We work closely with our creators to develop pioneering products and technologies with an end-to-end innovation approach. Sustainability is embedded throughout every stage of the process, from discovery, pre-clinical and clinical studies to application development, scale-up, and industrialization.
Our global Science & Research team ensures developments are aligned with the needs of our businesses by continuously refining its innovation portfolio to maximize value.
This involves delivering priority projects that have a direct impact on business, as well as reviewing and investing in capabilities to future-proof innovation delivery. Our Scientific Advisory Board, comprising world-leading experts from a range of fields, also helps guide long-term direction, inspiring us to continue working on transformative breakthroughs.
R&D expenditure
We continually invest in innovation to support the overall balance of our product portfolio and product life cycles.
Our capabilities
As mentioned in Our strategy, our cutting-edge Science & Research is built on eight powerful research capabilities. Our scientists also work closely with our Business Units, customers, and consumers to help guarantee we are making a real difference, whether working to make products healthier, more sustainable, or simply more delightful.
Biotechnology
Building on our deep mastery of microbial systems, we develop a wide range of nutrition, health, and beauty products. Combining traditional and modern approaches, including synthetic biology and precision fermentation, we create and improve sustainable bio-solutions that elevate experience while accelerating climate action.
These capabilities are amplified by digital technologies such as AI, enabling faster optimization and robust scale‑up. Our biotechnology know-how and global biomanufacturing infrastructure enables us to innovate, enhance our existing solutions and deliver a dependable pipeline of novel ingredients to our Business Units.
Microbiome research
For humans and animals, we are working to better understand host-microbiome interactions – the operation of the unique, individual collection of diverse microorganisms that populates the body. Knowing more about the microbiome’s influence on health and well-being, especially for gut and skin health, enables us to develop novel capabilities. We also capitalize on synergies between microbiology, analytical sciences, data science, synthetic biology, and human biology.
Receptor biology and sensory sciences
Our research decodes taste, smell, and related sensations at the molecular level, with our proprietary knowledge driving innovation across a range of business segments. This industry-leading science helps discover highly differentiated ingredients and modulators of flavor and fragrance. Research into perception and cognitive neuroscience sheds further light on how humans respond to ingredients in both individual and combined form.
Our insights into the sensory and psychophysical characteristics of fragrance and flavor ingredients help identify and measure well-being benefits. Our capabilities in this area include in-house sensory testing, psychophysics, and behavioral psychology, and are complemented by psychophysiology and cognitive neuroscience conducted with the aid of external partners.
Data science and AI
We continue to build and layer new AI-driven capabilities that strengthen and support our research and creative teams. Advanced bioinformatics and chemoinformatics, combined with generative and agentic AI, increase discovery hit rates and reduce experimental cycles. Predictive models enable in-silico evaluation of formula performance, guide reformulation, and optimize sensory outcomes, while our state-of-the-art data-science engine — and its application across our research and innovation — empowers the development of unique, precision solutions for our customers.
Chemical and process sciences
We create new signature ingredients for our perfumery business, deliver innovative natural ingredients for our three businesses, and develop improved and more sustainable production processes for existing ingredients for nutrition, health, and beauty. By combining state-of-the-art chemistry, advanced engineering and data science, we speed up product discovery and development.
Assisted by our green chemistry approach, we use modern catalytic methods and renewable raw materials to lower our eco-footprint. In tandem, we also address increased customer demand for natural ingredients by developing advanced extraction technologies, such as Firgood®, our range of 100% natural extracts. Our leadership in naturals is built upon three pillars: innovation, sustainable procurement standards, and collections of certified ingredients with strong involvement at source.
Formulation and materials science
We develop cutting-edge biodegradable delivery systems that boost fragrance longevity, capitalize on our mastery of molecular partitioning to enhance the stability and bioavailability of active ingredients used in personal care, and use our expertise in controlled release to develop targeted delivery solutions for ingredients used across our businesses. We also use our knowledge of flavor delivery and off-note modulation, combined with our expertise in protein texturization, to offer new food-and-drink product formats.
