A federal court authorized this website.
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey has preliminarily approved a settlement between direct purchaser plaintiffs (“Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs”) and defendant International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. (“IFF”). The Settlement class has been provisionally certified in this antitrust class action lawsuit, entitled In re Fragrance Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, No. 2:23-cv-02174 (WJM)(JSA) (D.N.J.). United States District Court Judge William J. Martini is presiding over this class action (the “Action”). The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (the “Court”) authorized the issuance of the Notice and this website. The Court preliminarily approved the Settlement on November 17, 2025.
The lawsuit alleges an unlawful conspiracy by the Defendant in the Action to fix, raise, or maintain the price of Fragrance Products. The Court has not decided whether IFF did anything wrong, and IFF denies any wrongdoing.
This litigation will go forward against the non-settling defendants in the Action: Givaudan SA, Givaudan Fragrances Corporation, Ungerer & Company, Inc., Custom Essence LLC, Symrise AG, Symrise Inc., and Symrise US LLC (the “Non-Settling Defendants”).
The IFF Settlement requires IFF to pay $26,000,000.00 as a monetary payment. In addition to the monetary payment, IFF has agreed to cooperate in good faith with Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs in the ongoing litigation against the Non-Settling Defendants, including producing documents; making current or former employees available for interviews and depositions; and providing other information relevant to the conduct at issue in this litigation. Any cooperation will be provided subject to applicable confidentiality obligations and protections for commercially sensitive customer information. This Settlement only applies to IFF and does not dismiss claims against the Non-Settling Defendants.
Before any money is distributed to Class Members under the Settlement, the Court will hold a hearing (the “Fairness Hearing”) to decide whether to give final approval to the Settlement. If approved by the Court, the Settlement will release IFF from the claims asserted by the class provisionally certified herein for the purposes of the Settlement.
Your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act. Please read this website and the Notice carefully. They include important information about the lawsuit and the Settlement with IFF.
Your Legal Rights and Options in These Settlements | |
Do Nothing and Remain in the Settlement Class | You do not have to take any action to remain part of the Settlement Class. However, by doing nothing, you give up any rights to separately sue IFF about the claims in this Action. You will remain part of the Settlement Class, and you may participate in any monetary distribution to qualified direct purchasers. |
Object | If you wish to object to all or any part of the proposed Settlement, you may object and explain why you do not like the Settlement. You can only object if you are a Member of the Settlement Class and do not exclude yourself. Objections must be (a) filed with the Court by November 8, 2026; and (b) served by first class mail on the Claims Administrator, Class Counsel, and Counsel for IFF by November 8, 2026. |
Attend the Fairness Hearing | If you submit a written objection, you may (but you do not have to) attend the Fairness Hearing and, at the discretion of the Court, speak to the Court about your objection. The Fairness Hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2026. |
Ask to be Excluded | If you ask to be excluded from the Settlement and the Court gives final approval to the Settlement, you will not receive any money from the Settlement. This is the only option that allows you ever to be part of any other lawsuit against IFF about the legal claims in this Action. Requests for Exclusion must be postmarked no later than October 19, 2026. |
Upcoming Important Dates
Notification Mailing
08/17/2026
Opt Out Deadline
10/19/2026
Objection Deadline
11/08/2026
Final Approval Hearing
12/08/2026