New Formulations: Inspired by Grapes
Could wine be the next new concept in flavors and fragrances?
By Marie Redding, Senior Editor
Customers might soon notice the scent of a burgundy wine in a skin cream, or a champagne flavor in a lip gloss. Damon Sementilli, account director at Carrubba Inc., has created a new concept inspired by vineyards. "Reading about the bouquet of a good wine is a lot like a fragrance—there's a connection," he says. Sementilli has put together a presentation that proposes using wine and champagne as concepts for fragrances, flavors, and extracts. He has been sharing his ideas with a few select potential customers.
This is how the new fragrance concepts are described in Sementilli's presentation:
- Burgundy: A plush and opulent wine deeply scented with blackberries; raspberries; and subtle, earthy, exotic undertones.
- Champage: A delightfully delicate effervescent fragrance with top notes of fresh strawberries and citrus, surrounded with soft wood notes.
Sementilli explains, "As perfumers, we are able to capture these notes very easily, but it is the mixing of them that is unique. Normally, a fragrance is categorized as floral, fruity, or wood-inspired. Wine is a unique combination of all three." Also, any perfumer knows it's also important to create a fragrance the consumer will feel an emotional connection to. "Wine definitely evokes a certain sexiness, and sophistication," says Sementilli. "Think about how you feel sitting down with a glass of good burgundy."
Sementilli came up with his idea fairly easily. His family has been making its own wine since his grandfather migrated to the United States from Italy. Using grapes from California and Italy, the wine-making process is a serious hobby, and a small operation—not a business, for the family, all of whom reside in Connecticut.
Sementilli feels that the timing is right to present his ideas. "I've always been educated in this area, just because of my family—but lately I've been noticing wine becoming more popular among younger drinkers," he says. "Now, you can go to a bar and see much younger people who might be in college ordering wine, and this wasn't the case years ago."
Although the concept is still in development, Sementilli has been marketing it to a few select potential clients during private presentations, and has received lots of positive feedback. "It's not right for everyone, though," he adds. "I don't think it will fly in the mass-market bath category."
The concept is based only on wine and isn't meant to be reminiscent of alcohol or acidity. "We are able to capture the nuances of the aroma—the scent present when first opening a good bottle," Sementilli says.
There is also another aspect to this concept, which might be of interest to cosmetic and personal care product developers. Red wine contains several ingredients meant to have holistic attributes beneficial to good health, such as polyphenols, known for antioxidant properties. These can be extracted by Carrubba and incorporated into formulations. If used for a skin-care line, these extracts might allow brand marketers to make certain claims on their packages, stating the benefits of these ingredients.
What types of packages might be needed if this trend were to take off? "It really depends on which company might be interested in using this concept," Sementelli says. "I envision it being incorporated into a new, high-end line." We can picture it now—a lovely wineglass-type bottle with a cork closure, intoxicatingly intriguing.