Premium Beauty News – How do you obtain the Smell-The-Taste, the dsm-firmenich captive molecules designed for fine fragrances?
Albane Furet – When you taste food, several senses are stimulated, including sight, smell, taste and hearing, especially with crispy textures. The Smell-The-Taste (STT) molecules do not just reproduce a taste in a smell. They are aimed at replicating the whole experience of tasting through a smell.
Twenty years ago, dsm-firmenich became a pioneer when they drew inspiration from food aromas and reshaped them for creating fine fragrances. Today, the success of gourmand perfumes is well-established. I am one of the rare perfumers coming from the world of aromas, and I can connect these two different trades. Aromaticians and perfumers do not imagine perfumes in the same way. A perfumer thinks about an image to build up first, while I build up a creation by focusing on taste and mouthfeel. I use a different approach and different materials. I try to get an outcome which reflects reality, rather than a proposal which smells good.
Premium Beauty News – Which of the latest Smell-The-Taste molecules are the most popular with perfumers?
Albane Furet – Our perfumers were astounded by the realism of STT Sauce Soja (soy sauce) and its salty note, whichever continent they were from: Asia, Europe, or South America. This note adds a touch of novelty to their palette.
Amandine Clerc Marie was bold enough to integrate this STT to a banana chord, as the soy sauce STT evokes crème brûlée. Its presence is reminiscent of the brown colour, thus reinforcing the evocation of caramel and its burnt aspect. New addictions are not all sweet, and soy sauce is one of the exceptions, with its salty, almost animal-like note, due to fermentation.
Perfumer Julien Plos chose STT Wasabi for its green, spicy root note which creates duality with a red fruit note.
Lately, we created STT Lait Infantile (infant milk) based on an idea of Justin Welch, who wanted to highlight the current need for being “nourished”. This STT is endowed with an Umami smell, neither really sweet or salty – Umami is pretty difficult to grasp when tasted. It did not exist as an aroma, let alone in the perfumers’ palette. This STT was selected by Marie Salamagne for an unexpected combination with basmati rice and earthy truffle.
Premium Beauty News – More generally, what are the Smell-The-Taste used for?
Albane Furet – To me, STTs fill in a gap in the overall perfumers’ palette, and they are evocative to everyone. Consumers need to refer to familiar elements to appreciate a perfume. Some STTs, like strawberry, play this reassuring role and can trigger a purchase. For example, a strawberry aroma can be integrated to a strawberry-yuzu chord, but it should remain dominant, because it is clearly identified by consumers.
The Smell-The-Taste molecules enrich the perfumers’ palette. Thanks to different, but complementary approaches like Firgood and Natureprint, it is possible to obtain three completely different olfactory profiles for the same fruit. And perfumers actually ask for that.