EQS-News: Symrise delivered solid organic sales growth and strong profitability improvement for 2025
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EQS-News: Symrise AG
/ Key word(s): Annual Report/Annual Results
Press release — Holzminden, 04 March 2026
Symrise AG, a leading global supplier of flavors and fragrances, cosmetic as well as functional ingredients, strengthened its position in key markets and advanced its strategic agenda with determination during 2025. The company generated solid organic growth amid a continued dynamic macro environment, achieved its highest profitability in 10 years, delivered cost savings and efficiency gains above target and outperformed the market in important business as it executed its ONE Symrise Strategy and ONE SYM Transformation. For full year 2025, Symrise achieved organic sales growth of 2.8%. Reported revenues totaled €4,929m, whereby FX and portfolio effects had an adverse impact of €210 million. Adjusted EBITDA for full year 2025 was €1,081 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 21.9%, up 120 basis points compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA and margin improvements were driven by €50 million cost savings and efficiency gains in full year 2025, which exceeded the target of €40 million. Dr. Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO of Symrise AG, commented: “2025 was a year of disciplined execution guided by our purpose-driven ONE Symrise Strategy. We took decisive action to sharpen our portfolio and accelerate our transformation, focusing on the areas we can control to structurally enhance our competitiveness. Targeted efficiency measures, disciplined cost management and continued investment in innovation and capacity expansion enabled Symrise to increase its adjusted EBITDA margin and significantly strengthen its cash conversion, providing a strong foundation for long‑term value creation.” “The launch of our first‑ever share buyback program, alongside our proposal for an increased dividend of €1.25, reflects our confidence in the strength of our business, our balance sheet and our future. With robust fundamentals, a resilient portfolio and a highly committed global team, we are well positioned to execute our strategy, generate durable, high‑quality earnings and create superior value for all stakeholders. This strength is built on the dedication of our people, and I want to thank the team who made it possible. Every Symriser plays a crucial role in our success, bringing outstanding expertise, a strong sense of responsibility and extraordinary personal commitment to their work.” FY 2025 Group Financial Performance Reported EBITDA was €913 million compared to €1,033 million in full year 2024. Adjusted EBITDA was €1,081 million, up €47 million versus the prior year, driven by sales growth, product mix and delivery of ONE SYM Transformation cost savings and efficiency gains. As part of its ongoing commitment to transparent financial reporting, Symrise will be reporting adjusted, supplemental non-IFRS performance measures. An adjusted EBITDA for example is intended to enhance investors’ understanding of the Group’s underlying operating performance and improve comparability across reporting periods, in line with sector practice. Symrise will continue to report and emphasize IFRS financial measures, which remain the primary basis for assessing financial performance. For full year 2025, adjusted items included previously announced non-cash impairment charges recorded in the fourth quarter related to Terpene business (€148 million, EBITDA neutral) and Swedencare (€150 million) as well as one-time items including expenses related to portfolio updates (€10 million for divestment of the Terpene Ingredients and Aqua Feed businesses), the ONE SYM Transformation (€6 million), and antitrust investigation (€3 million). Adjusted net income attributable to shareholders of Symrise AG was €513 million, an increase of €35 million versus the prior year. Adjusted earnings per share of €3.67 increased €0.25 compared to €3.42 in the prior year. Including the non-cash impairments for Swedencare and the Terpene business, earnings per share were €1.78. For the full year 2025, adjusted tax expenses amounted to €179 million compared to €164 million the prior year. The resulting 25.7% adjusted tax rate was slightly above the prior year rate of 25.4%. FY 2025 Segment Financial Performance Taste, Nutrition & Health Segment The Taste, Nutrition & Health segment reported organic sales growth of 2.6%, driven by outperformance of the Food & Beverage division. Taking into account portfolio and exchange rate effects, segment revenue was €3,028 million in reported currency, a decrease of 2.0% year-on-year.
Segment adjusted EBITDA was €722 million compared to €686 million in the prior year. The increase was largely driven by profitable sales growth and efficiency gains. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 23.8% increased 160 basis points year-on-year. Scent & Care Segment The Scent & Care segment recorded organic sales growth of 3.2%, driven by continued high growth momentum in Fragrance. Taking into account portfolio and exchange rate effects, segment revenue was €1,901 million in reported currency, a decrease of 0.3% year-on-year.
