Pourquoi les parfums upcyclés gagnent en popularité
Pourquoi les parfums upcyclés gagnent en popularité
13 janvier 2026Reading time: 14 min
Upcycled scents are reshaping the fragrance industry by turning waste - like citrus peels, rose petals, and sawdust - into luxurious perfumes. This approach reduces the massive 92 million tons of annual waste tied to perfume production, while addressing issues like overharvesting and high carbon emissions. Younger consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are driving demand for eco-conscious choices, with over one-third prioritizing environmental practices when buying beauty products.
Key takeaways:
What are upcycled scents? Perfumes made from byproducts like spent flowers, fruit pulp, and wood shavings.
Why the shift? Traditional perfumes rely on resource-heavy methods, contributing to deforestation, water use, and VOC emissions.
Consumer trends: 65% of buyers now seek eco-conscious fragrances, aligning with a broader push for ingredient transparency and building a fragrance collection focused on waste reduction.
Examples: Brands like Etat Libre d’Orange and Givaudan are leading the way with upcycled ingredients like wine lees and double-distilled rose petals.
Upcycled fragrances combine waste reduction with rich, layered aromas, offering a modern alternative for those seeking luxury and responsibility in one bottle. For those exploring these new arrivals, perfume decants offer an affordable way to sample sustainable luxury.
Environmental Impact of Traditional vs Upcycled Fragrances: Key Statistics
The Environmental Cost of Traditional Perfume Production
The demand for natural fragrance ingredients has led to overharvesting, threatening the survival of several plant species. Sandalwood and agarwood, valued for their deep, woody scents, have been harvested to critical levels. Alarmingly, conservationists warn that up to 50% of wild Boswellia (frankincense) forests could vanish within the next two decades due to unsustainable harvesting practices.
Producing essential oils requires staggering amounts of plant material. For instance, thousands of flowers are needed to create just one pound of essential oil. Yet, out of 250,000 known flowering plant species, only about 2,000 yield oils suitable for perfume production. The citrus industry alone generates over 40 million tons of waste annually, with discarded peels accounting for nearly half of this mass. In Morocco, around 900 tons of orange blossom by-product end up in landfills every year.
Beyond the plants themselves, traditional sourcing consumes vast amounts of land and water for farming and irrigation. The extraction processes often rely on petroleum-based solvents like benzene, which are both energy-intensive and environmentally harmful. Adding to this, the global shipping and distribution of these raw materials contribute significantly to carbon emissions.
The environmental toll doesn’t stop with ingredient extraction - it extends to the packaging and final product.
Packaging and Disposal Problems
Packaging is another major contributor to waste in the perfume industry. Most traditional perfumes come in single-use glass bottles paired with plastic components, which frequently end up in landfills. These packaging designs are rarely intended for reuse, compounding the environmental strain.
Ethanol, a key ingredient making up 75% to 90% of most perfumes, also carries a significant carbon footprint. The production of ethanol is highly carbon-intensive. According to Gregory Constantine, CEO of Air Company, a typical ethanol plant producing 50 million gallons releases approximately 150,000 metric tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere.
From the fields to the final product, traditional perfume production leaves behind a trail of waste and emissions, highlighting the need for more sustainable practices.
What Are Upcycled Scents?
Upcycled fragrances take byproducts from industries like food, agriculture, and furniture manufacturing - think citrus peels, sawdust, or spent rose petals - and transform them into captivating scent ingredients.
Unlike traditional perfumes that rely on freshly harvested crops and resource-heavy production, upcycled scents make use of existing materials, contributing to a circular economy. For instance, Givaudan, a leading fragrance supplier, defines an ingredient as upcycled when at least 50% of its carbon content comes from reclaimed materials. This ensures brands can’t just add a token amount of waste-derived inputs to claim sustainability.
Interestingly, upcycled ingredients can add depth and complexity to fragrances. Belinda Smith, founder of St. Rose, shared her initial skepticism about their potency but was pleasantly surprised:
"It’s exactly the opposite. Instead, the olfactory quality is unique and makes certain facets more intense".
Common Upcycled Ingredients
The variety of materials being repurposed into fragrances is impressive. From the food and beverage industry, perfumers are using byproducts like citrus peels, apple pulp, coffee grounds, cacao husks, and grape pomace left over from winemaking. To put it into perspective, the citrus industry alone generates over 40 million tons of waste globally each year.
Wood and forestry byproducts are another rich source. Cedarwood sawdust from furniture production, pine chips from lumber mills, and oak barrel chips from cognac-making are finding new life in perfumes. Aftelier Perfumes, for example, distills essential oil from the roots and stumps of Japanese sugi trees that would otherwise be discarded.
