Flavours and fragrances
Aroma chemicals, natural extracts and the compounded flavours and fragrances that go into food, drinks, soaps and perfumes; a $43 billion oligopoly.
Specialty chemicals · Industrial & consumer specialties · No. 90
- Product family
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- not published as a world tonnage; compounds are dosed at low levels (often under 1% of a food or 1-3% of a detergent, indicative)
- HS 330210, 330290
The taste of your fizzy drink and the scent of your washing powder were designed by a handful of flavour houses.
Chart: Illustration: Flavours and fragrances
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Some ingredients are distilled or pressed from crops such as mint and citrus; others are synthesised, and synthetics make up 62.4% of fragrance ingredient value.
Three things to know
- Synthetic aroma chemicals make up 62.4% of fragrance ingredient value, and naturals the other 37.6%.
- India exported 16,882 t of spice oils and oleoresins worth $430 million in April-January 2025-26.
- Asia is the fastest-growing region at 6.7% a year, against 3.0% in Western Europe.
The journey
- 1 Crops, chemicalsMint, citrus, vanilla, turpentine, petrochemicals
- 2 IngredientsDistilled oils and synthesised aroma molecules
- 3 CompoundingPerfumers blend dozens to hundreds of ingredients
- 4 Consumer goodsDosed into drinks, snacks, soaps, perfumes