Human Practice Report of the AromaWell Personalized Essential Oil Biosynthesis Project
In the fast-paced modern life, essential oil aromatherapy has become an important way for people to soothe their physical and mental states. However, traditional essential oils are plagued by raw material waste - with "1 kg of rose essential oil consuming 3,000 kg of rose petals" - and struggle to meet personalized needs. AromaWell breaks this deadlock with a programmable microbial chassis based on synthetic biology, and further achieves mutual empowerment through Human Practice. We carried out Human Practice activities across the entire chain of "production-profession-education-public": engaging in dialogues with Shandong Huinong and Shandong Freda to solve industrial pain points; collaborating with aromatherapists and professors to optimize technical details; promoting knowledge and integrating youth needs on campus; and conducting public surveys to dispel misconceptions. This is both a practice of "social needs driving technological iteration" and an exploration of "technological innovation responding to public demands," ultimately enabling scientific research innovation to truly land and serve people.
1. Core Positioning and Overall Framework of Human Practice
This project focuses on the R&D of "personalized essential oil biosynthesis" technology. Through a full-chain practice of "production-end demand exploration-application-end pain point resolution-profession-end technical validation-public-end awareness building," it establishes a deep connection between technology and society. The core goal is to: clarify real needs through interactions with enterprises, aromatherapists, professors, and the public to reversely optimize technical solutions; and respond to the demands of various groups for "essential oil customization, low-carbon production, and safe application" through technological characteristics, thereby achieving a closed loop of mutual value where "technology serves society and society feeds back innovation."
Fig. 1 Overall framework of human practice
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2. Production-End Practice: Engaging with Essential Oil Manufacturers to Define Directions for Technological Optimization
2.1 Interview Practice with Shandong Huinong Rose Essential Oil Co., Ltd.
2.1.1 Background and Core Content of the Interview
The project team visited Shandong Huinong Rose Essential Oil Co., Ltd. - a core domestic rose essential oil manufacturer with an annual production capacity of approximately 50 tons - conducted a 2-h in-depth interview with Manager Zhang (Production Department) and Director Zhao (Supply Chain Department), and toured the production workshop. The interview focused on the core pain points of traditional essential oil extraction, with key dialogues and findings as follows:
• Raw Material Dependence and Resource Consumption: "We need 3,000 kg of fresh rose petals to produce 1 kg of rose essential oil, and the blooming period is only 20 days a year. Once hit by the rainy season (e.g., the 10-d extended rainy season in 2023), the moisture content of petals exceeds the standard, directly reducing the extraction rate by 15%. We also have to invest additional costs in impurity removal." This reveals the heavy reliance of traditional processes on agricultural raw materials and their high sensitivity to natural conditions.
• Energy Consumption and Cost Pressure: "The distillation extraction process accounts for 35% of total energy consumption, with energy costs exceeding 80,000 yuan per ton of essential oil. Moreover, the maximum difference in component content between batches reaches 12%, leading to frequent returns from downstream customers due to 'unstable aroma'." This points to the production bottlenecks of high energy consumption and poor batch stability.
• Demand for Environmental Protection: "Nowadays, environmental protection authorities have stricter requirements for agricultural waste treatment. The annual cost of rose petal residue treatment alone is over 200,000 yuan. If we can reduce raw material usage, these problems can be alleviated." This reflects the enterprise’s urgent demand for low-carbon production.
Fig. 2 Interview with Shandong Huinong Rose Essential Oil Co., Ltd.
2.1.2 Promotion of Project Technology by the Practice
Based on the interview with Huinong Rose Essential Oil Co., Ltd., the project team adjusted the technical solution in a targeted manner:
• Optimizing Microbial Chassis Stability: Upgraded the original single E. coli chassis to a dual-chassis system of "Saccharomyces cerevisiae + E. coli". By regulating metabolic flux, the difference in component content between batches was reduced to within 3%, addressing the pain point of "unstable batches".
