Aromatherapy & Cosmetics

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Expertise in processing methods

A mobile distillation unit

As part of our field-to-export support and oversight of agricultural projects, we have developed a mobile distillery that addresses several of the agricultural, social, and environmental challenges we face:

  • Being close to the harvesting site to quickly process the raw material and ensure its quality.
  • Supporting growers who want to establish a farmer-to-processor connection and/or diversify their crops
  • Securing the supply chains by being truly in touch with the challenges of harvests and yields
  • Forging and strengthening bonds and improve local production, especially in the Alpes-Maritimes

We distill Centifolia rose, Roman chamomile, and Lavandin Grosso.

Our processing expertise has been greatly enhanced over the past 30 years at our production center in Andalusia, Spain, in the Almaden de la Plata province.

On the edge of the Sierra Norte Natural Park, the plains surrounding our site provide us with a bounty of pure botanical materials, free from all human pollution.
We are vigilant about limiting our environmental footprint and our equipment reflects that commitment, such as our biomass boiler and closed-loop cooling system.
We remain very involved in the local life and economy by employing people from the area and supporting sports activities.

Our production units allow us to process gum-resins, such as frankincense or myrrh, fresh raw materials, such as cistus, dried raw materials, and concretes, such as jasmine, to produce essential oils, absolutes, and floral waters.

Responsible sourcing for protected materials

Responsible sourcing for preserved materials

Our attention to nature and the people who nurture it ensures we can offer raw materials of great quality. From Somalian frankincense to Italian Roman chamomile, from Spanish cistus to French Centifolia rose, we import aromatic raw materials from all across the globe, devoting particular attention to their qualities and active-ingredient content.

We care deeply about working with partners who are committed to sustainable growing and harvesting practices. With our partners, we conduct experiments in the use of natural preventive treatments for crops – fermented extracts, vegetable oils, essential oils, hydrosols – and implement sustainable growing techniques in our fields of Centifolia rose.

Albert Vieille supports its agricultural partners all over the world by establishing multi-year contracts in reciprocal, win-win commitments regarding quality, volume, and fair pricing, all established by mutual agreement. We also help our partners by outlining best practices and developing digital agricultural tools.

We implement harvest-to-export control plans to ensure the legality of wild and at-risk raw materials, as well as regeneration of resources. We verify the traceability of raw materials as far back to the source as possible. We have also established supply chains that are exclusive to Albert Vieille, including Iris pallida, Cistus ladanifer, and Everlasting picardii, where we have oversight from the planting to the processing.

Our raw materials
dedicated to A&C from all over the world

Contributing to the future of aromatherapy

Authentication of raw materials

We are ceaselessly enhancing our expertise in authentication by characterizing natural aromatic raw materials, developing reliable databases, and implementing specific analytical methods for individual materials.

  • We are collaborating with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, French national scientific research center) in Lyon and the Institut des Sciences Analytiques (Analytic Sciences institute) on a CIFRE thesis for monitoring authentication of essential oils and extracts – first scientific publication on wintergreen essential oil in 2019.
  • We work with the Conservatoire Nationale des PPAM (National Conservatory of Aromatic, Medicinal, and Perfume Plants) to botanically identify our species.

With a network of experts, we work on raw-material selection and optimization of harvesting and distillation parameters.

  • We are part of working groups on contaminants – pesticides, heavy metals, food-contact materials –including with the SNIAA (Syndicat National des Ingrédients Aromatiques Alimentaires, the French Flavors Association)
  • We are actively researching and developing more environmentally friendly processes.
  • With help from the French research institute for perfume, medicinal and aromatic plants (ITEIPMAI), we are conducting experiments on how plant cover impacts resistance to water scarcity in lavender and lavandin.
Contributing to the future of aromatherapy

Establishment of a foundation

In 2016, we had created The Fondation Nouvel Air, a French name that is a play on words meaning both “new air” and “new era,” to consolidate our know-how about essential oils. The foundation had studied local solutions to improve indoor air quality through purification and olfactory techniques. The foundation also monitored bibliographic and journalistic releases covering essential oils. And eventually the foundation had helped aromatherapy care to be more available in hospital. Nowadays those missions have been integrated in the group foundation.

Supporting aromatherapy therapy

We support essential oil care in hospital to provide cancer patients with aromatherapy as a form of palliative care. The objective of this collaboration is to help patients better tolerate the effects of both the disease and its treatments and make their day-to-day experience easier. This project takes several forms: aromatherapy workshops, aromatic touch/relaxation therapies, essential-oil diffusion, and development of aromatherapy protocols. Those aromatherapy therapy are offered by our partner aromatherapist within the  Center Hospitalier de Grasse and Antibes.

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