Floral and agricultural leftovers also offer exciting possibilities. Rose petals that have already been extracted once can undergo a second distillation, revealing new aromatic dimensions like spicier or smokier notes. You can explore these characteristics further using a perfume notes finder. Scent Journer’s "A Starlit Spell" fragrance uses 100% upcycled Eugenol, derived from fallen clove tree leaves that would typically be discarded in favor of fresh clove buds.
These reclaimed materials not only enhance the character of fragrances but also encourage consumers to embrace more sustainable scent options.
How Upcycling Reduces Waste
Upcycling starts by tackling waste head-on. The fragrance industry alone generates an estimated 92 million tons of waste annually during manufacturing. By repurposing byproducts, upcycling prevents these materials from ending up in landfills or being incinerated.
It also avoids the need for additional farming. Using orange peels from juice production or sawdust from furniture factories eliminates the need for land clearing, irrigation, and pesticide use. This approach helps conserve endangered resources like sandalwood and agarwood, as waste wood can replace virgin materials.
Moreover, upcycling fosters collaboration across industries, benefiting multiple sectors. For example, Sana Jardin works with a cooperative in Morocco where orange blossom pickers turn surplus wax into candles and produce orange flower water to sell, creating extra income while repurposing waste. Bee Shapiro, founder of Ellis Brooklyn, highlights the beauty of this approach:
"I love that with upcycled ingredients, we’re using waste, or something that was going to get tossed anyway, and we’re turning it into a beautiful scent ingredient".
Upcycled materials also cut carbon emissions since they don’t require the energy-intensive farming, irrigation, or global shipping associated with fresh raw materials. Processes like double distillation, molecular distillation, and biotech fermentation work with waste streams instead of creating new environmental challenges.
These methods not only reduce waste but also align with growing consumer demand for sustainable fragrance solutions.
Why Consumers Are Choosing Upcycled Scents
The Rise of Eco — Conscious Shopping
Today, over one-third of consumers choose beauty brands based on their commitment to environmental values and practices. This growing awareness, largely driven by Gen Z and Millennials, is reshaping the definition of modern luxury, placing sustainability at its core.
Transparency around ingredients has become a key factor in building consumer trust. Take H&M, for example - they clearly state the percentage of upcycled materials in their fragrances. Their "Adventure Seeker" eau de toilette, for instance, is made with 5.9% upcycled ingredients. Such openness allows shoppers to make informed decisions and strengthens their trust in the brand.
The staggering levels of waste in the beauty industry highlight the importance of sustainable alternatives. Upcycled fragrances provide an opportunity to enjoy luxury scents without contributing to resource depletion. This growing demand for transparency and eco-friendly practices is inspiring new, creative approaches in the world of fragrance.
Fresh Approaches to Fragrance Creation
Upcycled ingredients not only support sustainability but also bring distinctive, rich aromas to the table. Perfumers are discovering that materials derived from waste often have more complex and intriguing qualities than traditional ingredients. As Gaël Montero, a perfumer at Givaudan, explains:
"Beyond the undeniable CSR impact, upcycled ingredients also enrich the perfumer’s palette with new notes".
The limited availability of these materials adds a sense of exclusivity that appeals particularly to niche fragrance enthusiasts. Imagine a perfumer working with sawdust from furniture production or spent rose petals from a second distillation - these are materials that can’t simply be reproduced on demand.
There’s also a story behind many upcycled ingredients, which makes them even more compelling. Think of oak chips sourced from cognac barrels or jasmine flowers repurposed from religious ceremonies. These narratives transform a simple purchase into something more meaningful. Such inventive techniques highlight a broader trend toward circular models in the fragrance industry.
Moving Toward Circular Practices
The fragrance industry is steadily moving away from the traditional "take-make-waste" approach, embracing circular economy principles that treat waste as a valuable resource. This shift isn’t just about reducing environmental harm - it’s becoming a baseline expectation for brands in the market. Kristal Goodman, Head of Product Innovation at THG LABS, puts it this way:
"Sustainability is transitioning from a unique selling point to a fundamental expectation within the fragrance market, integral to a brand’s identity".
Leading companies are now leveraging green chemistry and biotechnology to scale upcycling efforts. For instance, Coty has started using carbon-capturing technology to transform industrial CO₂ emissions into the alcohol that forms the base of perfumes - an element that typically makes up 75% to 90% of a fragrance’s composition.
Guillaume Audy, Sustainability Director at Iberchem, highlights the broader potential of this movement:
"Upcycling is an exciting prospect for sustainable fragrance innovation... by reusing natural resources, we can help to further reduce our environmental impact supporting our progression towards a more circular economy".