• Calculating Low-Carbon Technical Parameters: Experimental verification showed that biosynthesizing 1kg of target essential oil components only consumes 1/5 of the raw materials used in traditional processes, with energy consumption reduced by 40%. This data will be fed back to Huinong to respond to the enterprise’s demand for "cost and consumption reduction".
• Designing Residue Utilization Scheme: To address Huinong’s waste treatment challenges, a supporting scheme of "converting fermented microbial cells into organic fertilizer" was proposed. A preliminary cooperation intention has been reached with Huinong, and a small-scale pilot is planned for the future.
2.1.3 Value Response of the Project to the Enterprise
• Provided Huinong with a stable production path "not restricted by blooming periods or weather", which can extend the production cycle to the entire year and is expected to increase the enterprise’s production capacity by 20%.
• Based on the 40% reduction in energy consumption, it is estimated that each ton of essential oil can help Huinong save approximately 32,000 yuan in costs, significantly improving profit margins.
• The biosynthetic technology reduces reliance on raw materials, indirectly lowering the enterprise’s dependence on rose planting bases and avoiding the risk of "raw material price fluctuations".
2.2 Interview Practice with Shandong Freda Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
2.2.1 Background and Core Content of the Interview
Shandong Freda Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a downstream application enterprise of essential oils (mainly engaged in skincare products and aroma diffusers), and its lavender essential oil is sourced from Xinjiang Eprhan Spices Co., Ltd. - a leading enterprise in the spice industry. The project team conducted an interview with Manager Wang (R&D Department) and product managers of Freda, focusing on "essential oil application-end needs". The core feedback is as follows:
• Difficulty in Meeting Customization Needs: "We want to develop two series of aroma diffuser products - 'sleep-aiding' and 'soothing' - but commercially available essential oils only have fixed ratios. For example, the ratio of rose to lavender is either 6:4 or 5:5, which cannot be adjusted precisely according to product efficacy. We have to mix them ourselves, increasing production steps." This highlights the application-end demand for "personalized ratios".
• Raw Material Quality Fluctuations Affecting Products: "Last year, the linalool content of lavender essential oils purchased from 3 suppliers differed by 8%, leading to significant variations in user feedback on sleep-aiding diffusers and a 5% drop in repurchase rate." This reflects the high requirement of downstream enterprises for the stability of essential oil components.
• Concerns about Safety and Compliance: "The essential oils we use in skincare products must comply with the Technical Specifications for Cosmetic Safety, with strict standards for microbial residues and heavy metals. For biosynthetic essential oils, clear safety test reports must be provided." This clarifies the application-end’s core demand for "safety".
Fig. 3 Interview with Shandong Freda Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
2.2.2 Promotion of Project Technology by the Practice
• Developing a "Precise Ratio Regulation Module": Based on the original system where two genes were controlled by the same promoter, an orthogonal system was adopted to optimize the regulation system so that the expression of the two genes is controlled by different promoters (see our "Engineering" module). This enables the production of products with different ratios to meet the efficacy needs of Freda’s different products.
• Strengthening Safety Testing: Cooperated with a third-party testing institution to complete tests on "microbial residues, heavy metals, and endotoxins" of biosynthetic essential oils, and issued a test report complying with cosmetic standards. The endotoxin content is <0.03 EU/mL, meeting Freda’s compliance requirements.
• Establishing a "Component Traceability System": Generated a unique traceability code for each batch of biosynthetic essential oils, recording fermentation parameters and test results. This facilitates Freda’s traceability of raw material quality and addresses concerns about "component fluctuations".
2.2.3 Value Response of the Project to the Enterprise
• Provided a "one-stop personalized ratio" service, helping Freda eliminate the steps of "purchasing from multiple suppliers + manual mixing" and is expected to shorten the production cycle by 15%.
• The improved component stability (batch difference <3%) can reduce fluctuations in user feedback on Freda’s products, helping to restore the repurchase rate.
