Flavours and fragrances: Feedstocks
How mint fields and pine pulp feed the perfume industry
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Synthetic aroma chemicals come from petrochemicals (benzene, toluene, phenol, isoprene) and from crude sulphate turpentine, a by-product of pine pulping. Naturals come from crops whose prices swing with weather. Raw materials were about 56% of Givaudan's sales in 2025, so supply security and pass-through decide margins.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil Crude oil | not published | building blocks for synthetic aroma chemicals | not published | indicative |
| Pp Pepper & spices | not published | essential oils, oleoresins, natural menthol | not published | spices tile |
| OJ Oranges & juice | not published | citrus flavours and fragrances; solvent | not published | orange tile |
| Tm Timber | not published | pinene to terpene aroma chemicals | not published | indicative |
| Su Sugar | not published | biotech aroma molecules | not published | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
For aroma chemicals, Chinese and Indian producers with integrated intermediates and low capital cost are lowest cost and gained share in 2025 (Givaudan). For naturals, cost is set by farm output in India (mint), Madagascar (vanilla), Brazil and the US (citrus).