Key takeaways
- IFF invests €10m to expand its LMR Naturals site in Grasse.
- The expansion includes a pilot hall and experimental field to accelerate natural ingredient innovation.
- Sustainability is central, with underground cooling and green solvent R&D.
- The site aims to launch 4–6 new products annually, with dual certifications.
LMR Naturals, which is part of IFF Scent, is increasing its facility footprint by 75 percent to 4,687 square metres and will bring together more than 30 R&D experts under one roof as it aims to meet rising global demand for traceable, sustainable and high-quality natural ingredients.
Investment accelerates innovation in natural ingredients
This investment includes a state-of-the-art pilot hall designed to speed up the development of new natural ingredients. A new experimental field has also been built nearby for direct access to plant materials, enabling deeper exploration of botanical potential and fast-tracking ingredient innovation.
President of IFF’s fine fragrance segment, Sabrya Meflah, said the expansion is a launchpad for the next generation of naturals that will shape the future of fine perfumery, with applications across all IFF businesses. “Our footprint in Grasse now enables a seamless transition from seed to bottle, with our Atelier du Parfumeur just steps away,” she said.
General manager at LMR Naturals, Bertrand de Preville, explained that the expansion will help improve the company’s carbon footprint, thanks to underground stocking areas which remain naturally cool, reducing the energy typically required for refrigeration.
“The new state-of-the-art pilot hall combines all our extraction and refinement technologies, at pilot scale,” he shared. “From CO₂ to microwave, molecular distillation or fractionation, it will allow us to design innovative natural ingredients which use less energy and less biomass.”
Future conscious green solvents
De Preville added that the site is also designed to give the R&D team space to pursue future conscious green solvents — expanding on existing upcycled innovations such as Rose Ultimate and Rose Essential — and advancing its green solvent-extracted Lavender Enfleurage 2.0.
“With a newly expanded site now fully operational, we intend to launch four to six new products each year, with sustainability at the heart of our approach — reflected in our dual certifications,” he said. “For Life and Zero Waste to Landfill, and a waste valorisation rate of at least 98%.”
LMR Naturals, which was founded in 1983 by Monique Remy and acquired by IFF in 2000, was originally created to provide perfumers with high-quality, innovative and sustainably sourced natural ingredients. It has already introduced 23 new ingredients since 2020. It currently processes 85,000 tonnes of biomass annually, produces 2,000 tonnes of extracts, and offers more than 850 ingredients across 130 botanical families.