The Power of Scents in Unlocking Market Access for Indonesian Essential Oils in the Global Perfumery Industry

As many as six high-qualified Indonesian suppliers of essential oil joined this mission, where two of them are companies supported by the Promsie II Impact project for the development of the traceability system. During the mission, we were able to arrange a brief meeting with at least 20 exhibitors which could be potential buyers for the Indonesian suppliers.

In overall, SIMPPAR is a small, highly specialised, and intensive professional event where exhibitor participation is carefully curated. As a result, companies tend to prioritise existing partners, strategic contacts, or suppliers that address an immediate sourcing need. The fair nevertheless provided valuable insights into how the fragrance and ingredients sector operates in practice, including the types of actors involved and the way they discuss sourcing, quality, documentation, traceability, and supplier follow-up. It also highlighted the relationship-driven nature of the Grasse ecosystem, where trust, loyalty, and reliability are key factors in business partnerships. Most buyers expressed a strong preference for working with established suppliers, while larger companies appeared particularly cautious about onboarding new suppliers.

For buyers in the fragrance and essential oils industry, Indonesian origin continues to carry a strong and positive reputation. Among the products attracting the greatest interest, patchouli emerged as the most frequently discussed, followed by citronella and clove, reaffirming Indonesia’s position as a key source of high-value natural ingredients. The discussions also underscored that market entry is typically a gradual process, with buyers placing significant importance on building trust and reliability over time. For Indonesian exporters, this highlights the need for consistent engagement, strong performance, and long-term relationship building, as sustained credibility often matters more than one-off business contacts.

Additionally, SIPPO and DAI arranged a workshop on perfumery in the Grasse Institute of Perfumery as well as a workshop on “The Prospects of Indonesian Essential Oil in the Global Perfumery Industry” by Sebastien Tissot, owner and founder of Nissaba Parfum.

In the following day, SIPPO and DAI organized a series of company visit from 28-29 May 2026 to Sozio, DSM Firmenich, and Fragonard Museum. The visit was aiming to provide better understanding about the industry, the factory, and more information on the buyers’ requirements.

As a result of this mission, SIPPO Indonesia identified some key findings related to essential oil and perfumery industry, as follows:

-          Traceability is basic requirements. It is important to track and document the product’s journey from the farm to the final buyers.

-          Organic certification requirement is increasing, although it has different level of importance for the buyers

-          Long process required to be a supplier of European companies: sample submission, regulatory compliance review, social responsibility assessment, purchasing authorization and pre-shipment samples

SIPPO Indonesia will continue its support to DAI as one of the key BSOs, to further strengthen the capacity in promoting the export of Indonesian essential oil to the global market through a centralized information on certification and compliance and commercial missions.