Coty Dives Into Sustainable Fragrance Production With Carbon-Captured Ethanol

Ethanol is a key ingredient in fragrances, but it’s not always a sustainable product. 

Beauty company Coty Inc., is pivoting toward carbon-captured ethanol, which requires nearly zero water consumption. The company has committed to employing sustainability practices for the majority of its fragrance portfolio by 2023 to lower its carbon emissions and limit impact on biodiversity.

This marks the next step in Coty’s partnership with LanzaTech, first established in March 2021. LanzaTech manufactures CarbonSmart by capturing and fermenting carbon emitted by industrial activity before it is released to the atmosphere. 

According to the company, these products will be the world’s first globally distributed fragrances made using carbon-captured ethanol. Fragrances should be reaching store shelves in the coming months. 

[See more: Coty’s Latest Consumer Engagement Tech Tackles Product Testing]

Coty’s sustainability efforts and partnership with LanzaTech are being led by chief scientific officer Dr. Shimei Fan, who joined the company in January 2022.

“Coty’s accelerated release of fragrances made using carbon-captured ethanol represents the groundbreaking sustainability progress that I joined Coty to lead,” said Fan, adding that this next step demonstrates the company’s ability to exceed ambitious clean and green roadmaps set for the future.

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive officer of LanzaTech, said the company has made its first delivery of carbon-captured ethanol after two years of working alongside Coty scientists.

"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," she said.