Our History

Established in 1990, Cosma Perfumes & Flavours (Cosma) is a South African family-owned business with roots planted firmly in the French tradition of fragrance creation. Managing Director, Laurent Mauger, comes from a family of three generations of experience in the cosmetics and toiletry industry and personally has in excess of 30 years’ experience. He studied in Grasse, France for four years before bringing his knowledge back to South Africa. Laurent then followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was the first representative and subsequent manufacturer of Guerlain Paris cosmetic products in South Africa, having been commissioned by Jean Paul Guerlain to start a new venture here in the early 1950’s. Laurent’s father, who also used to work in conjunction with Guerlain Paris, started his own company in 1970, which was then bought out by L’Oréal in 1979.

Background

Cosma is affiliated to Société Grassoise de Parfumerie (SGP SELIN), based in the heart of the fragrance industry in Grasse, France. Reputed in Grasse for its distillation of essential oils, SGP SELIN was founded in 1854 by Jean Batiste Selin, and was the first company to cultivate Lavender for essential oil in the Grasse region. Purchased by the Truchi family in 1986 and at its head Marcel Carles who continued the family tradition started by his father Jean Carles, creator of some of the world’s most famous fine fragrances. His son, Cyrille Carles, joined the company in 1992 as a perfumer and commercial executive. Cosma is SGP SELIN’s number one affiliate outside of Europe.
Cosma specializes in supplying high-quality concentrate perfume compounds for numerous applications in the toiletries, cosmetics, and household industries, based on clients’ requirements and worldwide trends. We service clients nationwide with over 250 active perfume compound references and over 2500 different perfume compound references applicable in all industries. We currently produce in the region of 10 tons per month, however we have the capacity to easily produce 20 tons monthly.

Mission Statement

At Cosma, our people are the heart of our business. We continually strive for the highest quality of service, integrity, ethics and excellence and pride ourselves on our commitment to our clients and staff alike.