Benefits of Upcycled Scents
Environmental Advantages
Upcycling transforms waste materials - like citrus peels and sawdust - into valuable resources, keeping them out of landfills. Since these ingredients come from existing industrial processes, there’s no need for additional land, water, or irrigation. This approach also helps safeguard wild plant populations from overharvesting. For instance, woody notes like sandalwood and Atlas cedar can be sourced from furniture industry by-products instead of cutting down trees. Plus, processing these materials often involves simpler methods compared to the cultivation and extraction of fresh resources. Kristal Goodman, Head of Product Innovation at THG LABS, highlights this efficiency:
"Many upcycled fragrance materials require simpler processing compared to traditional extraction techniques, leading to lower energy usage".
By sourcing materials locally from related industries, brands can also cut down on transportation emissions. Together, these practices not only reduce environmental strain but also pave the way for creating scents with a distinctive edge.
Distinct and High — Quality Scents
Upcycled ingredients bring unique aromatic profiles that traditional methods often can’t achieve. Secondary distillation, for example, can enhance and refine scents, revealing deeper and more complex notes. Twice-distilled rose petals might take on spicier or honeyed tones compared to their initial extraction.
Belinda Smith, Founder of St. Rose, underscores this creative potential:
"The olfactory quality is unique and makes certain facets of the ingredient more intense, which is an amazing way to intentionally influence a composition into a certain direction".
Other examples include oak chips from cognac barrels, which lend sweet, smoky, vanilla-like notes, and coffee grounds from the beverage industry, which contribute a rich roasted aroma.
Lower Production Costs
Upcycling isn’t just about sustainability - it also makes good economic sense. By repurposing by-products, brands can sidestep the hefty costs tied to sourcing expensive virgin raw materials. This abundance of readily available by-products significantly cuts expenses. In turn, these savings can help lower prices for consumers. With simpler processing methods, local sourcing, and reduced waste management costs, upcycling creates a production process that’s both efficient and cost-effective.
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How Brands Are Using Upcycling Methods
Precision Fermentation and Lab — Grown Molecules
Biotechnology is reshaping how fragrances are created, offering a way to turn waste into high-quality scent ingredients. Through precision fermentation, microorganisms are used in controlled conditions to transform agricultural leftovers - like spent rose petals or vanilla pods - into premium molecules for fragrances.
Take Givaudan’s Akigalawood, for example. This exclusive fragrance molecule is crafted from discarded fractions of patchouli oil, turning what would have been waste into something highly sought-after.
Another approach involves green chemistry, where biodegradable molecules are synthesized from industrial byproducts. A standout here is Lilybelle, derived from orange peel waste, which provides a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based synthetics.
In 2023, Coty teamed up with LanzaTech to integrate ethanol made from captured industrial carbon emissions into its "Infiniment Coty" line. This showcases how biologically derived alcohol can replace petroleum-based components, which typically make up 75% to 90% of a perfume’s composition.
But innovation doesn’t stop at ingredients - brands are also reimagining how products are packaged to support a circular economy.
Refill Systems and Eco — Friendly Packaging
Sustainability in fragrance isn’t just about ingredients; it’s also about minimizing waste through smarter packaging. The industry generates significant waste during production, but solutions like refillable containers and biodegradable materials are helping shift from the traditional "take-make-waste" model to one that keeps resources in use for longer.
Iberchem has taken this to heart with a zero-waste initiative led by Sustainability Director Guillaume Audy, ensuring all the company’s waste is either recycled or recovered. Meanwhile, Sana Jardin tackled the issue of 900 tons of orange blossom by-product being sent to Moroccan landfills each year. They set up a co-op to upcycle surplus floral wax into candles, reducing waste and creating economic opportunities at the same time.
How Scento Supports Fragrance Discovery and Waste Reduction
Designer Fragrances in Smaller, Practical Sizes
Buying full-sized perfume bottles often leads to waste, as many end up unfinished and forgotten. Scento tackles this issue by offering authentic designer fragrance decants in 0.75ml, 2ml, and 8ml sizes. These smaller formats let you explore luxury scents without the hefty commitment of a $300+ bottle.
The process of decanting involves transferring genuine fragrance from the original bottle into smaller, convenient spray vials. For context, an 8ml vial provides about 120 sprays - enough to wear the scent for several weeks. This gives you time to experience how the fragrance develops in various settings before deciding on a full-sized purchase. By focusing on thoughtful sampling, this approach minimizes waste from blind buys that don’t work out.
This model not only saves resources but also fits seamlessly into a broader effort to curb unnecessary waste.
Waste Reduction Through Thoughtful Consumption
Scento’s emphasis on smaller quantities goes hand-in-hand with waste-conscious practices. Offering fragrances in decant sizes aligns with the principles of the "slow scent" movement and circular beauty ideals, promoting mindful purchasing and reduced waste. When you buy only what you’ll use, you help prevent half-empty bottles from cluttering cabinets or ending up in landfills.
