Rose Petals and Factory Vials

Open to everyone until Wednesday, September 30

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Natural perfume oils come from plants that must be grown, picked and processed, so a small bottle can cost a great deal. Chemists can build the same scent molecules in factories, where identical vials are made cheaply, steadily and without limit.

In the picture

Rose petals in a dish: the plant material a natural perfume is distilled from
Small vial of amber oil: the tiny amount of essence a whole harvest yields
Five identical glass vials: factory-made scent, the same in every bottle
Molecular model: a scent molecule that can be built in a laboratory
Row of coins: the price of each option

Examples

Vanilla flavouring in ice cream is usually a synthetic molecule rather than vanilla pods.
Rose oil for perfume can cost more per gram than gold, while a lab-made version sells for a fraction of that.

Key takeaways

Scarce natural ingredients are limited by harvests and land, so their price stays high.
Synthetic molecules are cheap, stable and can be produced in unlimited identical batches.