• The compliant test reports and traceability system reduce the raw material safety risks for Freda and provide technical support for its expansion of "biosynthetic essential oil applications".
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3. Profession-End Practice: Collaborating with Aromatherapists and University Professors to Break Through Technical and Application Bottlenecks
3.1 Communication Practice with Aromatherapists
3.1.1 Background and Core Content of Communication
The project team conducted online and offline communications with 2 certified aromatherapists (IFA Certified International Aromatherapists), covering two scenarios: "home aromatherapy" and "commercial aromatherapy studios". The core feedback is as follows:
• Personalized Adaptation to User Needs: "Among home users, women aged 30-40 prefer the soft aroma of 'rose + jasmine', while male office workers favor the fresh tone of 'cedar + lavender'. However, such combinations are not available in commercially available essential oils, so we can only recommend users to mix them themselves, with uncontrollable results." This expanded the project’s understanding of "scent combination" needs.
• Reminders on Safety Details: "Some clients developed red skin after using high-concentration lavender essential oil (linalool content 12%). Later, we found that the tolerance limit for sensitive skin users is approximately 8%. It would be great if biosynthesis could control the concentration." This clarified the technical demand for "concentration adaptation to different skin types".
• Matching of Efficacy and Components: "Sleep-aiding essential oils not only need a comfortable aroma but also must ensure that the linalyl acetate content is 5%-7% - this component promotes GABA release. If the ratio is incorrect, the sleep-aiding effect will be compromised." This provided a scientific basis for the project to "match components with efficacy".
Fig. 4 Communication practice with aromatherapists.
3.1.2 Promotion of Project Technology by the Practice
• Expanding the Scent Combination Library: On the basis of the original rose-lavender combination, the project plans to add 2 more scent combinations - "rose + jasmine" and "cedar + lavender" - and optimize metabolic pathways to achieve coordinated synthesis of multiple components.
• Adding a "Dynamic Concentration Regulation Function": Set up a "sensitive skin mode" (linalool content ≤8%) and a "regular mode" (8%-10%) in the regulation system. Users can choose according to their skin type to avoid allergic risks.
• Establishing a "Component-Efficacy" Database: Combined with aromatherapists’ suggestions, the "optimal concentration range for efficacy" of key components such as linalyl acetate and citronellol was incorporated into technical parameters, ensuring that the biosynthetic essential oils not only meet aroma needs but also have practical therapeutic value.
3.1.3 Value Response of the Project to Aromatherapists
• In the later stage, the project will provide tools for "customizable scents + precise concentrations" to help aromatherapists develop exclusive solutions for different users and improve service professionalism.
• The component stability of biosynthetic essential oils reduces the trouble of aromatherapists facing "efficacy fluctuations caused by raw material differences".
• The team has reached a cooperation intention with 2 aromatherapists and plans to jointly develop an "aromatherapist-customized essential oil set" (see the attached document "Innovative Product Development" in our "Entrepreneurship" module) to expand the product boundaries of aromatherapy services.
3.2 Consultation Practice with University Professors
3.2.1 Background and Core Content of Consultation
The project team consulted university professors in 3 fields (synthetic biology, aromatherapy, and bioethics) for special guidance. The specific communications are as follows:
• Synthetic Biology Professor (Professor Shen, State Key Laboratory of Microbiology, Shandong University): "The biosynthetic pathway of terpenoids is relatively long, and it is generally difficult for a single chassis organism to achieve overexpression of the entire synthetic pathway. It is recommended to use two chassis organisms for collaboration." This pointed out the problem of chassis metabolic burden.
• Aromatherapy Professor (Professor Yu, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine): "The 'aroma experience' of essential oils depends not only on component ratios but also on volatility. For example, linalool is highly volatile—if it evaporates quickly after synthesis, the user experience will be reduced. It is recommended to add a 'microencapsulation' step after fermentation to extend the aroma retention time." This supplemented technical details related to "user experience".
