This fragrance brand ditched fossil fuels to reinvent perfume

The top note in a new perfume called Miami Split comes from an unexpected place: a banana processing plant in Ecuador. The fragrance is extracted from banana-scented water, a byproduct of washing fruit, that was previously thrown away.It’s one of the unusual ingredients sourced by Abel Fragrance, a company that avoids using any fossil fuels in its products. Instead, it is looking to biotech to make natural fragrances. Right now, petrochemicals are the status quo in the industry.“Almost all fragrance molecules are synthesized from fossil fuels,” says Frances Shoemack, the brand’s founder. A typical fragrance is made from between a dozen and a few hundred fragrance molecules and more than 95% of those come from crude oil. “They’re cheap and readily scalable, and it’s really what’s kind of created the modern fragrance world,” she adds.[Photo: Abel]The quest for a natural perfumeShoemack, a former winemaker originally from New Zealand, started Abel Fragrance in 2013 after a move to Amsterdam. At the time, she saw natural, more sustainable options for skincare and makeup, but nothing comparable for perfume. “It just started out as a bit of a real search for this product,” she says. “And then a little bit of like, if no one’s doing it, is it something I could do if I find the right people to surround myself with?”Isaac Sinclair and Frances Shoemack [Photo: Abel]She partnered with the master perfumer Isaac Sinclair and initially worked only with essential oils, but quickly ran into limitations. Many aren’t long-lasting, and dissipate within hours. They’re difficult to make shelf-stable, without synthetic preservatives like sunscreen. They’re expensive. They’re complex compounds, making them harder to work with in a precise way. The startup team wanted to rethink how natural fragrances are made. Their theory: it should be possible to compete with fossil-based fragrances on performance.[Photo: Abel]A biotech answerAs Shoemack and Sinclair looked at innovation happening in ot