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Summary of our market study
Sales of essential oils in French pharmacies and parapharmacies exceed 250 million euros, while production in France amounts to around 300 million euros.
The global market is estimated at between 7 and 8 billion dollars.
Dominated by demand for sweet orange oil, which accounts for almost a quarter of the global market, the industry has seen a surge in the spa and relaxation sector, which now represents 40.17% of the market.
India and the USA are the main exporters, capitalizing on their large production of field mint, peppermint, lemongrass and sweet orange.
Aromatics, praised for their multiple uses ranging from culinary applications to cosmetic and wellness benefits, have seen their demand on the French market reach new heights, with steady growth evident across the market as a whole.
80 to 85% of people believe that these oils are a natural way to heal themselves.
Nearly two-thirds of users use essential oils more than once a month.
Women account for 80-85% of the consumer base
French essential oil production makes a significant contribution to market demand, with regions such as PACA, Île-de-France and Occitanie leading the way. These regions cultivate aromatic plants. Some 30,000 to 35,000 hectares are devoted to lavender and lavandin.
Distribution of essential oils in France is mainly through pharmacies, parapharmacies and organic stores.
Market players
- Aroma-zone
- Dr Valnet
- Pranarom
- Florane
- Herbarom
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition of the essential oils market
Essential oils are complex mixtures of natural, volatile and fragrant chemical substances contained in all or part of an aromatic plant. Traditionally, these essential oils are extracted by hydro-distillation or cold pressing. Both processes are time-consuming and require a certain amount of know-how.
There are many plants and flowers used in the production of essential oils, but the following are just a few examples: lavender, rosewood, eucalyptus, ylang-ylang, chamomile, tea tree, geranium, lavender, lavender and rosewood. sweet orange is the most widely produced essential oil in the world, accounting for almost a quarter of the market in 2022. It should be noted that the essential oil content of plants is generally very low, ranging from 0.01% (e.g. rose petals) to 1% (e.g. cloves). To obtain one kilo of pure essential oil, you need to distill between 4 and 7 tons of rose petals, 115 to 200 kg of lavender, or 1 ton of orange blossom .
There are several players in the market, often with very different positions:
- Producers of plant raw materials (flowers and plants destined for essential oil production).
- Essential oil producers, who distill or cold-press flowers and plants. They range in size from small craftsmen to large industrial groups.
- Consumers of essential oils from various industries (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food).
- Regulatory and control bodies that verify the quality and harmfulness of oils and certify them.
France is a major player in the global essential oils market , rankingsecond among exporters and second among importers by value in2022 . Particularly specialized in the production of lavender essential oil, the French market boasts rising production levels and solid demand, with its 30,000 hectares of lavender and lavandin cultivation in 2020.
The main outlets for essential oils are thefood industry, perfumes, cosmetics,aromatherapy and household products . Essential oils can be used in a variety of ways: diffusion, inhalation, massage and cooking. The global market for essential oils is booming, driven in particular by the organic, natural and homemade trends, as well as by the aromatherapy trend.
1.2 A growing global market
The global market:
The global market for essential oils is growing rapidly. It is estimated in **** at $**.** billion according to Grand View Research, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of *.*% between **** and ****. This gives us the following forecasts:
World market for essential oils World, ****-****, in ...
1.3 France, a major global player
NAF code **.**Z "Manufacture of essential oils"Essential oils belong to NAF code **.**Z "Manufacture of essential oils", this NAF code includes the manufacture of essences of natural aromatic products, the manufacture of resinoids (***), and the manufacture of compositions based on odoriferous products for perfumery or food.
Sales excluding VAT of ...
1.4 Foreign trade in essential oils
France's trade balance for essential oils: France's trade balance has been in surplus in recent years, but will be in deficit by ****, with a coverage rate of **%.
French trade balance for essential oils France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****
French imports of essential oils in ****:
In ****, the mainsupplierssuppliers areindiaitaly, Chinachina, ...
1.5 Impact covid: essential oils, the new cure? No, but...
Considered as a remedy against COVID-**, essential oils were in the news during the health crisis, with many French people wanting to use them, wrongly, with the aim in particular of purifying indoor air in the home or in cars, for example. However, this information was quickly denied by the media, ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Consumers and essential oils
Consumer profile
Breakdown of essential oil consumers by gender France, ****, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, % Source: ****
Men represent **% of essential oil consumers.
