Captive odorant
Encyclopedia
A captive odorant, or short captive, is an odorant or aroma chemical retained by the originating manufacturer for exclusive use in their own perfumes to protect them from imitation.
formulations cannot be protected by patent
s, and with the aid of modern analytic techniques, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
(GC-MS), it is relatively easy to analyze their composition, and thus to imitate a fragrance composed only of commercially available perfumery raw materials, such as essential oils and synthetic odorants sold on the market. New odorants can however be patented, and so the company that invented the material can decide not to sell a patented odorant but to keep it as a captive for their own perfumes only, thereby extending the patent protection for that compound on the perfume formulation, since the patented compound can only be produced by the patent owner. Thus, if the patent owner does not sell the compound on the market to the competition, his perfumes cannot be copied as long as the patent is valid. To be useful in that respect a captive odorant has to possess special odor
characteristics that provide a signature effect on a fragrance. This signature effect on the fragrance should be unobtainable by other fragrance raw materials or mixtures thereof. The use of captives thus offers the respective fragrance company, at least for a limited time, a commercial advantage over their competitors. When the patent that covers the captive is close to expire, the material is generally released to the market. As the discovery and introduction of new odorants is very costly, only the big fragrance companies, such as Givaudan
, Firmenich
, IFF
, Symrise
and Takasago
, can afford this strategy.
, 1966), Moxalone in »CK Be« (Calvin Klein
, 1996), and Dynascone in »Cool Water« (Davidoff
, 1988).
Background
PerfumePerfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
formulations cannot be protected by patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s, and with the aid of modern analytic techniques, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. Applications of GC-MS include drug detection, fire investigation, environmental analysis, explosives investigation,...
(GC-MS), it is relatively easy to analyze their composition, and thus to imitate a fragrance composed only of commercially available perfumery raw materials, such as essential oils and synthetic odorants sold on the market. New odorants can however be patented, and so the company that invented the material can decide not to sell a patented odorant but to keep it as a captive for their own perfumes only, thereby extending the patent protection for that compound on the perfume formulation, since the patented compound can only be produced by the patent owner. Thus, if the patent owner does not sell the compound on the market to the competition, his perfumes cannot be copied as long as the patent is valid. To be useful in that respect a captive odorant has to possess special odor
Odor
An odor or odour is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that humans or other animals perceive by the sense of olfaction. Odors are also commonly called scents, which can refer to both pleasant and unpleasant odors...
characteristics that provide a signature effect on a fragrance. This signature effect on the fragrance should be unobtainable by other fragrance raw materials or mixtures thereof. The use of captives thus offers the respective fragrance company, at least for a limited time, a commercial advantage over their competitors. When the patent that covers the captive is close to expire, the material is generally released to the market. As the discovery and introduction of new odorants is very costly, only the big fragrance companies, such as Givaudan
Givaudan
Givaudan is a Swiss manufacturer of flavorings and fragrances. As of 2008, it is the world's largest company in the industry.-Background:The company's scents and flavors are developed most often for food and beverage makers, but they are also used frequently in household goods, as well as grooming...
, Firmenich
Firmenich
Firmenich SA is a private Swiss company in the perfume and flavor business, it is the largest privately-owned company in the perfume and flavor business, and ranks number two worldwide., Firmenich has created many of the world’s favorite perfumes for over 100 years and produced a number of the most...
, IFF
IFF
IFF, Iff or iff may refer to:Technology/Science:* Identification friend or foe, an electronic radio-based identification system using transponders...
, Symrise
Symrise
Symrise is a major producer of flavors and fragrances with sales of € 1,572 million in 2010. Major competitors include Firmenich, Givaudan, International Flavors and Fragrances and Takasago International.-History:...
and Takasago
Takasago
Takasago may refer to:*Takasago, Hyōgo, a city located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan*Takasago International Corporation, a company producing chemical flavorants and fragrances*Takasago , a Noh play by Zeami, or one of the lead characters in it...
, can afford this strategy.
Examples
Important examples of now released captives include Hedione in »Eau Sauvage« (C. DiorDior
Dior can mean:* Christian Dior SA, a French clothing retailer* In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium:**Dior Eluchíl, a Half-elven of the First Age**Dior , a Steward of GondorDior is a surname, and may refer to:...
, 1966), Moxalone in »CK Be« (Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
, 1996), and Dynascone in »Cool Water« (Davidoff
Davidoff
Davidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco but the company is otherwise independently owned....
, 1988).