Mid-January, Coty has begun production of fragrances made using LanzaTech carbon-captured ethanol in its Granollers manufacturing facility in Spain. The first Coty fragrances made using this new ethanol will reach stores in the coming months. Coty said to be ahead of schedule on its goal to integrate sustainable ethanol into a majority of its fragrance portfolio by 2023, including Calvin Klein, Burberry, Boss, Gucci, Chloé, Marc Jacobs Perfume, etc.
The beauty group is making these fragrances using CarbonSmart, an ethanol produced by LanzaTech by capturing carbon emitted by industrial activity before it is released to the atmosphere. Collected through an electrolysis process, carbon dioxide is then cleaned-up before being transformed into ethanol through fermentation.
Sustainably sourced key ingredient
Ethyl alcohol is a key ingredient in most fragrances where it is used - in concentrations up to 96% - as a support to the perfuming concentrate. Logically, ethanol is Coty’s top fragrance ingredient by volume. By transforming carbon into a new source of ethanol, Coty and LanzaTech aim to move forward towards reducing the beauty industry’s environmental impact. Indeed, carbon-captured ethanol involves nearly zero water consumption and reduces the need for agricultural land.
An independent analysis conducted by sustainability consultancy Quantis has shown a significantly reduced overall environmental footprint. In particular, LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart helps Coty to reduce its carbon emissions related to fragrance production.
“Fragrances made using carbon-captured ethanol represents the ground-breaking sustainability progress that I joined Coty to lead,” said Dr. Shimei Fan, who was appointed as the group’s Chief Scientific Officer on January.
Coty says the ethanol produced by LanzaTech meets the group’s strict specifications for use in perfumery and is very much in line with other high quality ethyl alcohols found in the market.
“LanzaTech is proud to have made our first delivery of carbon-captured ethanol to Coty ahead of schedule,” said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaTech. “After two years of working side by side with Coty scientists to develop a high-purity ethanol suitable for use in fine fragrances, we are excited to see Coty bring the first globally distributed fragrances made from CarbonSmart ethanol to market, so consumers can choose products made from recycled carbon.”
Beyond this captured-carbon ethanol project, LanzaTech has also joined forces with France’s beauty L’Oréal group and energy giant Total to develop a plastic bottle made with polyethylene derived from captured and recycled carbon emissions. After a successful test, L’Oréal, Total and Lanzatech expect the industrialization phase to be completed by 2024.