• Bioethics Professor (Professor Liu, Shandong University): "When collecting users’ aroma preference data, attention should be paid to privacy protection—for example, sensitive information such as names and phone numbers should not be collected, and data storage must comply with the Personal Information Protection Law. In addition, during microbial fermentation, strain leakage should be avoided, and biosafety operation specifications must be formulated." This clarified ethical and compliance requirements.
3.2.2 Promotion of Project Technology by the Practice
• Adjusting the Microbial Chassis: Expanded the core chassis from a single E. coli strain to a collaborative system of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and E. coli. By assigning different metabolic pathways to each, the synthesis efficiency of target components was increased by 60%.
• Adding a "Microencapsulation Step": Introduced sodium alginate-chitosan microencapsulation technology to encapsulate the synthesized essential oils. Experimental verification showed that the aroma retention time was extended from 4 h to 12 h, improving user experience (see the attached document "Innovative Product Development" in our "Entrepreneurship" module).
• Improving the Ethical and Compliance System:
o Designed an "anonymous user preference questionnaire" that only collects non-sensitive information such as age, skin type, and aroma preferences.
o Formulated the Biosafety Operation Manual, specifying procedures such as fermentation equipment disinfection and strain disposal, which has been approved by the university’s biosafety committee.
3.2.3 Value Response of the Project to Academic Research
• The project’s "multi-component coordinated synthesis" scheme based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and E. coli provided a practical case of "microbial metabolic network regulation" for Professor Shen’s team. The two parties plan to jointly publish a related research paper.
• The project’s data on the correlation between "aroma preferences-component ratios-efficacy" supplemented the aromatherapy research database of Professor Yu’s team, supporting their clinical research on "personalized aromatherapy".
• The project’s privacy protection and biosafety practices provided an enterprise-level case for Professor Liu’s "Synthetic Biology Ethics" course, promoting the integration of ethics education and industrial practice.
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4. Public-End Practice: Conducting Public Cognition Surveys to Build a Bridge Between Technology and Society
4.1 Public Interview and Questionnaire Survey Practice
4.1.1 Background and Core Content of the Practice
The project team conducted a combination of "offline interviews (on campus and in communities) + online questionnaires", covering 523 members of the public (aged 18-60, including both essential oil users and non-users) in 12 cities across the country. The core findings are as follows:
• Cognitive Misconceptions: 68.5% of respondents believed that "biosynthetic essential oils = artificial additives, which are less safe than natural essential oils"; 27.8% had no understanding; only 3.62% of respondents believed that "biosynthesis can accurately replicate natural components".
• Demand Preferences: 65% of essential oil users hoped for "more affordable prices" (the current average price of natural rose essential oil exceeds 800 yuan/10mL), and 58% hoped for "the launch of low-concentration versions suitable for children".
• Key Concerns: The top 3 concerns of the public were "safety test reports (78%)", "raw material sources (65%)", and "price (52%)", while attention to "production processes" was relatively low (23%).
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Fig.5 Public interview and questionnaire survey practice
4.1.2 Promotion of Project Technology by the Practice
• Strengthening "Safety Popularization and Verification": Produced a Comparison Report on Components of Biosynthetic vs. Natural Essential Oils with GC-MS detection chromatograms (the component similarity between the two is 99.2%), which was highlighted in popular science promotions.
• Developing a "Children-Exclusive Essential Oil Version": Reduced the concentration of key components in the children’s version to 1/3 of that in the adult version, added a "fragrance-free and alcohol-free" formula, and passed the safety assessment by dermatologists.
• Optimizing Cost Control: By simplifying fermentation steps or using other biological waste as a carbon source, the production cost of essential oils is expected to be reduced by 40%, with the target price controlled at 300-400 yuan/1 0mL to align with public price expectations.
