In this guest piece, Victorinox Head of Fragrance Category Hill Anjali Gill outlines how the Swiss lifestyle brand is showing leadership in the world of sustainable fragrances, from ingredient-sourcing and packaging to logistics.
2020 was a year of reset, change, uncertainty and, for many, a year of reflection, writes Anjali Gill. Having spent much of the year at home, consumers began to prioritise their wellbeing which prompted a renewed focus on fragrance and the role it plays in influencing our emotions.
Data clearly shows that the pandemic positively impacted fragrance sales. However it also provoked a shift towards greater sustainability within the fragrance industry, with more consumers opting for natural scents and non-toxic ingredients. Based on fragrance type, the natural ingredients segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 4.3% from 2020 to 2027 (Allied Market Research).
Sustainability has been an essential part of Victorinox’s business philosophy ever since the company was founded over 130 years ago. At Victorinox, alongside quality, our key criteria in product design and development are material and packaging recyclability, energy consumption and transport distances.
Looking specifically at fragrances, all Victorinox perfumes are Swiss made, from product development to production, using high-quality and sustainable ingredients and packaging.
Fragrance relaunch and future improvements
Now more than ever, consumers are just as concerned with how a fragrance is made and packaged as they are with how it smells and feels. In response to the fragrance industry’s new direction, last year we re-launched our entire fragrance collection for the first time in 15 years. To inaugurate this new era, we combined our Swiss roots with a stronger brand appearance and product identity while improving sustainability and product presentation. The new range comes in eye-catching Victorinox packaging with a strong statement and an appealing look. Introducing a storytelling approach, the new fragrances consist of two lines: The Heritage Collection and the Signature Collection.
The new fragrance strategy fits neatly with Victorinox’s brand values of quality, innovation, iconic design and the associated Swissness. Several sustainability initiatives support our pursuit to achieving outstanding quality and constant innovation in the areas of fragrance formulation and packaging. All Victorinox fragrances are developed in collaboration with fragrance experts and continuously improved in terms of sustainability to ensure excellent quality, as well as a unique positioning in combination with our iconic design language and ultimate Swissness.
Hero ingredients, quintessentially Swiss
At Victorinox, we are transparent about the ingredients used in our fragrances and ensure they fit with our Swiss storytelling. All Victorinox fragrances are inspired by Swiss nature and take the consumer on a journey to Switzerland. What’s more, in all new developments there must be one hero ingredient in the formula that is closely connected to Switzerland.
For example, Forget Me Not, which was launched at the beginning of the year takes inspiration from the unapologetic, raw and yet fragile beauty of Swiss nature and the forget me not flower itself. The authentic scent of the forget me not flower was captured with headspace technology while leaving the plant unharmed.
Another upcoming scent from the Victorinox Signature Collection is inspired by the woods in the Swiss forests and the wooden Victorinox knife scales. It will be launched in April 2022 and makes its fragrant debut with refreshing lemon interwoven with warm and comforting notes of Swiss walnut wood and tree moss absolute. The Swiss walnut wood was sourced from the local wood factory from Muotathal and rebuilt without extracting anything from nature.
Natural vs synthetic ingredients
The natural vs synthetic debate has been widely publicised, not only in perfumery but across the entire beauty industry. Natural and synthetic ingredients need to be considered on a case by case basis. The most important thing to consider is each specific ingredient and the ecological impact of its production. In some circumstances, synthetics can act as alternatives to ingredients that cannot be extracted from nature due to overharvesting, natural disasters or environmental impacts.
Whenever possible and reasonable from a sustainability point-of-view, Victorinox formulates a new fragrance from renewable ingredients. However, there are some renewable ingredients, including certain woods, that are harvested from nature. In this instance Victorinox replaces the natural ingredient with upcycled ingredients or scent reconstitutions, as this leaves nature intact and is therefore the more sustainable approach.
It goes without saying that Victorinox stands against animal testing therefore all fragrances qualify as cruelty free and Victorinox ensures that all new products only contain 100% vegan perfume oil. Looking ahead, Victorinox is working on reducing the allergens commonly used in fragrance production to further differentiate from competitors and underline our clear commitment towards clean fragrances.
According to TFWA research, 71% of travel retail shoppers would have their purchase decision impacted by a product having sustainability credentials so there is a clear benefit to the industry putting greater emphasis on sustainable products and brands.
As part of last year’s fragrance relaunch, all primary and secondary packaging were adapted. Whenever possible plastic elements, unnecessary embellishments and foil decorations on the folding boxes were removed, to make packaging more easily recyclable. Victorinox’s guiding principle is “as much packaging as is necessary, but as little as possible”. A large amount of the packaging used to protect the products can be recycled, up to 90% of cardboard packaging is made from recycled paper and 100% is made from chlorine-free bleached paper. The inks and finishes that we use do not contain any solvents or heavy metals. This applies to all our products and channels, including travel retail.
At the end of the day, each and every one of us has a role to play in challenging our own organisations to take better care of the Earth’s resources and driving broader conversations across the entire travel industry about how we contribute to a happier, more sustainable way of life. At Victorinox we can proudly state that we are at the cutting edge.
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