Document:

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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(a)

                                LETTER AMENDMENT

                                                   Dated as of December 31, 2000

To the banks, financial institutions and
other institutional lenders
(collectively, the "Lenders") parties to
the Credit Agreement referred to below
and to Citibank, N.A., as agent (the
"Agent") for the Lenders

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We refer to the 364-Day Credit Agreement dated as of November 28, 2000 (as
amended, supplemented or otherwise modified through the date hereof, the "Credit
Agreement") among the undersigned and you. Capitalized terms not otherwise
defined in this Letter Amendment have the same meanings as specified in the
Credit Agreement.

     We refer to our acquisition of Bush Boake Allen Inc. pursuant to the Merger
Agreement and to the financial covenant set forth in Section 5.03 of the Credit
Agreement. It has come to our attention that said financial covenant was
calculated without giving appropriate effect to the EBITDA of Bush Boake Allen
Inc. We hereby request that the Required Lenders agree to amend the definition
of EBITDA to give pro forma effect to the acquisition of Bush Boake Allen Inc.

     You have indicated your willingness, on the terms and conditions stated
below, to so agree. Accordingly, it is hereby agreed by you and us as follows:

     The definition of EBITDA in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is,
effective as of the date of this Letter Amendment, hereby amended in full to
read as follows:

     "EBITDA" means, for any period, net income (or net loss) plus the sum of
(a) interest expense, (b) income tax expense, (c) depreciation expense, (d)
amortization expense and all other non-cash charges and (e) extraordinary or
unusual losses deducted in calculating net income less extraordinary or unusual
gains added in calculating net income, in each case determined in accordance
with GAAP for such period, provided, that for purposes of determining compliance
with Section 5.03 for each period ended prior to the first anniversary of the
Borrower's acquisition of Bush Boake Allen Inc., EBITDA of the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be the pro forma amount calculated as if such
acquisition had been consummated on the first day of such period.

     This Letter Amendment shall become effective as of the date first above
written when, and only when, the Agent shall have received counterparts of this
Letter Amendment executed by the undersigned and the Required Lenders or, as to
any of the Lenders, advice satisfactory to the Agent that such Lender has
executed this Letter Amendment This Letter Amendment is subject to the
provisions of Section 8.01 of the Credit Agreement.

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     On and after the effectiveness of this Letter Amendment, each reference in
the Credit Agreement to "this Agreement", "hereunder", "hereof" or words of like
import referring to the Credit Agreement, and each reference in the Notes to
"the Credit Agreement", "thereunder", "thereof" or words of like import
referring to the Credit Agreement, shall mean and be a reference to the Credit
Agreement, as amended by this Letter Amendment.

     The Credit Agreement and the Notes, as specifically amended by this Letter
Amendment, are and shall continue to be in full force and effect and are hereby
in all respects ratified and confirmed. The execution, delivery and
effectiveness of this Letter Amendment shall not, except as expressly provided
herein, operate as a waiver of any right, power or remedy of any Lender or the
Agent under the Credit Agreement, nor constitute a waiver of any provision of
the Credit Agreement.

     If you agree to the terms and provisions hereof, please evidence such
agreement by executing and returning at least two counterparts of this Letter
Amendment to Susan L. Hobart, Shearman & Sterling, 599 Lexington Avenue, New
York, New York 10022.

     This Letter Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by
different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so
executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall
constitute one and the same agreement. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a
signature page to this Letter Amendment by telecopier shall be effective as
delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Letter Amendment.

     This Letter Amendment shall be governed by, and construed in accordance
with, the laws of the State of New York.

                                       Very truly yours,

                                       INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC.

                                       By
                                          ------------------------------------
                                          Title:

Agreed as of the date first above written:

CITIBANK, N.A.,
   as Agent and as Lender

By
   -----------------------------------------
   Title:

--------------------------------------------
{Type or print name of institution}

By
   -----------------------------------------
   Title:

                                       2<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(b)

                                                              July 25, 2001

Mr. Carlos A. Lobbosco
Avda Alvear 1654, 4th Floor
1014 Buenos Aires
Argentina

Dear Carlos,

     This letter will outline the understandings you and International Flavors &
Fragrances Inc. ("IFF" or the "Company") have reached in respect of your
continuing employment with the Company through June 30, 2004 (the "Retirement
Date"), as well as the terms of your retirement. This letter supersedes the
letter agreement between you and IFF dated as of October 1, 1999.

