dsm-firmenich opens new fine fragrance hub in New York City
It has been designed to encourage closer collaboration, stimulate creativity, and speed up innovation in partnership with clients and creative collaborators.
USA – dsm-firmenich has officially opened its new Fine Fragrance flagship at 641 Avenue of the Americas in Chelsea, New York City.
The 44,000-square-foot facility marks a new phase for the company’s Fine Fragrance operations in North America by bringing perfumers, fragrance development teams, and application, digital, and compounding capabilities together in one location.
The Chelsea site is home to approximately 100 employees, including nine Fine Fragrance perfumers.
Located in a landmark building that forms part of New York’s history, the space reflects both the city’s cultural vitality and dsm-firmenich’s vision for the future of fragrance.
Created as an open and immersive environment, it gives clients and visitors new opportunities to interact directly with perfumers, explore ingredients, share ideas, and experience scent through curated events, masterclasses, and creative partnerships.
Jonathan Simon, President of Global Fine Fragrance, stated, “Few cities inspire creativity quite like New York. With our new home in Chelsea, we are investing in an environment designed to bring together talent, inspiration and diverse perspectives.”
“Rooted in one of the city’s most dynamic creative neighbourhoods, this space creates new opportunities for collaboration, dialogue and discovery, enabling our perfumers, clients and partners to shape the future of fine fragrance together.”
At the centre of the new facility is a purpose-built laboratory developed to dsm-firmenich’s highest global standards.
Advanced automation and robotics improve efficiency, precision, and safety, including Cerberus, a custom-built compounding robot that can handle up to 456 raw materials. This technology is expected to significantly expand the laboratory’s creative capacity.
The laboratory also demonstrates the company’s sustainability commitment through energy-efficient systems, Green Lab practices, waste-reduction initiatives, and smart workstations designed to support employee well-being.
Together, these features position the Chelsea laboratory as a new benchmark for dsm-firmenich, combining technology, craftsmanship, and responsible innovation.
The opening of the Chelsea office also marks the launch of OPEN AIR: Artists in Resonance, a new cultural platform that explores creativity through conversation, community, and culture.
The initiative brings dsm-firmenich perfumers together with voices from across New York’s cultural scene, linking fragrance with fields including food, music, fashion, design, nightlife, spirituality, and social service.
Participants include a DJ, chef, tattoo artist, and designers, as well as members of the voguing community and organisations such as Housing Works and Brooklyn Grange.
Each collaboration is interpreted through scent, with the resulting creations displayed across the Chelsea space through fragrance, film, photography, recordings, and physical objects.
OPEN AIR will continue through future exhibitions, workshops, and collaborations across dsm-firmenich’s global creative centres.
The building was originally home to a luxury department store and introduced New York City’s first escalator.
Once a landmark retail destination that changed how New Yorkers experienced shopping and design, it now carries that spirit of innovation forward as a creative hub for perfumery.
Designed as a multidimensional environment where artistry, science, and culture meet, the site includes a state-of-the-art laboratory, collaborative creative spaces, outdoor terraces, and a rooftop garden overlooking Manhattan.
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