Today (April 29), Symrise, one of the world’s four major fragrance and flavor giants, released its financial report for the first quarter of 2025. According to the report, the group’s Q1 sales reached €1.317 billion, with organic growth of 4.2% and a year-on-year increase of 2.0%.
According to the financial report, Symrise maintained stable growth in the fiercely competitive global market, thanks to its diversified and innovation-driven product portfolio, as well as increased sales volume across its two business divisions and sustained customer demand.
In the report, Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO of the Symrise Group, stated, “Despite the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, Symrise has once again achieved profit growth. During the reporting period, we focused on executing the ‘ONE Symrise’ strategy, continuously investing in innovation, and strengthening synergies across business units to drive growth and improve profitability.”
From a business division perspective, Symrise currently has two major divisions: the Taste, Nutrition & Health division and the Scent & Care division. The Scent & Care segment recorded sales of €518 million, a slight increase of 0.3% compared to €516 million in the same period last year.
It is reported that the Scent & Care segment includes the Fragrances, Cosmetic Ingredients, and Aroma Molecules units. Specifically, the Fragrances unit achieved high single-digit organic growth in Q1 this year, driven by strong performance in fine fragrance, consumer fragrance, and oral care. In addition, this unit continued to show strong growth in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe, Africa, and the Middle East (EAME).
Moreover, the Cosmetic Ingredients unit saw a year-on-year decline in sales, due to a particularly high sales base for sun filters in the same period last year. However, with a differentiated product line—including micro-protection, cosmetic active ingredients, botanical ingredients, and sun filters—the unit maintains a strategic advantage, and Symrise expects it to return to above-market growth rates in the future.
Lastly, the Aroma Molecules unit also achieved high single-digit growth, supported by strong momentum and robust demand in North America and the Asia-Pacific region.
From a regional perspective, the group’s sales performance varied across regions. In the EAME region, sales reached €535 million, up 2.7% year-on-year; in North America, sales were €328 million, up 0.8% year-on-year; in the Asia-Pacific region, sales reached €278 million, marking a 5.8% increase; and in Latin America, sales rose 12.6% to €176 million.
Looking ahead, Symrise reaffirmed its 2025 guidance: achieving 5% to 7% organic growth, an EBITDA margin of around 21%, and a free operating cash flow of approximately 14% (as a percentage of sales); while the group’s mid-term goal for 2028 aims to achieve a 5% to 7% organic compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
Symrise also mentioned in the report that it is leveraging its strong and diversified portfolio, R&D capabilities, and customer partnerships to navigate a complex environment and drive profitable growth. Its global presence and balanced end markets allow Symrise to flexibly respond to external pressures, including the impact of evolving tariff regulations. If necessary, the company will work closely with customers to adjust prices to offset rising input costs.
