Air Company Challenges Companies To Innovate More Carbon Negative Products With Launch Of Their New Fragrance
Air Company Air Eau de Parfum | Air Company
Air Company is one of the most innovative companies in the world and we’ve had the pleasure of covering their innovations in this column before.
They continuously push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of carbon capture products, from their hypercool vodka to their work with NASA creating rocket fuel.
So when I saw that they had launched a fragrance, I couldn’t resist catching up with their ebullient and charismatic co-founder Greg Constantine to find out more about the product - and how they hope it will spark more companies to use carbon as a building block for new products in ways that reduce emissions.
Afdhel Aziz: Greg, welcome back! What led you to this third innovation in fragrance?
Greg Constantine: Entering the fragrance industry has been in our plans from day one, and 2021 was the year for it to be released. As you know, I'm a firm believer that products are one of the best ways to educate people about new innovations, especially in the carbon technology field. When we create tangible products, it gives the world something to engage with and shows them the power of merging technology with creative innovation. Our fragrance was another way for us to show the world the endless possibilities when you bring technology and creativity together into something wholly tangible and commercial.
Aziz: Tell us about this design process, from the beautiful bottle to the fragrance inspiration?
Greg Constantine, Co-Founder of Air Company
Constantine: Design is just as important a pillar for us at Air Company as our technology innovation and engineering. We prioritize impactful design across the development of everything we do. I challenge myself and our teams to approach all aspects of design in a holistic and very detailed way, so that our innovations are always paired with beauty as well as functional innovation. We truly believe it’s the best way to put innovative products out into the world. Unfortunately, sustainable products haven’t always had visual appeal in the past, and we want to change that by offering products that are both sustainable and attractive—ones that our consumers can be proud to own.
The scent itself was inspired by the elements air, water, and sun, which are also the three main inputs for our technology. With everyone spending so much time indoors in 2020 due to the pandemic, I wanted to take people from being indoors, to a sense of feeling outdoors within nature. That inspiration of nature is what drives us as a company and became an inspiration for the scent that we put out. As a minimalist at heart, I wanted to ensure our packaging and bottle design was done so in a minimalist manner to reflect the product’s purity but also a way for us to ensure that no unnecessary materials are used in our process, which is why our glass bottle does not have a label.
Aziz: Tell us about the ingredients and how you are also championing the use of ’safe synthetics’ for the ingredients?
Constantine: There’s a stigma around safe synthetics when in actuality, they’re kinder to the environment than natural materials. We made the conscious decision to use synthetic scents for that reason. It also allowed us to then source all ingredients locally in the Tri-state area, which was important to us as the fragrance was designed, engineered, mixed and bottled in our home city of New York.
Aziz: You’ve said ‘Products are a great way for people to learn about climate change - and take action’. Is that why you’ve focused on creating these innovations?
Constantine: Absolutely. I want to show the world that we can create change for the better through tangible, real products like the ones we have created. These products are a platform and stepping stone to broader technology development and use cases that could eventually lead to over a 10% reduction in global CO2 emissions on an annual basis - true impact. We’re using consumer goods as a vessel for something much, much bigger. Consumers drive change, and because of this, we're working to create these products that are higher quality and better for our planet than their predecessors while simultaneously scaling our technology to an industrial level. Right now, we're about creating opportunity, and the immediate prospect is providing a sustainable alternative to everyday goods. That's a simple yet impactful change for consumers and a way for them to better understand and learn about climate change and carbon technology solutions.
Aziz: Finally what has been the reaction from the beauty and fine fragrances industry, and what is your invitation to them?
Constantine: The response has been incredibly positive. It seems as though the industry is ready for innovation in fragrance which is great to see. We’ve always said that we cannot fight climate change alone. We need to work together to have success; that starts with innovations like ours, and it ends with commercialization into corporate and commercial pipeline.