Interestingly, over one-third of consumers now make beauty choices based on environmental impact. Scento’s decant-based model supports this shift by enabling customers to explore and build a diverse fragrance wardrobe without excessive accumulation. Plus, their travel-friendly glass atomizers are leak-proof and reusable, cutting down on the need for disposable or single-use travel containers.
Highlighting Sustainable Fragrance Choices
Scento also curates fragrances crafted with upcycled ingredients, such as coffee grounds, citrus peels, and wood shavings - materials that would otherwise go to waste. This approach supports a circular beauty economy by reducing reliance on virgin raw materials. These sustainable options resonate strongly with Gen Z and Millennials who value environmentally conscious choices. Offering these eco-friendly scents in smaller discovery sizes allows customers to explore the harmony of sustainability and luxury without sacrificing quality.
Conclusion
Upcycled fragrances are changing the game in the luxury perfume industry, offering a fresh approach to sustainability. By repurposing materials like coffee grounds, citrus peels, and wood sawdust into premium scent ingredients, these perfumes tackle the staggering 92 million tons of waste generated annually by the fragrance sector. At the same time, they deliver distinctive and layered aromas that traditional methods often can’t replicate. This shift marks a significant evolution in how luxury perfume is made.
The numbers tell the story: 65% of consumers now actively seek environmentally conscious scents, and 84% of millennials say sustainability shapes their buying decisions. Between April 2020 and March 2025, product launches featuring upcycled ingredients surged by 196%. This growing interest in circular beauty is redefining both consumer expectations and industry benchmarks.
What makes upcycled fragrances particularly compelling is their ability to balance luxury with responsibility. Second-distillation techniques unlock richer, more nuanced aromas, proving that sustainability doesn’t require compromising on quality. Brands like Scento make it easy to explore these innovative creations with perfume decant sizes (0.75 ml, 2 ml, and 8 ml), allowing you to experiment without committing to a full bottle - perfect for reducing waste while discovering new favorites.
If you’re ready to make more thoughtful fragrance choices, start with trial sizes of upcycled scents. Look for certifications like EcoCert or COSMOS Organic to ensure brands are genuinely committed to sustainability, and prioritize those with transparent ingredient sourcing. Every choice you make helps pave the way for a more responsible and enjoyable luxury fragrance experience.
FAQs
What makes upcycled fragrances more environmentally friendly than traditional perfumes?
Upcycled fragrances are made by transforming by-products like coffee grounds, citrus peels, or cacao husks into something new and beautiful. Instead of discarding these materials, they’re given a second life, helping to cut down on landfill waste, conserve resources, and support a circular economy. What’s more, many of these scents are produced using energy-efficient methods that keep their carbon footprint lower.
On the other hand, traditional perfumes often depend on freshly harvested raw materials and resource-heavy processes. For example, extracting natural aromatics or producing ethanol from virgin agricultural sources can lead to deforestation, heavy water consumption, and considerable greenhouse gas emissions. By reimagining waste and reducing the need for new resources, upcycled fragrances present a more environmentally friendly option - without sacrificing creativity or quality.
What materials are commonly used in upcycled fragrances?
Upcycled fragrances take materials that would otherwise go to waste and turn them into something extraordinary. Think used rose petals, fruit peels or pulp (like orange or citrus peels), and wood by-products such as sawdust or wood chips. Instead of being discarded, these materials are cleverly reimagined into aromatic notes, cutting down the demand for fresh raw ingredients.
By transforming items like leftover wood chips or rescued fruit peels, fragrance makers are crafting eco-friendly options that preserve the natural beauty of the original materials. This approach not only reduces waste but also minimizes the strain on resources, making it a thoughtful choice for those who care about the planet. The rise of upcycled fragrances is all about offering sustainable options without sacrificing the richness or depth of scent.
Why are younger consumers drawn to upcycled fragrances?
Younger consumers are gravitating toward upcycled fragrances, as sustainability resonates deeply with their values. For those aged 15 to 30, supporting brands that creatively minimize waste - by reusing materials like coffee grounds, citrus peels, or wine lees - feels like a natural extension of their commitment to making eco-friendly choices.
These upcycled fragrances also offer a chance to experience distinctive, high-quality scents without the financial leap of purchasing full-size bottles. Platforms like Scento cater to this preference by providing designer perfumes in smaller decants, ranging from 0.75 ml to 8 ml, or through flexible subscription plans. This setup not only minimizes waste but also aligns with their love for affordable, low-risk ways to discover and experiment with new fragrances.
