From mixing scents in a room in Les Corts to exporting to 60 countries
The third generation of Catalan EMSA introduces innovation in fragrance production
His grandson remembers him as a self-taught person, one of those with the drive to learn whatever they set their mind to. Aureli Moles Garcés began mixing scents in the 1950s in a small room at 11 Cabestany Street, in Barcelona's Les Corts neighborhood. He had a locker where he kept the raw materials he carefully mixed to create his compositions, always sitting in a chair with the scale ready to measure the correct proportions. "He was a person who moved around a lot and liked to understand the client's needs," says Álex Moles about his grandfather. He now holds the position of general manager of Esencias Moles (EMSA) and, together with Sílvia Guirro, is the third generation to manage the family business.
That room where the company was founded in 1953 became too small, as did the humble production center to which they moved to the Sants neighborhood. In the 1980s, this problem recurred a third time, and the company opened a new headquarters in Cervelló (Baix Llobregat), which it has also expanded. With the entry of the Guirro family, the company received a significant commercial boost that allowed it to reach new markets, particularly Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The current CEO attributes the expansion into the latter region to his cousin Dani Guirro, who was sales director until his death in 2016.
"We saw that we had a large clientele abroad, and in 2013, we opened a sales office and production center in Buenos Aires," explains Moles. They later did the same in Uruguay. Currently, EMSA exports to more than 60 countries and, in addition to fragrances, also manufactures objects related to the world of scents, such as air fresheners and cleaning and personal hygiene products. From the plug-in air fresheners that became popular starting in the 1990s—and which came from the same devices in a mosquito-repellent version—the sector has shifted toward the sober aesthetic of micados. "There's been a shift toward a less forced diffusion, which gives us that feeling of well-being," says Moles.
Over the years, they've also learned that the most successful scents are not the same in every part of the world: in Southeast Asia, floral perfumes are most popular, in the Middle East, they gravitate toward scents with "a richer background," and in Latin America, they prefer sweeter ones.
As in any business, there's still room for innovation in fragrances. At ESMA, they're investing in advanced technology such as Roxane machines, a high-precision dosing system thanks to which their production is now "more efficient and traceable." Thus, process automation has increased from 55% to 75%. Through Next Generation funding, the company has also participated in the Boocell consortium project, focused on the development and validation of biodegradable scented microcapsules that can be applied to personal and home care products. They have also patented EMSA PaperBloom®, a fragrance delivery system for water-based air fresheners that uses scented water-soluble sheets. Finally, the company has developed its own technology to neutralize unpleasant odors, which they have already integrated into two of their products.
In 2023, the latest year for which results are available, EMSA had a turnover of €16.6 million, and Moles assures that the company has registered a compound annual growth of 15% over the last three years. They currently employ around 100 workers, around 70 of whom are in Catalonia. Their fragrances, explains the general manager, are present in "perfumeries of renowned brands," as well as in everyday products such as detergents, candles, mica powders, and air fresheners that can be found in supermarkets.
Barcelona, the capital of perfumes
This week, Barcelona became the meeting point for 2,700 professionals who, like Moles and his family, are dedicated to selling sensations and scents. The Barcelona Perfumery Congress hosted more than 100 international exhibitors and 80 talks at the Farga in Hospitalet de Llobregat to explain how innovation is achieved in the fragrance industry. The cosmetics sector generated €10.4 billion in Spain in 2023, a 12% increase, making the country the second largest exporter of perfumes in the world, according to a study by the National Association of Perfumery and Cosmetics.
The answer to this growth can also be found in companies like ScentXP, a Barcelona-based technology company that has carved out a niche in this market. The company has developed software for perfumery chains, allowing them to visually display their catalog through a database with more than 25,000 perfume references and 1,400 ingredients. In this way, they aim to break down the barrier that the online channel can pose for a type of product where the customer needs to get an idea of what the perfume they are about to buy will be like from home without smelling it directly.
They have also patented a machine that they have named Air Parfum and that is already available in points of sale such as Sephora and Notino. It is a system that allows unlimited perfume testing—the consumer chooses them through a screen—because it uses air to distribute the chosen scent and then captures the alcohol particles so that not a trace remains before trying the next one, without saturating the nose of the future buyer.
