What hides behind this term?
It actually refers to an original approach to cosmetic product perfuming. After a period when perfumes were widely disparaged, which led to the development of fragrance-free ranges and to complex allergen labelling, preference studies clearly showed perfume and smells in general considerably contributed to a product’s power of seduction. As a result, perfume compositions were put back in the spotlight. But, the objective was not to revive the same old art of perfuming. In parallel to research focused on the meaning of smells, other approaches were considered, one of which consisted in viewing perfuming compositions as an integral part of product efficacy.
We owe this contribution to the French, Grasse-based Robertet company. Robertet decided to take advantage of this opportunity by designing perfuming compositions intended for cosmetics in a different way. The idea put forward was to complete the main function of these compositions, the smell, with a biological activity related to the positioning of the product.
Robertet launched a research programme in the 2000’s, tapping into the bank of natural materials available to perfumers: the physiological and biological activity of almost 400 perfume raw materials was assessed. The most interesting were selected and used in perfuming compositions created upon request. All this showed that smells still smelt as good as they used to, met regulatory and economic requirements, and offered the cosmetic activity expected for the project. Similarly to the perfumes traditionally used in cosmetics, ActiScent® contain synthetic and natural aromatic materials, except these natural materials exhibit a cosmetic activity.
Click on this link for an overview of these specialties: ActiScent®
Right now, the collection of active perfumes counts over 2,000 references. The various possible approaches and modes of action are described in this recently published document: Expression cosmétique: Actiscent
A recent application makes it possible to adopt an original approach to the body smell claim.
Lastly, a concrete example of application is described with a perfuming product with an anti-aging claim.
In an industry constantly in search of innovation, no doubt this approach represents an interesting development.
Jean Claude LE JOLIFF
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