When it comes to beauty products, we’re all about making sustainable choices. Plastic Q-tips have been long replaced by bamboo ones, wipes with reusable cotton pads and shampoo bottles are slowly being swapped with solid bars. But when it comes to fragrances, what do you do look for? Where do you begin? To clear the confusion, ELLE spoke to Paola Paganini, the product development and innovation director at luxury Italian perfume house, Acqua di Parma. As the brand launches its new eco-conscious fragrance, Colonia Futura, we deep dive into what makes this scent truly sustainable…
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ELLE: According to you, what makes a perfume sustainable?
Paola Paganini: To create sustainability that is authentic and tangible, you have to put in a great amount of research and development. For us, with Colonia Futura, it meant spending more than two years finding ways to preserve Italian traditions and revamping them in a dynamic and vibrant way so that future generations get to experience them.
ELLE: How do you begin the process of creating this scent?
PP: We took into account all five pillars of the Acqua di Parma Futura program which includes our products, the community, our impact on the climate, the process and our team who make Acqua di Parma possible today and tomorrow.
For this specific project, we worked with our long-time partner, Capua 1880, a company that makes all of the essential oils we use in our fragrances. The perfume has 99 per cent natural origin ingredients which express our commitment to protect nature for the generations to come. The material of the bottle is now partly recycled glass and the cap is made of 100 per cent recycled plastic. The outer packaging in recyclable FSC [read: forest conservation] certified paper. And to manage the end-of-life phase of the product, we’re giving our customers the opportunity to fill and reuse their empty bottles in our Boutiques.
ELLE: What does Colonia Futura remind you of?
PP: The rich Italian, sun-filled landscapes. The bright sparkling tones of P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) Bergamot from Calabria, the roundness of Clary Sage and the freshness of Lavender are skilfully blended perfectly in Colonia Futura.
ELLE: What is your tip for people who are trying to find their signature scent?
PP: It all depends on the moment, mood and occasion. Allow yourself to be carried away by the scent and there you and that’ll help you to know if you really love it.