Segment adjusted EBITDA was €359 million compared to €347 million in the prior year. The increase was largely driven by profitable sales growth and efficiency gains. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 18.9% increased 70 basis points year-on-year.
Balance Sheet and Capital Allocation Adjusted Business Free Cash Flow totaled €780 million, resulting in a margin of 15.8%, a year-on-year increase of 220 basis points largely driven by EBITDA uplift, lower capital expansion intensity and disciplined working capital management through targeted inventory reduction. As of December 31, 2025, net debt totaled €1,620 million, €216 million lower compared to the prior-year period. Including pension and lease liabilities, net debt totaled €2,088 million, which corresponds to 1.9x net debt to adjusted EBITDA, within the updated long-term target range of 1.5x-2.5x. The Executive Board of Symrise AG, in aligment with the Supervisory Board, will propose to the Annual General Meeting on May 06, 2026, to raise the dividend from €1.20 per share for 2024 to €1.25 per share for 2025. On January 12, 2026, Symrise announced an inaugural share buyback program for up to €400 million. The program commenced February 02, 2026 and will remain active through October 30, 2026. ONE SYM Transformation Symrise has progressed its ONE SYM Transformation program well into Phase 2 and is gaining momentum. In Phase 1, which commenced in 2024, the company took a broad self-help approach across the organization, advancing key initiatives, developing customer-centric differentiated offers, and optimizing costs and efficiencies. The company delivered structural cost savings and efficiency gains of approximately €100 million in 2024 and 2025, which created important momentum for the next stage. In Phase 2, Symrise is now focused more strongly on growth through commercial excellence, seeking the most attractive opportunities in its reference markets, and continuing to improve its innovation ecosystem for the benefit of its customers. At the same time, the company continues to enhance efficiency through process improvements and corresponding organizational optimization. All measures are supported by increasingly embedding digitalization across the company. Taken together, this integrated approach positions 2026 as a pivotal year in which Symrise accelerates its transformation to enhance competitiveness in a dynamic market environment and lays the foundation for sustained value creation in the years ahead. Full Year 2026 Outlook The outlook for full year 2026 takes into account strategic initiatives the company is executing to deliver above-market growth and continued improvement in margin and business free cash flow, as well as the challenging global demand environment, geopolitical uncertainty, and inflationary tariff impacts on end consumer buying behavior. The full‑year 2026 outlook assumes Q1 organic growth to be down low‑single digits year‑on‑year, reflecting high year‑on‑year comparables.
Dr. Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO of Symrise AG, concluded: “Our 2026 guidance is not only underpinned by the acceleration of our ONE SYM Transformation program but also supported by strong project vitality with key customers, a solid pipeline of new solutions, and resilience in our core end markets.” Symrise reaffirms its 2025 to 2028 medium-term targets: organic sales growth CAGR of 5% to 7%, EBITDA margin of 21% to 23%, and Business Free Cash Flow margin of more than 14%.
About Symrise: Symrise is a global supplier of flavors and fragrances, cosmetic basic and active ingredients as well as functional ingredients. Its customers include perfume, cosmetics, food and beverage manufacturers, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of dietary supplements and pet food. With sales of around €4.9 billion in the 2025 financial year, the company is one of the world's leading providers. The Group, headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, has more than 100 branches in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Asia, the USA and Latin America. Together with its customers, Symrise develops new ideas and marketable concepts for products that have become an indispensable part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked. Symrise – always inspiring more.
04.03.2026 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. |
| Language: | English |
| Company: | Symrise AG |
| Mühlenfeldstraße 1 | |
| 37603 Holzminden | |
| Germany | |
| Phone: | +49 (0)5531 90 0 |
| E-mail: | ir@symrise.com |
| Internet: | www.symrise.com |
| ISIN: | DE000SYM9999, DE000SYM7787, DE000SYM7704 |
| WKN: | SYM999 |
| Indices: | DAX |
| Listed: | Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate BSX |
| EQS News ID: | 2285052 |
| End of News | EQS News Service |
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2285052 04.03.2026 CET/CEST
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