How are scientists and conservationists preserving scents from endangered plants?

Conservationists are partnering with fragrance companies to capture and synthesize scents from threatened plants, with some companies developing perfumes based on these unique aromas.

What role does biotechnology play in recreating plant fragrances?

Biotech firms are using DNA sequencing and AI to recreate scents from extinct flowers and produce rare fragrance ingredients artificially, offering cost and time efficiencies.

How does the fragrance industry contribute to plant conservation?

Fragrance companies partner with conservation organizations, providing donations and a percentage of sales from perfumes inspired by threatened plants to fund conservation efforts.

Home / Science / Bottled Fragrance: Saving Scents From Extinction

Bottled Fragrance: Saving Scents From Extinction

6 Mar

•

Summary

Fragrance industry partners with conservationists to capture plant scents.
Biotech firms use DNA and AI to recreate extinct and rare plant fragrances.
Reviving scents helps fund conservation and reduces harvesting pressure.

Bottled Fragrance: Saving Scents From Extinction

Conservationists, perfumers, and biotech engineers are actively working to preserve the scents of threatened and extinct plants. This effort is driven by the reality that climate change and habitat destruction endanger industries reliant on natural fragrances like vanilla, lavender, and sandalwood. The Red List Project, co-led by biologists Peggy Fiedler and Vanessa Handley, began partnering with fragrance companies in 2018 to capture scents from endangered plants.

MANE, a French fragrance house, partnered with the Red List Project in 2021, developing three scents from threatened plants, including a magnolia from Ecuador and a Caribbean juniper. These collaborations provide funding for conservation work. Other companies are also contributing. In 2022, Blocki worked with the Red List Project to reimagine its vintage Brazilian Lily scent, which had not been bottled since the early 1900s, as the original flower is now endangered.