Perfume makers seek natural, sustainable scents

In 1921, perfumer Ernest Beaux discovered that adding synthetic aldehydes to natural rose and jasmine scents produced just the right fragrance combination for the iconic CHANEL No. 5 perfume. Today, perfume makers have more than 3,000 synthetic scent molecules in their palettes. However, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, consumer demand for natural ingredients has challenged perfumers to find natural, yet sustainable, scents.