Givaudan, the big Swiss fragrance company, just said it is putting CHF 55 million into something called Campus 52 in Grasse, France to push ahead on natural fragrance ingredients. The plan is to start building this new center and have it focus on innovation, agronomy and perfumery, so scientists and partners can work together on making these ingredients. It is part of Givaudan’s strategy for 2030 that is meant to help it grow sustainably and make fragrance solutions with high value that consumers like. The new spot ties into the company’s House of Naturals group and is going to be about exploring, developing and producing what the company calls industry-leading natural fragrance ingredients for its perfumers.
What Campus 52 Will Be
The center at Grasse is described as a “center of excellence,” and it is being built around four things: agronomy, innovation, operations and perfumers. Givaudan says it will have a
production facility and an innovation laboratory that help bring fragrances to life by letting scientists and partners work together. This effort is backed by Givaudan’s natural sourcing program, which is meant to mix technological innovation with operational practices to produce the ingredients.
What the Company Says
Givaudan’s global head of Fine Fragrance, Xavier Renard, says the campus will house development and production capabilities to deliver exclusive, high-quality natural ingredients. Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan, says the CHF 55 million investment fits with the company’s 2030 strategy aimed at sustainable growth and creating fragrance solutions people love. He also says that putting Campus 52 in Grasse is a return to the company’s roots, because perfumery traditions, know-how and craftsmanship have been important there for centuries.
How It Fits With Other Moves
This push in Europe comes alongside other expansions by Givaudan in the last month. Givaudan also invested US$110 million in a fragrance facility in Mexico and announced a new creative fragrance hub in Indonesia. The company’s 2025 financial report says its Givaudan Fragrance & Beauty segment grew 7.9 % like-for-like, which helped drive overall sales growth of 5.1 %. The choice of Grasse was strategic, the company says, because the village has strong historic ties to perfumery and France is where Givaudan first began.
