Lucknow, 25 October 2024 - The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) today took part in the 3rd International Fragrance Business Summit hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), in collaboration with CSIR-CMAP. The summit took place in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and focused on the Indian fragrance industry, exploring opportunities for sustainable practices, on how to build fragrance-relevant skills locally, and on harmonization with global standards to improve consumer protection.

“India is a rising player in the global fragrance sector and is a leading source of key fragrance ingredients”, said Martina Bianchini, President of IFRA. “This summit was an opportunity to discuss sustainable growth and innovation. By working together, we can enhance consumer protection and support the development of the fragrance industry in India and beyond”.

The event brought together leaders and experts from the fragrance industry to explore topics such as enhancing economic growth through sustainable development practices, emerging market opportunities for India, and harmonizing fragrance safety standards.

The summit also featured Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange between IFRA and FICCI, building upon IFRA-FICCI’s existing work together. IFRA was a co-founder of the FICCI Fragrance Task Force, and IFRA’s participation in the FICCI Fragrance Business Summit is its third such engagement.

“The signing of the MoU between IFRA and FICCI is a milestone in fostering stronger relationships between the global fragrance community and India”, said Hans Holger Gliewe, Chairman of IFRA. “It symbolizes our shared commitment to advancing safety, sustainability, capacity and innovation in the fragrance industry in all corners of the world.”

The summit also highlighted technological innovations shaping the future of the Indian fragrance sector, including skills development – particularly in the field of perfumery, something also supported by IFRA’s support of the Hindu College Perfumery Course – and the further progress in CIMAP’s sustainable aroma clusters.

Referring to the Perfumery Course, Bhuvana Nageshwaran, Director F&F at Ultra International Limited and co-chair of the FICCI Fragrance Task Force said, “I am pleased to see that through this sustainable perfumery course: ‘the Art of crafting fragrances and nurturing careers’, we can join hands to deliver on our shared objectives – with this MOU also serving to reinforce this work.”

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) hosted the 3rd International Fragrance Business Summit 2024 on October 25, 2024, at CSIR-CMAP, Lucknow. This initiative was organized in collaboration with CSIR-CMAP, Lucknow, supported by the Ministry of MSME, the Government of India, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and other industry stakeholders including International Fragrance Association (IFRA), Ultra International Limited, and Eternis Fine Chemicals Ltd.