Reasons for consumption
What drives essential oil consumption France, ****, percentage Source: ****
Another interesting fact is that for **% of respondents, the primary reason for using essential oils is to "treat oneself naturally".
Consumption frequency
According ...
2.2 Aromatherapy, the seductive use of essential oils
The previous survey showed that the popularity of essential oils stems from the desire to treat oneself naturally, a practice that corresponds to aromatherapy.this method involves theuse of essential oils for medicinal purposes.
French perceptions of alternative healthcare therapies France, ****, % of Source: ****
In ****, the French have a rather good image ...
2.3 The Do It Yourself trend
DIY trend:
DIY, or Do It Yourself, is a trend that has been taking hold for some time, and one that was able to take root with the confinement, since it gave the French time to discover this activity. Cosmetics are one of the trendiest categories, enjoying great success, as noted ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Production and processing of essential oils
Essential oils come from the production of aromatic plants, which can be used in three ways: in aromatic solutions (***).
Essential oils market value chain : Production - Processing - Consumption
Source: ****
The essential oil manufacturing market in France is highly fragmented and artisanal. This fragmentation of the market is explained by the ...
3.2 French production of essential oils
NAF code **.**Z "Manufacture of essential oils"
Essential oils belong to NAF code **.**Z "Manufacture of essential oils".
In ****, France counted more than *** aroma and essential oil manufacturing companies, employing an average of nearly *,*** people[***]. The essential oil manufacturing market in France varies greatly from region to region.
Number of essential ...
3.3 Distribution dominated by specialized channels
In this section, we focus exclusively on the distribution of essential oils to the general public, i.e. sales to the end consumer through various distribution channels. The main distribution channel is pharmacies and parapharmacies, followed by the internet and organic stores , according to the essential oils market report for **** produced ...
3.4 A market marked by a plurality of players
Drugstore and parapharmacies players:
There is a wide variety of companies in the essential oils sector, and the pharmacy and parapharmacies distribution channel is no exception. In the sale of pure essential oils, there are some predominant players:
Breakdown of branded sales of essential oils in pharmacies and parapharmacies France, ****, in Source: ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 The different essential oils and their uses
Properties of essential oils:
The chemotype, or chemotype, is an identity card that differentiates essential oils extracted from the same plant species. Each chemotype identifies the characteristics and powers of each essence. It's an essential concept for defining the impact and virtues of an essential oil. It's a kind of chemical ...
4.2 Prices vary widely from one essential oil to another
The expert website Ooreka has analyzed the average price of essential oils on the market:
Source: ****
We are interested in the average prices of the most popular essential oils sold in pharmacies, in order to highlight the wide disparities. Prices vary widely from one EO to another, depending on the concentration ...
4.4 Aromatherapy training courses
There is a growing demand for aromatherapy training, whether for personal use or for professional retraining in areas such as reflexology, kinesiology, aromatherapy consulting... There are many different professions associated with aromatherapy and essential oils.
Training costs:Training can be taken face-to-face, online or by reading.The price will depend on ...
5 Regulations
5.1 General regulations and by use
An essential oil is defined as a "volatile odorant substance produced by certain plants and extractable in liquid form" obtained by distillation. As such, it contains no fatty substances.
All essential oils must have a specific function. Distributors are obliged to be transparent, and to inform consumers about directions for use ...
5.2 Oils reserved for sale in pharmacies
Essential oils dispensed only in pharmacies must comply with national or European pharmaceutical quality standards . These standards specify the exact names of the essential oils.
These fifteen essential oils are identified as having a negative benefit/risk ratio. They are only available in the pharmaceutical circuit because of their neurotoxic, irritant, ...
