Science and scent: The biotech behind sustainable musk

27 Jul 2021 --- The beginning of the year saw US biotechnology firm Conagen unveil new musk lactones in the beauty and personal care ingredient space, specifically the fragrance arena. The launch marked a move by the company to shift towards natural and more sustainable fragrance notes.

This greener biotech application sees Conagen use its proprietary technology to develop and commercially produce macrocyclic musk lactones from natural substrates. Driving this pipeline of innovative musk production is Blue California Flavors and Fragrances, a botanical extracts and specialty ingredients manufacturer.

Working together, Blue California and Conagen are developing a range of macrocyclic musk lactones. Their goal is to produce a collection that reflects all of the various reasons musks are used in fragrances. 

“Musks are almost omnipresent in perfumery,” says Kathy Oglesby, Head of Flavors and Fragrances at Blue California. “They can smell soft and powdery in baby products. They make your cologne either sexy or cozy. Or both.”

Powering up scent

The compounds that are present in musk fragrances are most typically used as base note ingredients in the perfumes that consumers seek from their favorite fragrance houses. These compounds’ natural sources come from animals’ glandular secretion, which can be found in musk deer and certain plants.

“Properties of musk are interesting because they aren’t chemical properties, they are sensory and synergistic properties,” says Oglesby. 

“Musk is a warm and inviting scent that is pervasive and basically powers up every other scent in a fragrance. It is like a pep talk for fragrances.” 

In collaboration, Conagen and Blue California have developed an innovative ecosystem to produce its sustainable, natural musk molecules. Firstly, fragrance experts will be at the top of the pipeline to spur innovation. Musk scents are then derived from plant lipids and undergo an enzymatic bioconversion process in bioreactors. 

Next, by applying enzymatic reactions, they are able to create lactones that are not commonly accessible by conventional synthesis. Then, they turn to scaling up and commercializing the musk molecules for perfume, cosmetics and personal products before introducing these to consumers who are actively seeking sustainable beauty options.

Click to EnlargeSource: Blue California/ConagenSimilar to synthetic musks, the Conagen Blue California range is long lasting and diffusive, with the added benefits of being natural and sustainable.

Today’s fragrance industry has moved its attention and use away from animal sources, yet plant sources are limited. Therefore, using biotechnology to create chemically synthesized alternatives that produce similar scents is driving the creation of greener fragrance options.  

Describing the inspiration behind launching macrocyclic musk lactones, Oglesby shares: “Right after my fragrance team was formed, just about a year ago, I asked, ‘What is the most important fragrance material that isn’t readily available today in a natural form?’ In one second, with 100% agreement - which is rare to get from perfumers - the answer was ‘musk’.”

After delving further into research to support whether musk is the most important fragrance material that is not easily accessible on the marketplace, Blue California’s team agreed it is. Commenting on why this is the case, Oglesby explains: “First, most natural musks are from animal sources. Without going into details, that is neither ethical nor sustainable.” 

“Agriculturally-based musk is extremely expensive,” Oglesby continues. As a result of these factors, “musk became a petroleum-based, artificial chemical story.” As well as producing ethical, sustainable and cost-based worries, nitro musks also became a health concern.

“Other synthetic musks were safe, but not very clean, not biodegradable, and bear a large carbon footprint,” says Oglesby.

Click to EnlargePerfumers agreed that musk is a vital fragrance material not readily available in natural form. Source: Blue California.Today, Conagen is using its fermentation and bioconversion technologies to produce molecules with minimal carbon, water and land footprints.  

“The molecules are very clean, meaning they are free from solvent residues, pesticides, herbicides and other undesirable trace elements which are key for personal care and cosmetic brands,” shares Oglesby.

Implementing these molecules into their range of natural, plant based musks was a quick process. The time from Blue California starting work on it to the time that Conagen actually had proof of concept was just four or five weeks.

Blue California has its sights on progressing the industry’s sustainability. “In the short term, my hope is that our new plant based musk will be seen as the way forward, material proof that even fragrances, one of the most luxurious and high-performance goods of all, can be produced in a way that is easy on the planet,” emphasizes Oglesby.  

As for its longer-term aims for biotech fragrance solutions, Oglesby says: “My hope - my dream that we are working hard every day to achieve - is that as an industry we are able to reduce the demand placed by fragrances on precious clean air, water, and fertile land by 90%.”

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, BPC Insights Senior Journalist