This framework agreement includes the organization of joint activities, such as research projects, scientific outreach, training programs, and the hosting of conferences and seminars centered on the study of plants, their aromatic components, and their link to perfumery. The agreement also opens the door to future actions of common interest aimed at fostering knowledge and innovation at the intersection of science, botany, and perfume culture.
Val Díez, CEO of the Perfume Academy, emphasized that "perfume finds one of its main sources of inspiration in nature and in science an essential tool to understand and value it." She highlighted that this agreement "consolidates collaboration with a leading scientific institution like the Royal Botanical Garden-CSIC and will allow us to continue driving research, dissemination, and training, bringing that knowledge closer to society and strengthening the link between botany and perfume culture."
For her part, the director of the RJB-CSIC, María-Paz Martín Esteban, explained that "botanical taxonomy catalogs and analyzes plant heritage, while phytochemistry and instrumental analysis decode their volatile organic compounds using high-precision molecular extraction techniques to bring perfume to life." She added that "this scientific-aesthetic synergy is institutionally consolidated [...] Through this alliance, the rigor of analytical research and biological richness formally converge to preserve, study, and disseminate nature's olfactory heritage."
The collaboration between the two institutions is not new. In 2025, the Royal Botanical Garden CSIC received the Sustainability and Innovation Award from the Perfume Academy Awards for its outstanding work in scientific research, environmental education, and its firm commitment to environmental conservation. This award recognized the conservation and study of numerous plant species, including a collection of aromatic plants and a rose garden with over 70 varieties, as well as its Germplasm Bank and programs for sensory activities and olfactory routes.
Subsequently, they promoted an educational session within the "Fridays of Perfume" series titled "A Journey through the Royal Botanical Garden CSIC: Science, Innovation, and Sustainability," led by its director, which served as a starting point for this formal agreement.
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is a Public Research Organization affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, focused on promoting scientific and technological research. The Royal Botanical Garden (RJB) is an institute of the CSIC dedicated to biodiversity, fungal molecular systematics, plant evolutionary biology, and vascular plant systematics, including their traditional uses.
The Perfume Academy Foundation aims to promote the knowledge, appreciation, and dissemination of perfume as a cultural, artistic, and scientific manifestation, fostering olfactory education and knowledge of the botanical resources used in perfumery.