5.3 Essential oils are subject to REACH and CLP regulations
According to the European Chemicals Agency (***) regulations, and are considered as substances. In application of article *.* of the REACH regulation and article *.* of the CLP regulation, a substance is : "a chemical element and its compounds, in the natural state or obtained by a manufacturing process, including any additive necessary to preserve ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Puressentiel France
- Pranarôm (Inula Groupe)
- Mane
- Robertet
- H. Reynaud et Fils
- Dr Valnet Cosbionat
- Florame
- Aroma Zone
- Helpac - Distillerie De Saint Hilaire
- LABORATOIRES OMEGA PHARMA - Phytosun arôms
- Naturactive (Pierre Fabre)
- DRT
- Biolandes
- IFF International Flavours and Fragrances
- Firmenich
- Symrise
- Givaudan
- Herbarom Groupe
- Alban Muller
- La Distillerie Bleu Provence
- Herbes et Traditions
- Le Comptoir Aroma
- Florihana
- Bioflore
- Biofloral
List of charts presented in this market study
- Change in sales excluding VAT for NAF code 20.53Z - "Manufacture of essential oils"
- Sales of essential oils by outlet
- Essential oil exports by country
- Essential oil imports by country
- World market for essential oils
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Latest news
Green chemistry: DSM-Firmenich continues to invest in Landes - 28/03/2024
- DRT to be acquired by Firmenich in 2020
- 900 employees and six production sites
- Sales of 550 million when acquired in 2020
- The DSM-Firmenich group generates sales of 3.8 billion euros.
DSM-Firmenich plans to sell its Animal Health and Nutrition division due to the volatility of vitamins - 19/02/2024
- Merger between DSM and Firmenich in mid-2022.
- Sale of Animal Health & Nutrition (ANH) division planned for 2025.
- ANH sales in 2022: 3.2 billion euros, or 26% of the Group total.
- DSM-Firmenich sales down 7% to 12.3 billion euros in 2023
- ANH sales down 15%.
- ANH is based in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, and employs around 6,000 people.
- The three remaining divisions after the demerger are Perfumery & Beauty (sales of 3.7 billion euros in 2023), Taste, Texture & Health (sales of 3 billion euros), and Health, Nutrition & Care (HNC with sales of 2.3 billion euros)
- The group will have total sales of 9 billion euros after the demerger.
Robertet aims to convert India to natural flavors - 05/01/2024
- Robertet has acquired 85% of the capital of Sonarome, an Indian company.
- Sonarome generates sales of 15 million euros.
- Robertet generates 15% of its sales in Asia.
- Robertet achieves sales of 703 million in 2022.
- 80% of Robertet's sales are generated outside France and 65% outside Europe, with a very strong presence in the United States.
- Robertet has forecast record growth of 16% in 2022.
- Robertet employs 2,200 people worldwide, including a thousand in France.
Rugby World Cup: Puressentiel plays in the shadow of major sponsors - 24/10/2023
- In France, rugby is the second most talked-about sport after soccer.
- 15.4 million French viewers watched the opening match between the XV de France and the All Blacks.
- For the quarter-final between Ireland and New Zealand, there were 9.4 million viewers.
- Becoming a partner, sponsor, supplier or official supporter of a global event like the Rugby World Cup can cost up to 20 million euros.
- The cost of a 30-second commercial on TF1 during the final can exceed 155,000 euros.
- Puressentiel, official supplier to the XV de France, was associated with the Federation instead of the event itself three years ago.
- Puressentiel created a limited edition of its product featuring Antoine Dupont, the brand's ambassador and France's third favorite sportsman according to an Odoxa poll.
- Puressentiel organized prediction contests in 6,000 pharmacies.
Pranarôm: Experts in essential oils for 30 years - 15/03/2023
- Pranarôm records +14% growth in 2022
- Pranarôm founded 30 years ago
- Part of the Inula Group, which includes Pranarôm, HerbalGem and Biofloral
- More than 250 essential oil references offered by Pranarôm.
- Three types of complementary therapies: aromatherapy, gemmotherapy and Bach flowers.
- 90% of the Pranarôm range is made from pure, organic, virgin plant oils.
- Pranarôm works closely with selected suppliers of raw materials from all over the world.
- The company provides some 8,000 hours of free training for pharmacists every year.
An investigation has been launched into the major players in the perfume world, dubbed the "Perfume Cartel". - 09/03/2023
- Perfume gotha suspected of illegal price fixing
- Firmenich: sales up 10.5% to 4.9 billion Swiss francs in 2022
- International Flavors and Fragrances: sales of $11.80 billion for 2022
- Symrise: sales of 4.6 billion euros for 2022, with profits of over 265.55 million euros Firmenich to merge with Dutch DSM
- Companies can be fined up to 10% of worldwide sales for violating EU antitrust rules
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the essential oils market | France
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