This October, our OQEMA Flavour & Fragrance team travelled to Bangkok for IFEAT 2026, bringing together producers, suppliers, customers, and industry professionals from across the global essential oils and aroma trades industry.
It was a full week of meetings, interesting conversations, and opportunities to reconnect with familiar faces while getting to know new partners.
Together with colleagues from OQEMA Netherlands, the UK, and China, we represented our Naturals portfolio of essential oils and absolutes, sharing our latest developments and exploring opportunities across different markets.
And while there was plenty happening at our booth, some of the best conversations continued over dinners and evening events, giving us the chance to connect beyond the usual meeting schedules.
What's Happening in the Naturals Market?
One of the things we particularly value about IFEAT is the opportunity to speak directly with producers and suppliers about what's happening at origin.
Natural ingredients are closely connected to agricultural conditions, and developments in one part of the world can have a significant impact on availability, quality, and pricing elsewhere.
This year, changing weather patterns and their effects on crops were an interesting part of our discussions.
Patchouli: Looking Beyond Price
Patchouli was among the materials we discussed with our Indonesian partners.
As one of the most widely used natural ingredients in perfumery, patchouli continues to be an important material for our portfolio. Its earthy, woody character and fixative properties make it a key ingredient in many fragrance compositions.
Our conversations focused on the current market situation, production conditions, and the importance of maintaining consistent quality across different origins and suppliers.
With patchouli, differences in growing regions, harvesting practices, and distillation methods can all influence the final oil. Understanding these differences is especially important when sourcing materials for fragrance houses with specific olfactory and technical requirements.
We also discussed the growing interest in traceability and more transparent supply chains, particularly as customers look to better understand the origins of the natural ingredients used in their formulations.
How Climate Patterns Are Affecting Crops
Another topic that came up throughout the week was the influence of weather patterns, including El Niño, on agricultural production.
Changes in rainfall, longer dry periods, and unpredictable harvesting conditions can have a direct impact on essential oil crops.
Cardamom, for example, is particularly sensitive to rainfall conditions. Changes in weather patterns can affect crop development, harvesting periods, and ultimately the availability of material in the market.
Similar challenges are being experienced across different producing regions, although the effects vary depending on the crop and location.
These discussions are a good reminder of how closely connected our industry is to agriculture and why maintaining strong relationships with producers is so important.
For us, having these conversations directly with suppliers helps us better understand what is happening in the market and identify potential developments before they affect our customers.
Sharing New Ideas and Fragrance Directions
Alongside discussions about sourcing and market conditions, we also had the pleasure of presenting our latest trend directions and Gift of the Woods selection.
The collection gave us an opportunity to introduce customers and partners to a range of woody, resinous, and natural aromatic profiles, while exploring how these ingredients can bring different dimensions to fragrance formulations.
It was particularly interesting to hear how different markets are approaching natural ingredients, both from a creative and a commercial perspective.
Transparency, traceability, and sustainability were also recurring themes in our conversations, reflecting the growing interest in understanding not only the characteristics of an ingredient, but also how and where it is produced.
Connecting Across Markets
Of course, one of the biggest highlights of IFEAT is the people.
Having colleagues from our Netherlands, UK, and China teams together in Bangkok was a great opportunity to exchange knowledge, share market perspectives, and strengthen our international collaboration.
It was equally valuable to meet with suppliers and customers in person, whether to discuss ongoing projects, explore potential new materials, or simply catch up.
In an industry where so much depends on relationships across different countries and supply chains, these opportunities to meet face to face make a real difference.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
We returned from Bangkok with plenty of new ideas, market insights, and conversations to follow up on.
For OQEMA F&F, events like IFEAT are an important opportunity to stay close to the market, strengthen our sourcing network, and continue developing our Naturals portfolio around the needs of our customers.
A big thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, shared their knowledge, and spent time with us throughout the week. It was a pleasure connecting with so many people from across the industry, and we look forward to continuing these conversations.
Until next time, IFEAT!
