Verdenix™: Our Silver Bullet for Counteracting Malodors

Every now and then a new perfumery ingredient comes around and changes the playing field.  This is the case with the launch of our latest proprietary ingredient named Verdenix™, which has demonstrated superior malodor counteracting properties.  In addition to being able to fight foul smells, Verdenix™ respects our sustainability philosophy.  This active ingredient is an upcycled material, made in an eco-friendly way and responsible for virtually no waste.  It’s an example of green chemistry at its best.

A Story That Begins in the Canadian Wilderness

To understand the creation of Verdenix™, one must go back to our development of L’Âme du Bois™, our first proprietary ingredient.  This initial creation finds its origin in the discarded sawdust of western red cedarwood, Thuja plicata, which grows in the forests of British Columbia in Canada.  Oil extracted from the wood—or from its sawdust, in this instance—is particularly rich in methyl thujate.  Our team was able to identify the exact molecules that impart the original scent characteristics to this ingredient.  This led to the creation of our first captive, an upcycled ingredient offering interesting woody, fruity olfactive properties with green-sweet undertones that bind well with other ingredients in perfume compositions.

But we didn’t stop at that; we pursued our research on the remaining fraction of material that was leftover from the production of L’Âme du Boix™.  After applying a simple physical treatment to the residual liquid, the R&D team obtained a new technical, perfumery ingredient.  Hence, two different materials were created by using 94% of the cedarwood oil.  As this second captive ingredient has an eco-friendly, upcycled background, it was named Verdenix™, as in “verde” meaning green in Spanish and “nix” as in to stop, or prevent in English, referring to its effect on undesirable odors.

A promising new ingredient to boost malodor counteraction

Verdenix™ offers typical olfactive notes of cedarwood, allowing it to blend well with other ingredients present in fragrance formulas.  The presence of some components in this ingredient suggested a potential application of this captive to eliminate malodor molecules and reduce malodor perception, in effect two different and extremely welcome strategies for counteracting all types of disagreeable smells (e.g., food, sweat, stale tobacco…).  The potential of Verdenix™ with reference to elimination is based on its capability to accelerate the chemical elimination of malodor molecules by selected fragrance ingredients.  In just over two minutes, Verdenix™ is able to render half of the malodor molecules undetectable by GCMS analytical equipment.  In under six minutes, the unpleasant compounds are virtually eradicated.  These findings were corroborated in sensorial panels.

Verdenix™ achieves this goal efficaciously for certain types of unpleasant smells.  In cases where the chemical structure of the malodor molecules forbids their elimination, the innovative ingredient can successfully fight them via harmonization.  Our innovative technical ingredient delivers both effectively to counteract disagreeable smells.  At Eurofragance we have nicknamed Verdenix™ our silver bullet.

Applications for this new ingredient

Verdenix™ finds its rightful place within the EuroPure™ platform which is a toolbox to address the challenges of malodors.  Verdenix™ offers real malodor counteracting solutions as it is effective across a broad spectrum of unpleasant smells and will naturally do its magic in a wide variety of product types, producing its desired effect even at extremely low dosages.  This, together with its naturally agreeable olfactive profile, makes it easy to work with as it doesn’t disturb the olfactive profile of the Perfumer’s composition.  Product applications that are typically positioned to combatting unpleasant odors include several Personal Care categories of products (e.g., AP/Deos, soaps, shower gels… as well as Home Care ones (e.g., all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid…).

A sustainability-driven innovation pipeline

In all its projects, across departments, Eurofragance is committed to sustainable development.  This philosophy drives the company’s whole innovation program, which has introduced a first captive, L’Âme du Bois™, with promising olfactive properties for creation, and now another one, Verdenix™, with proven technical benefits.  Verdenix™ is more than a “green ingredient,” it is a powerful malodor counteraction enabler, effective by leveraging different mechanisms.

These new captive ingredients are not to be isolated achievements, they are just the first visible elements of a group of green materials and solutions that the company is currently working on.  These innovations will expand Perfumers’ creation possibilities and deliver technical advantages while fulfilling the company’s sustainable vision.