AI-powered perfume: Too on the nose?

From sourcing ethical ingredients to crafting bespoke scents, artificial intelligence is making an impression on the fragrance industry. In line with AI’s global boom, beauty giants and indie players have begun deploying the tech to push the boundaries of their scent creation process in hopes of redefining the olfactory experience. Late last year, British multinational corporation Unilever announced that it was investing 100 million euros ($105 million) to create a dedicated fragrance house, leveraging AI-driven design. It’s a logical next step. The global fragrance market is set to hit $69.25 billion by 2030, and with an overwhelming number of scents on offer, brands are turning to AI to cut through the noise. But finding ways to harness the tech requires striking the balance between highbrow and gauche — particularly when it comes to an arena as personal as perfume. How brands use AI varies. While some are pioneering fully automated fragrance development, others are harnessing AI for ethical ingredient sourcing and tailored recommendations. We break down some of their strategies below. Tom Ford Beauty In January, Tom Ford Beauty launched its most recent fragrance, Bois Pacifique. The scent not only ushered in a new era for the beauty label and its wellness ambitions but also introduced a tech edge: the use of AI during its development. In collaboration with perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Givaudan’s proprietary AI tool, Carto, Tom Ford Beauty used a digital ‘odor map’ to blend ingredients seamlessly — marking the first time that its parent company, Estée Lauder, fully embraced AI-influenced formulations. Jo Malone London Beyond fragrance composition, Jo Malone London is an example of a brand that is leveraging AI across various aspects of the industry, from packaging and marketing to scent naming and education. The UK-based cosmetics company is also using the technology to support ethical ingredient sourcing, for instance, finding EU-compliant alternatives that are safer, more accessible, and cost-effective. The Fragrance Shop British fragrance retailer The Fragrance Shop has been pioneering the use of in-store customer service tools powered by AI, which aim to streamline and personalize the fragrance selection process. Last November, the company teamed up with intelligence fragrance-making machine EveryHuman at its London pop-up, where shoppers could interact with the platform to create their own bespoke scent. The machine invited participants to craft unique fragrances based on a questionnaire before blending 46 unique scent building blocks to generate a personalized customer profile. It then created the fragrances in just over one minute. Amorepacific In a similar vein, South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific is exploring AI’s potential by using real-time biodata to craft personalized scents tailored to individual preferences. It’s an approach best exemplified in the brand’s ‘bathbot’ bath-bomb experience, which customizes fragrances based on customer data. The technology expands on the immersive experience to recommend scents and colors by analyzing consumers’ brainwaves. Givaudan Alongside its collaboration with Tom Ford Beauty, Givaudan is also harnessing AI technology to refine its operations in the Chinese market, particularly at its Shanghai Fragrance Center. By making use of proprietary tools like ‘Carto’ — an AI-powered system that integrates data science and microsampling technology — the company aims to gain deeper insights into consumer preferences and develop fragrances tailored specifically for the region. The advanced assistant also enables perfumers to explore an intuitive formula space, providing graphical insights and ingredient recommendations that enhance transparency in the formulation process, ultimately leading to more personalized and bespoke scents.

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AI-powered perfume: Too on the nose?