On December 1ᵉʳ 2025, the French Customs opened a Designated Inspection Point for organic products in Nice.
What are the benefits for the sourcing and transportation of essential oils and other ingredients needed by the flavor and cosmetics industries in Southern France?
Get the main hints by MATHEZ FREIGHT, a customs representative and air transport specialist with AEO-Full and DGR certifications serving the aroma industry.
Quick Tips for Logistics Professionals
- French Customs have opened in Nice a Clearance Point dedicated to the import of organic products of non-animal origin.
- Organic essential oils, aromatic extracts, vanilla and spices for Grasse-based flavorists and perfumers can now be imported directly to Nice.
NB: Organic food products requiring phytosanitary or veterinary controls remain controlled at other platforms (Marseille, Paris-CDG, Lyon). - This checkpoint at France’s second-largest airport will significantly improve import conditions for the fragrance, flavor and cosmetics industries in Provence Alpes Cote ‘dAzur region, including Grasse:
– direct sourcing from certain producer countries,
– faster, less carbon-intensive and even cheaper routing via Middle Eastern hubs
– and in all cases, fewer load disruptions and therefore fewer risks for their precious products.
The opening of an organic checkpoint at France’s 2nd largest international airport means we can offer the French Riviera fragrance and cosmetics industry optimized import schemes (cost / lead time / safety / CO2).
A new Inspection Point for organic products eases imports in Nice
Customs: a new dedicated clearance point for non-animal organic products
Nice has officially opened a clearance point for organic food products of non-animal origin. This means that importers can now have their goods inspected, cleared and released directly in Nice, without having to go through Marseille, Lyon, or Paris.
Nice’s organic import clearance facility operates under the authority of the Nice-Aéroport Customs Office (code TRACES-NT FRDGDDI26), and its schedule is adapted to air operations. Its purpose is to confirm the validity of inspection certificates, verify organic status, and authorize imports into the European Union. > See the official notice.
A very strong flavor / fragrance / cosmetics industry in Southern France
Grasse, the historic capital of aromas and perfumes, Sophia Antipolis, a major center of cosmetics research, and Nice, a strategic logistics hub, form a unique ecosystem. Together, they represent more than 250 companies, including world leaders in perfumery and natural cosmetics. They employ more than 3,000 specialists in the Alpes-Maritimes county.
The region also accounts for almost 10% of French exports of aromatic ingredients, and is home to a renowned R&D ecosystem, with more than 1,500 researchers and engineers working on biotechnologies, natural extracts and sustainable cosmetics.
Importing organic raw materials is essential to the industry’s innovation and competitiveness.
Main organic ingredients imported by French Riviera industry
A wide range of ingredients are used by perfumers, flavourists and cosmetics formulators in the Grasse and Nice areas. Among the most frequently imported products:
- Essential oils & aromatic plants: ylang ylang from Madagascar, neroli from Egypt, palmarosa from Nepal, patchouli and vetiver from Indonesia or Papua New Guinea, geranium, basil, citrus, widely used in natural cosmetics as well as aromatics.
- Spices and aromatic products: vanilla (Madagascar, Indian Ocean, West Indies), cloves, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric of various origins for flavoring,
- Aromatic plant extracts and oleoresins for flavors and cosmetics,
- Food ingredients of plant origin: fruits, powders, plants, superfoods used as aromatic or cosmetic bases.
These products, subject to regulation (EU) 2021/2306 for the import of organic organic foodstuffs used to be inspected in Paris-CDG, Lyon or Marseille, then transported to Grasse by truck. The scheme generated costs, delays and a high CO₂ balance. Now that organic inspections and customs clearance can be conducted directly in Nice, the industry will be able to take advantage of the transportation networks of France’s second-largest international airport.
Thanks to the opening of the organic inspection point in Nice, the importation of aromatic and cosmetic ingredients can be organized in a more direct, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner.
