Introducing Ma Madeleine™, an olfactory kit guided by a web application to help repair the sense of smell

Givaudan is proud to be part of a specialised team involved in the making of Ma Madeleine™, a web application that works in tandem with a high-quality olfactory rehabilitation kit. The technology specifically targets central aspects of persistent olfactory loss due to COVID-19, but it also helps restore the sense of smell for people recovering from other illnesses affecting their ability to smell. 

Ma Madeleine™ was created in partnership with a team of researchers and academics from the Université Côte d'Azur, medical professionals from the Nice University Hospital (CHUN), product designers from onepoint, alongside our perfumery experts and digital specialists. Supported by the Givaudan Foundation, Ma Madeleine™ consists of a high-quality reusable olfactory kit that is guided by a web application and supervised by a speech pathologist. Together, each institution offered specialised expertise to bring this innovation to life and to start helping people eager to repair their sense of smell after an illness.

“The Foundation’s involvement in this project is wholly in line with our mission and with Givaudan’s Purpose of creating for healthier and happier lives. We’re thrilled to partner with renowned institutions and with Givaudan volunteers, who are offering their guidance and expertise in the area of olfaction to better the lives of those who have been affected by various illnesses.”  

Laetitia Vuillemenot, Givaudan Foundation Lead

Dr Clair Vandersteen, ENT surgeon at the Nice University Hospital, said: “This is a wonderful example of a multidisciplinary collaboration resulting in scientifically innovative ways to help people who have had their sense of smell affected because of an illness. In particular, Ma Madeleine™ gives hope to people who would like to erase one of the main scars from recovering from the COVID-19 illness.”

When disorders affecting the sense of smell persist, management appears essential and mainly involves olfactory rehabilitation. The rehabilitation required is possible with Ma Madeleine™, a specific olfactory rehabilitation method targeting the re-education of this semantic network and hence a gradual improvement in the sense of smell and taste.

Ma Madeleine™ is currently being used in the rehabilitation centre at the Nice University Hospital in the South of France. The results of this evaluation will be available in 2022.  

About Givaudan
Givaudan is the global leader in the creation of flavours and fragrances, with its heritage stretching back over 250 years, the Company has a long history of innovating tastes and scents. From a favourite drink to your daily meal, from prestige perfumes to cosmetics and laundry care, its creations inspire emotions and delight millions of consumers the world over. The Company is committed to driving purpose-led, long-term growth while leading the way to improve happiness and health for people and nature. In the fiscal year 2020, the Company employed almost 16,000 people worldwide and achieved sales of CHF 6.3 billion and a free cash flow of 12.8% of sales. Let’s imagine together on www.givaudan.com.

About Givaudan Fragrance & Beauty
Driven by passion and innovation, Givaudan Fragrance & Beauty aims to bring delightful and memorable sensorial experiences to consumers around the world. Currently present in all major markets, we strive to be the creative partner of choice for customers not only in personal, fabric, hygiene and home care but also in fine fragrances and beauty overall. As the global leader in fragrance creation, the Company is committed to creating fragrances and beauty products for happier, healthier lives with love for nature. Our customers benefit from our expertise in three business units: Fine Fragrances, Consumer Products, and Fragrance Ingredients and Cosmetics Ingredients. We invite you to ‘engage your senses’ and learn more at www.givaudan.com/fragrance-beauty.

About the Givaudan Foundation
The Givaudan Foundation is a non-profit organisation created by Givaudan in 2013 as a result of the Company’s desire to reinforce its commitment towards the communities in which it operates. We initiate and support projects and grant donations to make a difference within the communities where Givaudan sources source natural ingredients as well as in Communities where Givaudan employees work. Our actions are nurtured by the know-how and volunteering of Givaudan people. We work closely with and rely on resources provided by Givaudan to conduct and monitor our projects. We also operate with local partners to ensure the efficient deployment of projects and their relevance for those who are intended to benefit from them. For further details, please consult: www.givaudan-foundation.org.

About onepoint
Onepoint are the transformation architects beyond the obvious. Architecting enterprise transformation across companies and public agencies. Guiding its clients from the definition of the strategic vision to its technology implementation. “Beyond the obvious” is the company’s signature, which reflects its commitment to create new ways of working, new spaces and new economic models. In just under 20 years, it has become one of the major players in organisations’ transformation and now employs more than 2500 people in France (Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Lyon and Rennes) and across the world (Canada, USA, Tunisia, Belgium, Australia, Singapore). www.groupeonepoint.com/en/

About CHUN
Nice University Hospital, set up in 1957, is a public healthcare excellence center among the best in national ranking. As a teaching hospital, it is the primary reference center for physicians and health-related workforce education and training, with a highly skilled support team of 900 senior doctors, including 83 professors, working in close collaboration with Côte d’Azur University and Faculty of Medicine. NUH provides primarily, secondary care in all medical and surgery specialties, and has ambulatory care units, intensive care facilities as well as LTAC and long-stay facilities. NUH also works in close cooperation with private general practitioners (GP) especially for chronic diseases such as diabetes. The Adult ENT department is entirely located within the Institut Universitaire de la Face et du Cou, which brings together the skills of Antoine Lacassagne Centre and Nice University Hospital and constitutes a hospital-university reference center in terms of care, teaching, research and public health.

About Université Côte d’Azur
Université Côte d'Azur has been an experimental university since 1 January 2020 replacing both the Université Nice Sophia Antipolis created in 1965 and the Communauté d'Universités et d'Etablissements Université Côte d'Azur created in 2015. Université Côte d'Azur now includes 17 major academic establishments around the historic university core to create one of France's top 10 research-intensive universities. Université Côte d'Azur won the prestigious Initiative d'Excellence (Idex) label in 2016. This distinction, awarded by an international jury, positions the university among the 10 best French research-intensive universities, provides it with additional resources to further accelerate its development, and marks the recognition of a university capable of standing tall in the face of global competition. Its UCAJEDI project proposes a strategy targeting the three major challenges of this century, resilience & sustainability of local authorities, economic & social transformation through Digital, well-being & ageing, through tools and programs promoting the development of research, training and innovation. https://univ-cotedazur.eu/about-us

For further information please contact
Marie Laure André, Fragrance & Beauty Communications
T +33 1 3998 4477
E marie-laure.andre@givaudan.com