Reflections from SIMPPAR Paris 2025 on how transparency, place, and purpose are shaping the future of natural ingredients.
Held in early June at Espace Champerret, SIMPPAR Paris 2025 once again proved why it’s one of the most relevant gatherings in the fragrance industry. From legacy houses to independent producers, the event brought together over 1,500 professionals, all sharing one growing focus: natural ingredients with meaning, in how they’re grown, how they’re sourced, and how they’re used.
For a young, farm-based brand like ABL Botanicals, attending SIMPPAR was a valuable checkpoint. It offered a clear sense of where the industry is heading, and in many ways, affirmed that what we’ve been building from the Moroccan ground up is resonating with real shifts in demand.
1. Traceability and Story Are No Longer “Extras”
Conversations across the floor pointed to a shift that feels like a permanent one. Formulators, creators, and sourcing teams are no longer satisfied with just beautiful naturals. They want to know where they came from, who grew them, and how they were handled.
That mindset puts traceability and sourcing narrative closer to the center of ingredient decisions than ever before.
For us, it was encouraging to hear this echoed so widely. ABL Botanicals was founded on a model of organic farming, cooperative partnerships, and direct extraction. Our Chamomile Matricaire, Argan, and Rose oils, each with a clear origin story and a short, transparent supply path, felt very much in tune with what the market is actively seeking.
2. Sustainability Is Becoming More Technical — and More Expected
SIMPPAR wasn’t just about botanical beauty, it was also about process. Upcycled materials, fermentation-based naturals, and low-energy extractions were key themes on many stands and in many conversations.
Sustainability, as a value, isn’t new. But what’s changing is the level of technical curiosity. Attendees wanted to understand how processes work and how that impacts quality and environmental footprint.
ABL Botanicals has always been committed to low-impact steam distillation and regenerative farming, but this experience reminded us that sustainability stories are most powerful when they’re tangible. It’s not just the method, it’s the intention and precision behind it.
3. Regional Identity Matters More Than Ever
It was interesting to see how often regionality came up, not in marketing language, but in formulation discussions. Whether the topic was Rose, Chamomile, Argan, or lesser-known botanicals, attendees were talking about where it came from as much as what it smelled like.
For Moroccan botanicals, this is promising. Our diverse landscape gives us access to species with distinct olfactive profiles that are difficult to replicate elsewhere. Whether it’s the rich, earthy depth of our Argan oil or the warm floral complexity of Wild Chamomile, origin is clearly part of what makes an ingredient creatively valuable.
More than once, niche perfumers mentioned a desire to work with materials that “carry a place with them.” That’s something we’re proud to offer, not as a story crafted after the fact, but as a truth embedded in how we work.
4. People Want to See Where Their Ingredients Come From
One of the strongest undercurrents at SIMPPAR was a renewed interest in supplier relationships. Brands want to get closer to the source to understand and connect, beyond audits or checks.
Several conversations touched on visits to farms, collaborative sourcing, and ingredient co-development. It’s not about polished brochures, it’s about shared values and openness.
This is an area we’ve always believed in. When a formulator walks the land where a plant is grown, or shares a meal with the cooperative harvesting it, the ingredient takes on a new dimension. It becomes more than material. It becomes relational.
5. Heritage Florals Are Taking the Lead, and It’s Not Just About Lavender
This year’s announcement of lavender as the theme for the International Young Perfumer Award brought a poetic focus to SIMPPAR. It reminded everyone that some of the most powerful ingredients in perfumery aren’t new, they’re timeless.
Lavender’s spotlight wasn’t just about the ingredient itself, but what it represents: a return to botanicals that carry cultural weight, emotional familiarity, and a strong sense of place.
For us, it echoed something deeply familiar. At ABL, we work with ingredients like Rose, Chamomile, and Argan, all rooted in Moroccan tradition and rich in sensory and symbolic significance. Like lavender, they carry heritage. And increasingly, heritage is what gives a botanical its edge in modern fragrance creation.
In that way, the lavender theme didn’t feel distant. It felt like an affirmation that emotionally grounded naturals are back at the center of the story, exactly where they belong.
Looking Ahead:
SIMPPAR 2025 wasn’t just a showcase, it was a kind of mirror. One that reflected the direction this industry is moving in, and quietly asked each of us: are you ready? For ABL Botanicals, the answer is yes! And we’re still learning.
We see clear alignment between the market’s appetite for traceability, sustainability, and botanical identity, and the values that drive our work. But this experience also reminded us to stay curious. To keep refining how we communicate, how we collaborate, and how we share the richness of what Morocco has to offer.
Our approach is simple, but it’s deliberate. Cultivate with care. Extract with integrity. Share with honesty.
The industry is listening. Now, we’re ready to speak a little louder.
