The Environmental Cost and Responsibilities of Making Luxury Perfumes

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Natural ingredients are an important selling point in the fragrance industry. But the environmental impact of producing them is not always as straightforward as their botanical origins suggest. Consider the Comoros, an island nation off Africa's southeastern coast and one of the world's leading producers of ylang-ylang essential oil. Used in luxury perfumes and cosmetics, the ingredient provides income for thousands of farmers, flower pickers, and distillers. However, its production has an environmental cost.

The Problem: Producing Fragrance Can Put Pressure on Forests

Ylang-ylang is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, now cultivated in countries such as Madagascar and the Comoros. Its fragrant yellow flowers are used to produce essential oils for perfumes and cosmetics.

The oil is extracted through steam distillation, a process in which the flowers are heated to release their aromatic compounds. In the Comoros, traditional distilleries rely heavily on firewood to generate this heat. The large quantities required have raised environmental concerns, particularly as the country continues to experience significant forest loss.

According to a project assessment by the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) conducted from 2017-2021, the sector consumed approximately 10,000 tonnes of wood annually and was estimated to contribute between 10% and 15% of deforestation at the time of the assessment.

More recently, an August 2025 AFP investigation reported that traditional production could require approximately 250 kilograms of wood to produce one litre of essential oil. While fragrance production is not the only cause of deforestation in the Comoros, its reliance on firewood adds to the pressure on the country's forests. The case illustrates an important distinction for the beauty industry: an ingredient can be natural without being produced sustainably.

The Solution: Cleaner Technology Is Making a Difference

Efforts to reduce firewood consumption are already producing results. An FFEM-supported initiative introduced improved distillation equipment capable of reducing wood-energy consumption by 50% to 70% compared with traditional systems.

International fragrance companies are also investing in cleaner production. In April 2026, Givaudan reported that its collaboration with ingredient supplier Biolandes had supported the installation of 32 energy-efficient fireplaces across participating facilities in the Comoros, reducing firewood consumption by approximately one-third.

These developments show that the environmental impact of essential-oil production can be reduced without abandoning natural ingredients or the communities that depend on them. However, improved equipment requires investment, and smaller producers may not have the resources to finance these upgrades independently.

This raises a question for the industry: who should pay for cleaner production?

The Business and Legal Implications

International fragrance companies depend on natural ingredients sourced from countries such as the Comoros. While producers must comply with applicable environmental laws, buyers also have opportunities to support improvements through equipment financing, technical assistance, and long-term sourcing agreements.

Commercial contracts can play an important role. For example, buyers may introduce environmental requirements into supplier agreements, but those requirements are more likely to be effective when producers have the financial and technical capacity to meet them.

Regulation is also becoming relevant to how fragrance products are marketed. In the European Union, Directive (EU) 2024/825 strengthens rules against misleading environmental claims, with implementing measures scheduled to apply from September 2026.

For fragrance brands, describing a product as natural does not, by itself, establish that the product is environmentally sustainable. Claims about sustainability must meet applicable legal requirements and be supported by appropriate evidence. The broader implication is that environmental responsibility increasingly extends beyond the finished product to the practices used throughout its supply chain.

What This Means for Africa's Beauty Industry

The Comoros offers three lessons for African producers, beauty businesses, and policymakers.

For producers: Investing in more efficient extraction methods can reduce environmental impacts and improve readiness for international sourcing requirements. Access to affordable equipment and financing will be important.

For beauty brands: Sustainability claims should be supported by evidence about sourcing and production. Businesses should also consider how their purchasing arrangements can support environmental improvements among suppliers.

For policymakers: Expanding Africa's essential-oil and botanical ingredient industries should go hand in hand with investment in cleaner technology, environmental oversight, and local processing capacity.

The Comoros' experies that cleaner fragrance production is possible. The challenge is making it accessible across an industry where producers have very different financial and technical resources.

Summarily, the next question for the global fragrance industry is how to share the cost of achieving a sustainability goal among the businesses and communities that operate in the industry.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), Reducing the Environmental Impact of Essential Oil Distillation.

2. Agence France-Presse, Comoros: Push to Turn Ylang-Ylang Distillation to Greener Practices, August 2025.

3. Givaudan, Celebrating Five Years of Sourcing4Good, April 2026.

4. European Parliament and Council, Directive (EU) 2024/825.