The best air routes for organic imports into Southern France
Regardless of the production region, we provide optimozed solutions for organic proiducts to reach Southern France: direct flights to Nice, flights via hubs in the Middle East, or via Paris-CDG and Marseille airports. In all cases, the opening of the Nice control point offers benefits to importers.
Direct access to Nice from production areas
Many of the countries producing ingredients of interest to the flavor, fragrance and cosmetics industries offer direct flights to Nice. In all these countries, there is at least one or more organic certification agency (Ecocert, Control Union, Ecoglobe, Caucascert, national bodies, etc.).
Direct connections may vary according to season. See Jetpaths, DirectPaths, or consult us!
As a freight forwarder, MATHEZ FREIGHT does not handle product sourcing or cetify their origin. However, we organize the entire air freight process from origin to Nice or directly to your warehouse, including organic inspections and customs clearance through Nice’s dedicated import control facility.
Efficient air routes via Istanbul, Dubai or Doha
Nice has frequent links to the Middle East’s airport hubs, giving access to Southern France main industrial centers without having to go back to Northern Europe:
- Qatar Airways serves over 180 destinations in 86 countries from Doha, giving it a very extensive network, particularly in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
- Emirates has a very dense network from Dubai, covering Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Oceania and America – opening up many possible routes for importing natural ingredients.
- Turkish Airlines serves 285 to 349 destinations in 130 to 131 countries worldwide, making it a strategic gateway between Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and America.
Here’s a selection of countries / cities served by these companies, and which are renowned for ingredients useful in the aromatic, perfume or cosmetics industries.
These networks make it possible to source organic and aromatic ingredients from nearly all of the world’s major production regions and then transport them to Nice – ideal when shipping to Grasse or Provence.
The benefits of more direct connections:
- Shorter lead times (less flight and transit time)
- Fewer load breaks: reduced risk of breakage, loss or non-conformity.
- a smaller CO2 footprint (fewer, more direct flights, less trucking)
- Potentially optimized costs .
Example1: shipment of 100 kg of vanilla from Madagascar:
- To date: TNR>CDG over 8748 km, then road transportation to Grasse (867km)
- Now: TNR>IST>NCE over 8737km, then trucking to Grasse over only 38km.
- Savings: 1% on CO2, 12% on cost, 20% on lead time.
Example 2: shipment of 100 kg of cardamom from Bengalore:
- So far: by air BLR>CDG (7830 km), then route de Grasse (867km)
- Now: by air BLR>DOH>NCE (8737km), then route de Grasse (38km)
- Savings: 5% CO2, 25% lead time, costs: please consult us.
Please note: To enable MATHEZ FREIGHT to offer you the best routing, please entrust us with an FCA incoterm rather than CPT or DDP.
Some imports will continue to transit via Paris-CDG , Marseille or Lyon
Certain flows from the Indian Ocean or the Americas will continue to transit via the French airport hubs of Roissy-CDG, Marseille or Lyon, because they offer efficient connections or lower fares.
Handling these products for inspection in Nice offers greater safety for products, thanks to a reduction in handling and better-controlled performance at destination.
Even in this scenario, the opening of the organic control point in Nice offers benefits to operators, provided that:
- The LTA is provided for NCE , enabling customs clearance and organic inspection in Nice. The goods can indeed be towed under T1 to Nice for inspection.
- to mention MATHEZ FREIGHT in box 19 of the COI (Certificate of Inspection).
All aromas lead to Nice!
Why use MATHEZ FREIGHT for transporting and clearing organic ingredients?
We have specialized in the transport of aromas in France for 75 years. We are DGR and OEA-Full approved. Choosing the most efficient routing, limiting load breaks, negotiating LTA tariffs, offering complete customs management and negotiating last kilometers: we centralize your shipments, reduce the administrative burden and secure the organic process.
Our promise: to provide you with the best transport options to meet your cost, time, safety and CO2 objectives.