     We have agreed as follows:

     1.   You will continue to serve as Executive Vice President, Global
          Business Development, through May 31, 2002 (the "Pre-Retirement
          Date"), at your current annual salary of $550,000.

     2.   You will continue to participate for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 in
          the IFF Annual Incentive Plan (the "AIP") under the 2000 Stock Award
          and Incentive Plan ("SAIP"). Your target AIP awards for each year will
          be as follows:

<PAGE>

                                                          Mr. Carlos A. Lobbosco
                                                                   July 25, 2001
                                                               Page 2 of 6 Pages

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
                   Year                      AIP Target as a Percentage of Base Salary
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
<S>                                                             <C>
                   2001                                         50
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
                   2002                                         37.5
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
                   2003                                         25
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

     3.   You will continue to participate in Cycle I of the IFF Long-Term
          Incentive Plan under the SAIP. If no payment is made until after the
          completion of Cycle I, your target award will be 75% of your weighted
          average base salary during Cycle I. If pursuant to the terms of the
          LTIP the Compensation Committee determines that the Company's
          performance against the LTIP objectives through June 30, 2002 is
          superior, and elects to make a partial payout of the Cycle I target
          award, your target award for that partial payout will be 50% of your
          weighted average base salary during the period January 1, 2001 through
          June 30, 2002. Your target award for the remainder of Cycle I will be
          50% of your weighted average base salary from July 1, 2002 through the
          Retirement Date.

     4.   You will not receive any stock option grant in 2002 or in any
          subsequent year. You will be entitled to exercise options under the
          stock option grants previously made to you pursuant to the terms of
          your outstanding Stock Option Agreements.

     5.   Until the Retirement Date you will continue to participate in the IFF
          TCN Pension Plan (the "TCN Plan"). You have requested, and IFF has
          agreed, that in lieu of any benefits to which you might otherwise be
          entitled under the TCN Plan or any other IFF pension or retirement
          plan or program, the Company will make to you upon your retirement
          seven annual payments of $604,527 (the "Pension"). Except as set forth
          below in this Section 5, the Pension will not be reduced by an offset
          for Argentine Social

<PAGE>

                                                          Mr. Carlos A. Lobbosco
                                                                   July 25, 2001
                                                               Page 3 of 6 Pages

          Security,as is contemplated by the TCN Plan. You warrant and represent
          to the Company that at age 65 based on your actual compensation to
          date and the compensation contemplated by this Agreement through June
          30, 2004, your Argentine Social Security benefit will be no greater
          than Argentine Peso equivalent, at today's exchange rate, of $1,500
          per month. You understand and agree that, in the event that the
          Argentine Social Security benefit exceeds $1,500 per month, and/or
          there are offsets contemplated by the TCN Plan that, including the
          Argentine Social Security benefit, aggregate more than $1,500 per
          month, such additional amounts will be used to offset the Pension,
          which will be recalculated using the methodology then applicable under
          the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

          The first annual installment of the Pension will be paid to you in
          July 2004, and subsequent installments will be paid in July of each
          subsequent year until all seven installments have been paid. The
          Pension will be paid to you in your then country of residence (which
          you anticipate to be either Argentina or Uruguay) in US Dollars, with
          payments coming from IFF in either the United States or the United
          Kingdom.

          You acknowledge and agree that the payment of the Pension in seven
          installments of $604,527 is and will be the only obligation of IFF to
          pay you any pension benefit, and you waive any right to any other
          pension benefit from IFF.

          In the event that you die after the Retirement Date but prior to the
          payment of all seven installments of the Pension, the remaining
          installments will be paid in full to your surviving spouse or to your
          or your spouse's estate, should your spouse not survive until all
          seven installments are paid. We have further agreed that, in the event
          you should die prior to the Retirement Date, IFF will make to your
          surviving spouse seven annual payments of $302,263.50 each, commencing
          in the month following your death and at 12-month intervals thereafter
          (the "Survivor Pension"). If your spouse dies before the payment of
          all seven installments of the Survivor Pension, the

<PAGE>

                                                          Mr. Carlos A. Lobbosco
                                                                   July 25, 2001
                                                               Page 4 of 6 Pages

          remaining payments will be made to her estate. Should you die prior to
          the Retirement Date and should your spouse predecease you, you agree
          and acknowledge that no Pension or Survivor Pension will be due to
          your or your wife's estate.

