Recently, The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially closed its investigation into German fragrance manufacturer Symrise over suspected anti-competitive practices in the fragrance and fragrance ingredients market.
The CMA announced it had dropped the probe against Symrise on “administrative priority grounds,” meaning the authority will not pursue the case further at this time. However, its investigation into three other major players—Firmenich International, Givaudan, and International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)—remains active.
Symrise welcomed the decision, maintaining it has never been involved in any unlawful agreements with competitors. “Symrise has argued strongly from the outset that it should never have been part of this investigation and that the actions taken by the authorities were not justified,” said a company spokesperson. She added that Symrise is committed to ethical business conduct and regulatory compliance, and hopes that similar investigations by other authorities will also be discontinued soon.
The CMA first launched its inquiry in March 2023, citing concerns of potential anti-competitive behaviour in the supply of fragrances for personal care and home care products. In January 2024, the probe expanded to include allegations of unlawful coordination between Firmenich, Givaudan, and IFF involving reciprocal no-poaching agreements for certain employees in the fragrance sector.
The CMA has indicated it will provide a further update on the ongoing investigation in September.
