From fragrance labs to food tech: dsm-firmenich's CEO on why Singapore is the innovation catalyst for Asia's wellness future

Singapore has been a cornerstone of dsm-firmenich's Asia strategy for more than three decades. As a global leader in nutrition, health, and beauty, the Swiss company has built a comprehensive innovation ecosystem in the country, which includes a fragrance creation centre, nutrition application labs, and food technology facilities. Today, Singapore serves as dsm-firmenich's regional headquarters and innovation hub, where it pioneers breakthroughs in healthy longevity, sustainable food solutions, and next-generation beauty products for markets across Asia-Pacific.

The company's commitment to Singapore continues to deepen, with recent investments in specialised facilities like their Perfumery Automated Compounding Encapsulation (PEACE) facility and FutureBites Food Design Studio. These developments highlight Singapore's strategic importance as a market entry point and critical node in dsm-firmenich's global innovation network.

In this exclusive Q&A, dsm-firmenich CEO Dimitri de Vreeze discusses how Singapore's unique ecosystem enables innovation, the company's expanding presence in the city-state, and why he considers Singapore "the Switzerland of Asia" for global companies looking to expand their footprint in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.
 

What role does Singapore play in dsm-firmenich's global strategy?

For dsm-firmenich, Singapore serves as our gateway to Asia-Pacific, which is why we have established three of our core business units here. The first is Perfumery & Beauty, which leverages Singapore as a hub to develop innovative formulations and ingredients for fragrance customers across Asia and globally.

Second, through our Taste, Texture & Health unit, we focus on creating healthier food solutions with reduced sugar, salt, and enhanced nutritional profiles. We conduct this research in our Singapore laboratories for both regional and international markets, supported by local production capabilities. Finally, our Health, Nutrition & Care unit develops scientifically validated ingredients to create healthier nutrition and wellness outcomes for consumers worldwide. Singapore's strategic position and robust infrastructure make it the ideal location to integrate the three business units’ capabilities and drive innovation across our global portfolio.

Beyond our operational structure, Singapore's strategic importance extends to emerging growth areas that align with global demographic trends. Healthy longevity represents a critical focus area where Singapore's progressive health policies and research infrastructure provide an ideal environment for innovation. Despite gut health's fundamental influence on overall human wellness, significant knowledge gaps persist, with current scientific understanding covering only about 30% of gut microbiome functions. However, our collaboration with Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) positions us to advance breakthrough research in gut health and microbiome science, and to unlock critical mysteries and solutions that could transform human health outcomes.

Singapore’s collaborative business ecosystem also enables us to bring innovative products to market quickly through strategic local partnerships. Our SG60 commemorative fragrance Singapore Eco Orchid is one such example. We studied the orchid, Singapore's national flower, at the Botanic Gardens to create a fragrance that captures the country's unique essence and emotional resonance for its 60th anniversary. While we contributed our technical expertise, we partnered with Singapore-based wellness technology company OSIM, and leveraged its strong market presence and distribution networks to fast-track the product’s commercialisation. This collaborative model demonstrates how Singapore's ecosystem supports efficient product development and market entry, enabling us to deliver innovations that resonate with consumers both functionally and emotionally.
 

What are some of dsm-firmenich’s recent facility investments in Singapore?

We have made strategic investments in two specialised facilities that position Singapore at the forefront of innovation for our global operations.

The first is our Perfumery Automated Compounding Encapsulation (PEACE) facility, launched in 2024. We maintain global leadership in developing controlled-release formulations that extend fragrance performance over time from here, based on our proprietary technology. Our Singapore location provides us with unique infrastructure capabilities and strategic access to Asia-Pacific markets, allowing us to fulfill the growing worldwide demand for sophisticated fragrance delivery systems.

Our second major investment is FutureBites Food Design Studio, which responds to evolving consumer preferences in the food sector. Also established in 2024, this innovation laboratory focuses on developing healthier alternatives through advanced plant-based formulations that reduce sugar, salt, and fat content while maintaining taste integrity. FutureBites serves as our regional centre of excellence for food technology innovation, and allows us to address increasing consumer demand for nutritious, sustainable food solutions across Singapore and the broader Asian market.
 

How does Singapore's innovation ecosystem enable dsm-firmenich to accelerate product development?

This proximity is essential for effective collaboration and rapid iteration. When our research teams, product developers, and manufacturing specialists can work closely together, we achieve faster problem-solving and more efficient translation of concepts into market-ready products. Singapore's robust infrastructure enables this seamless integration across the entire innovation value chain.
 

From a strategic perspective, this integrated approach in Singapore serves as our platform for broader Asia-Pacific expansion. We conduct the fundamental research and development here, then systematically adapt our formulations to meet the distinct requirements of individual Asian markets. Our Singapore facilities serve as both the innovation hub and the production centre, enabling us to maintain quality consistency while delivering customised solutions across the region. This approach allows us to scale proven technologies efficiently, while ensuring they resonate with local consumer needs and market conditions.

It has enabled us to accelerate time-to-market while maintaining the quality and precision our customers expect.
 

What’s your take on Singapore’s talent pool, and how does this support dsm-firmenich's  ambitions?

I often describe Singapore as "the Switzerland of Asia" – it is a country that delivers exceptional quality and return on investment. Singapore combines world-class infrastructure with a strong education system and solid institutional reputation. Just as our Swiss products are recognised for their quality globally, our Singapore-developed innovations benefit from a similar credibility.
 

Our approach to talent development taps on Singapore's regional connectivity. We operate a talent system where professionals from the region can join our Singapore operations, develop expertise in our core technologies and methodologies, before returning to their home markets with enhanced regional insights. Likewise, we also have Singaporeans who have gained international experience across our global network before bringing that knowledge back to strengthen our hub operations. This creates a continuous learning ecosystem that strengthens both our Singapore and broader regional capabilities. The mobility and development opportunities this model provides are highly valued by our employees and contribute significantly to our innovation capacity.
 

What are dsm-firmenich's future goals for Singapore and the broader Asian market?

Our future strategy centres on sustaining growth across Asia, with Singapore serving as our regional centre of excellence to capture this potential. Three macro trends drive our expansion strategy: healthier living solutions, enhanced well-being through innovative fragrances, and nutritious food systems.

The evolution of global markets has necessitated localised innovation approaches. Traditional global products are increasingly being tailored to meet specific regional preferences and requirements. This shift reinforces Singapore's critical role in our Asian strategy, enabling us to develop science-based solutions that resonate with local consumers while maintaining our global standards of excellence.

Above all, our ultimate objective lies in enhancing people’s quality of life through scientifically validated ingredients, nutrition and food innovations, and fragrances that positively impact well-being. Singapore's long-term strategic perspective and the government's ability to maintain consistent policies and regulatory frameworks over extended periods provide the stability essential for sustained business development. This reliability, combined with Singapore's openness to innovation partnerships, creates an environment where we can confidently execute multi-year strategic initiatives and continue building our regional capabilities.