Analytical sciences
A broad range of analytical chemistry techniques are central for identifying and characterizing compounds responsible for product performance, as well as for monitoring biotech processes and chemical conversions. By generating molecular insights, we assist in the discovery of novel ingredients and deepen our understanding of complex biochemical mechanisms in microbes. Reliable analytical sciences data is critical in enabling advances in modeling approaches and AI, from ideation and discovery to manufacturing and application of our products.
Nutritional and food sciences
We create science-based, sustainable solutions for human nutrition and health. Our expertise in these areas supports the product development and delivery process – from concept through research – to the customer. It also enables us to develop targeted solutions that improve the flavor, texture, and nutritional content of food products.
IP and licensing
In 2025, we were recognized as a Top 100 Global Innovator by LexisNexis. Our intellectual property (IP) professionals maximize the value of our innovations and brands by strategically defending patents and trademark rights in key markets. The IP team acts as a differentiator in joint developments, technology licensing (in/out), and IP asset acquisitions or sales. In 2025, we made 109 new first-patent publications, reflecting a continued focus on protecting our competitive advantage.
Regulatory Affairs
Our Regulatory Affairs team is central in ensuring timely market access for innovations, helping to unlock growth with safe and compliant new products that create customer and business value.
Highlights from 2025 include boosting efficiency through adoption of new AI and data-management tools; ensuring continued REACH compliance in an increasingly complex environment; and implementing new regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation to safeguard supply chains.
Scientific collaboration
We collaborate with around 100 organizations worldwide, including academic institutions, start-ups, and others. Our commitment to collaboration broadens our scientific and research horizons, enabling us to collectively contribute to solving pressing societal and environmental challenges.
Venturing
dsm-firmenich Ventures (dfV) makes investments in innovative, early-stage technology companies across the health, nutrition, and beauty sectors. In 2025, we ensured alignment with priority technology and product areas, with a focus on opportunities with a horizon of two years or more. We made investments in two startups: P2 Sciences and ExoLab. dfV is now driving strategic value creation by facilitating robust technology and product partnerships between dsm-firmenich and the highly innovative startups in our venturing portfolio. To learn more, see here.
Pushing the boundaries
As outlined above, ‘Data science and AI’ is one of our eight main research capabilities. The rapid advancements being made in this field have made it possible for us to reimagine how we discover, design, and deliver ingredients and solutions. We combine chemistry, biotechnology, receptor biology, analytical data, sensory data, and consumer insights with advanced computational methods to accelerate ingredient discovery and product development.
We are also building next-generation capabilities, such as aging atlases, digital twins, and precision health and nutrition models to translate complex, multi-modal data into actionable insights. Of course, our scientists are conducting pioneering work across all eight of our science capabilities. Thanks to the synergies between them, we are able to innovate in truly unique ways, setting us apart as a Category of One.
In 2025, we launched an array of innovations across a range of markets, with many of these offering significant sustainability benefits too — both for People and Planet. Some key examples are listed below:
In TTH, we launched ModulaSENSE® (precision maskers that capitalize on our expertise in receptor biology to make plant-based proteins more delicious), Astarome™ (a new green drying technology for making powdered flavors), and Maxiren®EVO (a new enzyme for more efficient cheese production with enhanced moisture retention, improved texture, extended shelf life, and reduced cutting losses)
In P&B, we launched Amberever® Neo (a new cedarwood fragrance ingredient with ten times the strength of ingredients in the same olfactive space), Clearsense® (new malodor-control solutions for deodorants, home, and oral care), and EmotiOn™ social connection (a program that harnesses the power of scent to foster emotional wellbeing and connection)
In HNC, we continued to invest in Humiome® (our world-leading health-from-the-gut platform), we launched Ulteeva Purity™ (new biomedical fibers for safer surgery), we also launched the first nutritional longevity solution clinically proven to slow down biological aging (based on life’s® OMEGA and Quali®-D), and we even made breakthroughs in boosting the bioavailability of CBD-based therapies, with CBtru®