Premium Beauty News - You have also launched EcoBoost+ What is it about?
Alexandra Paumard - EcoBoost+ technology is based on the same principle but with 20 times less concentration. Ecoboost+ was launched three years ago and for the moment is mainly of interest to mass-market brands. But in the future, it is likely to be as successful as, with a wide range of customers.
Premium Beauty News - Do you think that EcoBoost could eventually replace traditional formulations?
Olivier Maurel - I wouldn’t go that far, but EcoBoost does indeed offer a solution to a demanding market. It is the result of nearly 15 years of expertise to create beautiful fragrances, crafted with noble materials, respecting demanding specifications. I don’t think that there is any real or effective alternative to EcoBoost at the moment. It is a technology that fully responds to the needs of the market.
Alexandra Paumard - EcoBoost is also compatible with other CPL Aromas innovations: biodegradable fragrances, aromaspaces, aromafusions, etc. This technology opens up new olfactory horizons, which is stimulating for creators. It also facilitates the creation of eco-labelled fragrances. EcoBoost therefore fully embodies the CPL Aromas philosophy.
While, EcoBoost offers a 360-degree solution to creation constraints, which is attractive to brands, consumers still need to be educated on this subject. Highlighting that the sillage or staying power is not so much the result of the concentration of a fragrance as the choice and dosage of certain ingredients. From this angle, the ecological benefits of EcoBoost, to which consumers are increasingly sensitive today, and the nobility of the materials used, must be highlighted.