          In the event that for any reason the unfunded pension benefits of
          other IFF executive officers are hereafter funded through a transfer
          of assets to the Rabbi Trust evidenced by the Trust Agreement dated
          October 4, 2000 between IFF and The First Union National Bank, as
          Trustee (or to any successor Rabbi Trust), the Pension will also be
          similarly funded.

     6.   From the Pre-Retirement Date through the Retirement Date, you will
          remain an employee of IFF, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina and will
          perform such services for IFF as I or the then Chief Executive Officer
          of the Company may request. During this period your base salary will
          be $550,000, and you will continue to participate in the TCN Plan.

     7.   Until the Retirement Date, (a) you will be covered for disability and
          travel insurance under those programs maintained by IFF for its
          employees in the United States; (b) you will be covered by life
          insurance under IFF's basic and supplemental programs of not less than
          US$1,000,000; (c) you and your family will continue to be covered by
          the IFF Argentina medical scheme; and (d) you will also continue to be
          included in the IFF global medical and dental program, currently
          administered by CIGNA, and in the following benefit programs that IFF
          maintains for its senior executives: financial counseling/advice from
          Tittmann & Rusch and the IFF Executive Separation Policy ("ESP").
          Notwithstanding the foregoing, between the Pre-Retirement Date and the
          Retirement Date you will be covered by the ESP only for the payments
          and benefits that would be due as a result of a "Change-in-Control,"
          and for that purpose you will continue to be deemed a "Tier I"
          participant in the ESP. After the Retirement Date, you will be
          entitled to the benefits then granted by IFF to retired employees of
          IFF Argentina.

<PAGE>

                                                          Mr. Carlos A. Lobbosco
                                                                   July 25, 2001
                                                               Page 5 of 6 Pages

     8.   Until the Retirement Date, (a) IFF Argentina will also continue to pay
          your annual membership fees, up to a maximum of the equivalent in
          Argentine Pesos of US$9,000 per year (the "Club Fees"), in the
          Argentine Club in Buenos Aires. Should you currently be a member of or
          elect to join any other club, all fees and expenses of joining and/or
          maintaining your membership in such club will be your sole
          responsibility; and (b) you continue to use the automobile that is
          currently provided to you by the Company (the "Company Car"). You will
          not be entitled to purchase a new Company Car prior to the Retirement
          Date, but at your election you may elect to purchase the Company Car
          on the Retirement Date at its then value calculated in accordance with
          IFF's normal valuation procedure.

     9.   In the event your employment with IFF is terminated by IFF for any
          reason other than for "cause" prior to July 1, 2004, and in connection
          with such termination you are not entitled to the benefits under the
          ESP, you will retire from IFF employment as of the termination date,
          which will be deemed the Retirement Date. In such event, you may elect
          (a) to commence receiving the Pension immediately after the Retirement
          Date, or (b) in lieu of commencing to receive the Pension at the
          Retirement Date, to receive "Salary Continuation Payments" equal to
          your monthly base salary at the Retirement Date, for the shorter of
          (i) twenty-four (24) months or (ii) if the Retirement Date occurs on
          or after July 1, 2002, the number of months between the Retirement
          Date and July 1, 2004, after which the Pension will commence (with the
          amount of the Pension--including the guaranteed minimum--computed
          based on your years of service through the Retirement Date but with a
          commencement date based on your age on the actual date on which the
          Pension commences). "Cause" will have the same meaning in this
          Agreement as in the ESP.

     10.  The terms of our agreement represent the complete understanding
          between you and IFF and may not be changed orally but only in a
          writing signed by both you and IFF.

<PAGE>

                                                          Mr. Carlos A. Lobbosco
                                                                   July 25, 2001
                                                               Page 6 of 6 Pages

     11.  Our agreement is made and entered into, and will be subject to,
          governed by, and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State
          of New York and will be enforceable in the courts of that state,
          without regard to principles of conflict of laws.

         Carlos, if the terms set forth above accurately reflect our
understanding, please sign the extra copy of this letter and return it to Steve
Block. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Steve or me.

                                             Sincerely,

                                             INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS &
                                             FRAGRANCES INC.

                                             By: /s/ Richard A. Goldstein
                                                 ----------------------------
                                                     Richard A. Goldstein
                                                     Chairman and
                                                     Chief Executive Officer

AGREED AND ACCEPTED:

/s/ Carlos A. Lobbosco
----------------------------
Carlos A. Lobbosco

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