4.1.3 Value Response of the Project to the Public
• Through popular science, the misconception that "synthetic = unsafe" was dispelled. Questionnaire follow-ups showed that the acceptance of biosynthetic essential oils among 75% of respondents increased.
• The children-exclusive essential oil version met the needs of family users, with over 200 pre-order intentions received from the public.
• The optimized pricing after cost reduction is more affordable, allowing more ordinary consumers to access high-quality essential oils and promoting the popularization of aromatherapy products.
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5. Campus Education Activity Practice: Popularizing Synthetic Biology Knowledge and Integrating Student Feedback to Feed Back the Project
5.1 Background and Goals of Education Activity Design
• Popularize basic principles of synthetic biology among students to dispel the misconception that "biosynthesis = dangerous/complicated"; answer students’ questions such as "Will microorganisms escape?" and "Can biosynthetic essential oils be applied to the skin?".
• Take the project’s "personalized essential oils" as an entry point to help students intuitively perceive the "life application value" of synthetic biology; highlight the environmental advantages of biosynthesis through comparative data such as "1 kg of rose essential oil requiring 3,000 kg of petals".
• Distribute paper feedback forms to collect students’ suggestions on "scent preferences" and "product forms (e.g., color and size of essential oil bottles)", providing new perspectives for project optimization (such as youth scent needs and education scenario adaptation solutions).
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Fig. 6 Campus education activity practice.
5.2 Mutual Impact of Education Activities on the Project and Students
• Collected 87 valid scent designs, among which three youth-exclusive combinations - "orange + mint", "grape + cedar", and "watermelon + chamomile" - were most popular. The project plans to add these 3 scent combinations to the "children/youth essential oil version" to expand the user group.
• Students suggested that "essential oil bottles should have cartoon designs and lanyards on caps for easy carrying in school bags". The team plans to launch a "youth essential oil packaging design" sub-project to improve product adaptability.
• Students proposed the "aroma diffuser linked to APP" suggestion, promoting the project to expand the "hardware + software" ecosystem. The team has initiated the design of an APP prototype (with functions including "scent recommendation" and "usage duration recording").
Through campus activities, synthetic biology knowledge was not only brought into students’ lives but also innovative inspirations such as "youth scents" and "interdisciplinary technical suggestions" were obtained from students, achieving mutual improvement between "education promotion and project iteration".
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6. Closed-Loop Summary of Human Practice and Future Plans
6.1 Summary of Mutual Empowerment Closed Loop
6.2 Future Plans
• Deepen Enterprise Cooperation: Jointly build a "biosynthetic essential oil pilot production line" with Shandong Huinong, and co-develop 3 aroma diffuser products based on biosynthetic essential oils with Shandong Freda.
• Expand Professional Collaboration: Collaborate with aromatherapists to conduct "clinical observation of personalized essential oil efficacy", and jointly apply for a "synthetic biology green manufacturing" special project with professor teams.
• Upgrade Public Popular Science: Produce popular science videos on "essential oil synthesis processes" and promote them on short-video platforms, targeting coverage of over 100,000 members of the public.
• Jointly Establish Standards: Collaborate with enterprises, professors, and aromatherapists to formulate the Production and Safety Standards for Biosynthetic Essential Oils and promote the standardized development of the industry.
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Summary
The Human Practice of this project has formed a complete closed loop of "production-end - profession-end - public-end - education-end". Through in-depth interactions with production enterprises, application enterprises, professionals, the public, and students, the "personalized essential oil biosynthesis" technology has been transformed from a "laboratory concept" into a "implementable and valuable solution".
It not only optimizes technical details through social feedback but also responds to the pain points of various groups through technological innovation, truly realizing the core value of IGEM Human Practice - "technology serves society and society feeds back innovation". In the future, the project will continue to deepen this mutual empowerment, promote the industrial application of synthetic biology technology in the essential oil field, and contribute to the sustainable development of the industry.
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