Aromatherapy : formulation, development, marketing and regulatory strategies

Aromatherapy, the use of essential oils for medicinal, preventive and comfort purposes, is at the forefront of the natural medicine segment, a dynamic market driven by numerous new products and innovations. In addition to high-performance innovations in promising therapeutic, wellness and cosmetic segments, brands have invested heavily in communications to stimulate this market. The craze for natural medicines alone does not explain the breakthrough of aromatherapy. In fact, essential oils are becoming increasingly popular as complements to, and even alternatives to, synthetic medicines. The global market for essential oils is experiencing significant growth, driven by their increasing use in aromatherapy. According to Openhealth, sales of the aromatherapy market in France were estimated at 349 million euros in 2017, with a clear advantage for pharmaceuticals.

The development and formulation of an aromatherapy product follows classic stages, with specific features to be taken into account at the design stage. In addition, the claims made in the marketing strategy determine the regulatory status of the future product, which has important consequences for its composition, as well as for the key components of product development: cost, lead time and quality. The pre-conception phase must draw on marketing, scientific and regulatory knowledge, in order to put in place a real strategy for the development and marketing of the future product. When it comes to regulations on product status, the boundaries are sometimes blurred. Given that aromatherapy is not governed by any specific regulations, there are still inconsistencies between the applicable regulations and the traditional use to which it may be put. What's more, essential oils contain substances of proven efficacy, but which are also potentially toxic, so they need to be properly characterized and used judiciously. All these issues complicate the development and marketing of aromatherapy products.

This article follows on from the first [J 2 309] article on the therapeutic properties and regulations of essential oils.

The aim of this article is to illustrate the implementation of a genuine development strategy upstream of the design of an aromatherapy product. To this end, the first part looks at the different regulatory statuses that may apply to them within the European Union. Finally, the second part, through case studies, proposes a method for companies to optimize and secure their product development and regulatory...