Parfums Christian Dior has recommitted to the World Wildlife Fund for another three years, extending a partnership that began in 2023 and now centers on puma conservation in Chilean Patagonia.

Sauvage, the best-selling fragrance in the world, anchors the collaboration. But Cécile Lochard, global sustainability director at Parfums Christian Dior, frames it as structural, not seasonal. "Beauty is not like fashion," she says. "You don't make a collection and change your partner each time. It takes three years on average to develop a product, and it was like that with WWF too: what is the correct species [to support], what will we do, how will we convey it to the public? And this is not just another non-profit partnership, but part of a 360-degree approach when it comes to making Sauvage the torchbearer of Dior commitment [to the environment and sustainability]."

The species selection followed WWF's science, not the brand's aesthetic. "We asked what their choice would be," says Lochard. "Which species is vulnerable or endangered. And then it was: let's try to find a way to fit with the campaign around Johnny [Depp, the brand ambassador]." The conservation projects began with the lynx in France, then the jaguar in Mexico and the United States, before moving to the puma in Chile. "It isn't easy sometimes to find a subject that can fit both structural and creative concerns; this was the perfect match," she adds.

The puma link to Sauvage's big-cat iconography—René Gruau's leopard illustrations followed Alain Delon's stint as the face of the original Eau Sauvage, launched in 1966—is coincidental, according to Lochard. The real driver is the fragrance's wilderness positioning, captured in its current tagline: "In the wild, everything is always in front of you."

Lochard knows the NGO side from within. She previously served as WWF's deputy director of corporate partnerships and established its philanthropy director role. At the time, she says, striking a deal with a luxury brand to protect a wildlife species was impossible. A project like this is "a big step-change, not just for Dior but for the industry," she says.

The conservation logic is ecological. "The puma has a unique ecological role," explains Liliana Ortiz Tolhuysen, strategy, science, and innovation manager at WWF Chile. "Any ecosystem needs an apex predator, and here in America and Latin America, the puma is one of the most important; we have to protect them as their role is irreplaceable." The puma counts as an "umbrella species": preserving it means "also invest[ing] in the preservation of hundreds of other species—it's a concept of biology and biodiversity," says Lochard. Pumas regulate herbivore behavior and numbers, which in turn supports vegetation growth.

The partnership focuses on habitat connectivity. The puma's range extends from Canada to southern Chile, and maintaining movement between protected areas can require special tunnels and bridges. Education programs aim to reduce conflict with livestock owners—pumas sometimes hunt herds, and while killing them is illegal in Chile, shooting in self-defense is permitted. Strategies include specially trained guard dogs, stronger fences and deterrents. Dior has also funded self-release GPS collars and cameras that track the cats' movements without disturbing them.

The puma currently holds "near threatened" status in Chile. "The puma is very adaptable and is living with all these threats but doing okay. But all it takes is one shift, and things could change," says Ortiz.

The partnership forms part of a broader environmental program at the maison, spanning refillable fragrances and regenerative farming with suppliers. The commercial dividend is already visible: the puma features in current Sauvage campaigns, opening WWF to a new audience. "We are a beauty leader in our sector, so we have to set the pace," says Lochard—a signal that predator conservation may become competitive territory in luxury sustainability.