Beauty: How Ai Helps Perfumers

In a few years, artificial intelligence has become a valuable tool in many sectors. Thanks to powerful algorithms, it provides innovative solutions to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and optimize processes, including in unexpected areas like perfumery! We invite you to discover how AI is helping today’s perfumers create unique olfactory accords and customers choose their signature scent.

AI and perfumers have been collaborating since 2019.

As astonishing as it may seem, artificial intelligence has gradually made its way into the field of perfumery. While purists might argue that the art of fragrance creation is primarily a matter of sensitivity and emotions, AI has become the new assistant to perfumers.

The collaboration between perfumers and machines is not new, as the first experiments in this field date back to 2019. That year, the Brazilian cosmetics giant O Boticario developed two fragrances with the help of artificial intelligence:
• a floral women's perfume called Egeo on me.
• a woody men's perfume, Egeo on you.

Meanwhile, the brand État Libre d'Orange released the powdery and floral perfume She was an anomaly in 2019, created by perfumers Étienne de Swardt and Daniela Andrier with the help of Carto, an artificial intelligence tool for fragrance creators.

In 2021, the house of Paco Rabanne also developed the men's cologne Phantom using an algorithm, with the aim of creating a completely novel and futuristic fragrance.

AI is a creativity booster.

In the perfume industry, artificial intelligence initially played a prescriptive role in helping customers find their signature scent. In certain stores like Nose and Sillages Paris, it is used to guide clients towards the fragrance of their dreams or to create a bespoke perfume for them. Simply answering a questionnaire can help find "their" perfume and ensure they don't smell like everyone else.

But the interest in algorithms doesn't stop there. This new technology also helps perfumers compose fragrances with novel notes or combinations. For major perfume houses, AI has become a creativity booster, thanks in particular to tools like Carto.

Designed by the Fragrance Division of Givaudan, Carto reinvents the perfume creation process and sometimes proves more daring than the perfumers themselves. It is designed to optimally combine 288 natural and synthetic ingredients, categorized by olfactory families and accords. Based on this data, the algorithm can suggest different combinations to achieve the desired olfactory formula.

AI analyzes customer expectations

The intervention of artificial intelligence in a field as personal as choosing a perfume can be surprising. Yet, AI also proves to be very useful for analyzing major olfactory trends and predicting consumer preferences.

Even before the launch of a new fragrance, it can help perfume houses understand customer expectations and the effects of different scents on their mood and emotions. The brand Givaudan is a pioneer in this field with its MoodSentz+ technology. It is a set of algorithms that assist perfumers in formulating fragrances that evoke positive emotions, such as self-confidence or serenity.

If the arrival of artificial intelligence in the perfume industry worries you, rest assured! AIs are not intended to replace noses but rather to lighten their workload so they can focus on the creative process.

Perfumery remains a craft where humans play a central role. Indeed, each fragrance tells a story and evokes memories. Like Proust's famous madeleine, perfume appeals to our emotional intelligence and our humanity.