News
July 6, 2026
Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), Maastricht (Netherlands), July 6, 2026
dsm-firmenich announces the launch of Flowers Are Watching Us, an immersive artistic and olfactive activation exploring a new vision of florals and reaffirming the company’s leadership at the intersection of science, innovation, and culture.
Unveiled in Paris this June, the initiative brings together in-house perfumers from across the globe alongside a collective of contemporary artists to question traditional representations of flowers in perfumery — not as static objects of beauty, not only as cultural symbols but as subject, living beings that adapt and respond to their environment.
A dialogue between perfumery and art
At the heart of the activation is a curated selection of international photographers — including Almudena Romero, Sophie Zénon, Anaïs Tondeur, Hideyuki Ishibashi, Anne‑Lou Buzot and Vittoria Gerardi — whose practices explore themes of impermanence, transformation, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
This event also features a unique collaboration with internationally recognized French visual sculptor and designer Junior Fritz Jacquet, whose site-specific installation transforms paper into a living, breathing landscape of light, texture, and movement. His work, created exclusively for dsm‑firmenich, introduces a powerful emotional dimension to the experience, bridging materiality and imagination.
Inspired by the iconic floral signatures crafted by dsm-firmenich for historical fragrance pillars such as Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel, Pleasures by Estée Lauder, Flower by Kenzo and Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian, Studio Ranarivelo, a ceramic artist and visual artist from Madagascar based in Paris, reimagines the flower through a series of abstract porcelain sculptures.
Together with dsm‑firmenich perfumers, these artists create a multi-sensory dialogue where fragrance and image become living media, reshaping how flowers are seen, experienced and remembered.
Reaffirming leadership in floral innovation
Flowers Are Watching Us builds on more than a century of innovation in floral perfumery at dsm‑firmenich. From the early synthesis of Iralia®, one of the first iconic floral molecules present in Guerlain’s Mitsouko and Chanel N°5, and dsm-firmenich’s first ever molecule, to the pioneering of legendary base ingredients such as Wardia, and the transformative impact of Hedione®, as seen in Dior’s Eau Sauvage and Estée Lauder’s Pleasures, dsm-firmenich has continuously redefined the possibilities of floral creation.
Today, this legacy is extended through advanced technologies such as Firgood® extraction, NaturePrint® capture, and new-generation ingredients like Heliobliss®, enabling perfumers to explore florals with unprecedented precision, sustainability, and creative freedom.
These innovative ingredients from dsm-firmenich’s world-class palette are also showcased in an exclusive fragrance. Created by Principal Perfumer Amandine Clerc-Marie and Perfumer Coralie Spicher, in collaboration with Junior Fritz Jacquet, Fleur de Papier evokes an imaginary flower—luminous, airy, and multifaceted. It unfolds as an elegant bloom of radiance, sculpted around Heliobliss®, a new captive molecule. At its heart, a solar floral bouquet takes shape, where Dried Ylang Flower Firgood® and Evening Primrose NaturePrint™ blend softness and light. The composition evolves into a textured, enveloping trail, lingering with warmth and sensuality, carried by Vulcanolide® and iconic musks.
This activation showcases both the depth of this heritage and the forward-looking vision of dsm‑firmenich — positioning the company as a key architect of the next chapter in floral perfumery.
A platform for the future of florals
Bringing together artistic exploration and olfactive innovation, Flowers Are Watching Us introduces a global collection of new fragrance creations developed by dsm‑firmenich perfumers. It reflects a broader ambition: to move beyond the literal representation of flowers and create bold, contemporary signatures that resonate with evolving consumer expectations. This flower of the future brings a new perspective to how we envision florals as a part of the perfumery landscape.
“With Flowers Are Watching Us, we wanted to question how we think about florals — not as something to reproduce, but as something to interpret and reimagine,” said Jonathan Simon, President Global Fine Fragrance at dsm‑firmenich. “By bringing together our perfumers with leading artists, we are opening new creative territories and reaffirming our role in shaping the future of perfumery.”
From Paris to the world
Following its launch in Paris, Flowers Are Watching Us will travel globally, with upcoming activations planned in key cities including Barcelona, São Paulo, New York, and Shanghai.
With this initiative, dsm‑firmenich continues to expand its role beyond fragrance creation — establishing itself as a cultural platform that brings together science, artistry, and innovation to shape the future of olfaction.
About dsm-firmenich
As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the world’s growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for people and the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss company with dual headquarters in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland and Maastricht, Netherlands, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than €12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life every day, everywhere, for billions of people. www.dsm-firmenich.com
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For more information
Camille Le Gall
camille.le.gall@dsm-firmenich.com
+33 614 714 121
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