Green, earthy and watery: Givaudan overcomes tech challenges to create scent of petrichor

25-Apr-2023 - Last updated on 25-Apr-2023 at 06:36 GMT

Fragrance giant Givaudan says it has overcome the challenges of translating the scent of petrichor, defined as the smell that comes from the ground when rain falls after a dry period, into a new product called Geogaia.

The firm says it has created the “most authentic olfactive translation of this beloved scent”, which can provide green, earthy and watery tonalities to fragrances.

It says the launch follows an holistic approach to NPD combining perfumery expertise and consumer understanding.

The emotional resonance of Geogaia has been supported by the Givaudan Proprietary Mood Portraits 2.0 testing approach and InSituScanz brain imaging exploration, added the company.

Emotional dimension

“Demonstrating the emotional dimension of this new creation, 81% of consumers observed an ‘after the rain’ olfactive effect in the compositions containing a significant level of Geogaia, describing a pleasant natural outdoor sensation. Being the most accurate translation of this universally evocative wet weather smell, Geogaia opens new creative perspectives, across all product categories,” said Stéphanie Martin, Home Care Category Director.

Geogaia will sit under the firm’s Gaia collection, which also features Phytogaia and Thalassogaia. The former is said to capture the wellbeing benefits of molecules emitted by forest trees, while the latter is claimed to mimic the composition of the marine environment.

Geogaia has a 100% biodegradable formula, which Givaudan says aligns with its objective of achieving a biodegradable fragrance palette by 2030, and supports its ambition of being climate positive by 2050.

The company has previously stated that it is on track to meet its target of converting our entire electricity supply to fully renewable sources by 2025 as part of its RE100 commitment. It achieved 90% renewable electricity in 2022.

Last year it also strengthened our its green house gas targets, now aiming to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 70% between 2015 and 2030, up from a previous target of a 30% reduction.