Perfume with perfumers: Is AI a threat to the human nose?

The fragrance industry is embracing artificial intelligence as a tool to create hyper-personalised scents, prompting questions about the future role of perfumers.

By Maisie Bovingdon

February 14, 2025

Welcome to Beauty Run by Robots, a Vogue Business mini-series exploring the role and effects artificial intelligence (AI) will have on the beauty industry.

Tom Ford Beauty’s most recent fragrance launch, Bois Pacifique, was notable for several reasons, but perhaps chief among them was the way artificial intelligence was used in its development. A digital “odour value map” was used to blend ingredients in line with a brief, marking the first time parent company Estée Lauder has gone all in on an AI-influenced formula.

AI is becoming embedded in fragrance development for many beauty brands, from sourcing ingredients to scent creation. But some in the industry fear the technology could dilute the artistry of perfume-making, and oversaturate the market with mass-produced artificial scents. AI’s reliance on data also sparks concern over the protection of intellectual property. With the tech’s growing influence, there’s a lot at stake.

For brands, there are multiple advantages to using AI. “Implementation of AI can be costly, but long-term, AI offers faster-to-market innovation, reduces costs, waste and risk, and enables higher profits,” says Rachel Goalby, CMO of The Fragrance Shop.

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Transparency is another key advantage. “AI tools like [Swiss perfume manufacturer] DSM-Firmenich’s EcoScent Compass analyse the environmental impact, carbon emissions and ethical considerations [of fragrance creation],” says Paul Houlsby, CEO of high-end retail concept The Perfume Movement. Hannah Mauser, senior beauty strategist at trend forecasting agency WGSN, says the rise in consumer interest in AI-driven fragrance creation — which has surged since 2019 — can be attributed, in part, to demand for greater transparency.

AI can also aid ethical ingredient sourcing, says Jo Loves founder Jo Malone. “For ingredients we can’t use, such as lilial [which is banned in the EU], AI will be able to find a solution in a safe, accessible and cheaper way.” AI’s capabilities also extend to sustainable packaging, Houlsby adds. “By analysing data on product dimensions, fragility and transportation needs, AI can optimise packaging design to minimise waste,” he explains.

Dr A K Pradeep, CEO of neuroscience-driven AI platform Sensori.Ai, argues that the use of AI will herald a new era of creativity in fragrance through “hyper-personalisation”. The NeuroAI author says algorithms can help consumers articulate their preferred accords, compare fragrance profiles to ensure unique blends and create bespoke scents.

The industry is leaning in. Bois Pacifique was developed using fragrance developer Givaudan’s proprietary AI tool, Carto, which launched in 2020. The Fragrance Shop introduced an “AI-guided scent-creation platform” called Everyhuman, which uses a combination of customer questionnaires and AI to create bespoke scents in 2023. Manufacturer International Fragrance & Flavours (IFF) last week announced a new AI-powered research tool called Scent Chat that uses semantic AI and language processing to steer fragrance creation.

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Many are excited about the innovation that is happening as AI develops. However, fragrance has always been a category that relies heavily on the human nose. Does AI put perfumers’ jobs at risk?

“My concern is that AI could dilute the artistry and individuality of perfumery if over-relied upon. If AI takes a dominant role, there’s a risk that customers might lose trust in the authenticity and originality of the industry as a whole,” says Emmanuelle Moeglin, founder of London’s Experimental Perfume Club.

Perfume without perfumers

Nina Simona Briazu, perfumer at Italian brand Torti, believes AI cannot replicate the emotional depth that traditional olfactory can achieve. “Perfumery is a sensory and emotional experience that cannot be reduced to predictive modelling — human touch remains paramount,” she argues.

However, some industry experts believe AI-powered technology could act as a tool to aid creativity in the space. Anna Malmhake, CEO at Swiss beauty and wellness company Oriflame, believes algorithms help “better understand the human emotional response to fragrance notes” from consumers across the world.

Laurence Chirat, head of digital creation at DSM-Firmenich, argues that AI can “build a fragrance that goes beyond just scent”. DSM-Firmenich has an “emotion” programme, which aims to combine neuroscience and AI to craft wellness fragrances that can deliver “emotional, psychological and physical benefits”.

If AI can tap into human emotions, will skilled perfumers, and perfumery as we know it, become obsolete? Briazu doesn’t think so. She believes human touch is “irreplaceable” in fragrance creation. “AI cannot smell, feel, interpret, or craft like the depth of a perfumer who understands how scent interacts with skin,” she says. Malone, meanwhile, hails perfumers as the “heartbeat” of the fragrance industry.

Malmhake, Houlsby and Goalby all agree that perfumers remain central to fragrance creation, while arguing that they can co-exist alongside AI-supported technology, whether as independent entities or to refine AI-generated formulas. “Yes, AI can identify patterns and trends linked to emotional responses, but it’s ultimately human perfumers who translate those insights. We’ll always need skilled perfumers, using AI as a tool alongside their creativity,” says Goalby.

While Moeglin believes skilled artisans are paramount to pushing creative boundaries, she thinks the tech could strengthen artisan perfumery. “By following data, AI will miss essential tricks in perfume creation, whereas perfumers try unusual combinations,” she explains. ”There may be a growing appreciation for handcrafted fragrances as a counterbalance to the increasing use of technology.”

IP concerns

As the use of AI in fragrance rises, another concern is the potential risk that AI-generated scents could inadvertently dupe others on the market.

Chirat acknowledges the risks of using an unprotected AI platform. “Yes, IP is at risk with AI, in every domain, not just in the fragrance industry. AI allows more people to access more data and leverage more data. If a competitor can access our formulas, it will be easier for them to create dupes.”

For companies worried about being copied, there are ways to put protections in place. “They will not be able to use exactly the same ingredients we do,” says Chirat. “Our perfumers have ingredients we call ‘captives’, developed by DSM-Firmenich, which are protected by IP, so only our perfumers can use them and they cannot be produced by another company.”

Moeglin says fragrance-making — whether using AI or traditional olfactory methods — creates such precise formulas that it is “very unlikely” they can be duplicated exactly.

Fragrances produced using neuro AI algorithms, which combine neuroscience with AI to create scents based on the “imagination and background” of the consumer, effectively have a warning system built in to avoid dupes, says Pradeep. “The algorithm seeks out any comparable perfumes in the market, and highlights in what ways — be it in top, middle or base notes — the neuro AI-designed fragrances might have any similarity to any other product in the marketplace.”

What’s next?

Although AI-backed fragrance is still in its infancy, several industry experts predict it will be accepted as common practice for scent houses, rather than a novelty or threat, in the future.

AI’s role will not peak at scent creation, either. Pradeep expects AI fragrances to naturally expand into soaps and home scents, alongside even broader advancements. “There are no limits to where neuroscience-powered generative AI can go. AI enables brands to take consumer profiles and match their interests to fragrances, or create a fragrance inspired by their favourite artists.”

WGSN predicts the evolution of AI and neuroscience in fragrance creation will lead to AI-backed, scented, wearable technology for holistic remedies, such as “prescription scenting” and “real-time bio-synced scenting”, says Mauser. Goalby envisions a revolution in fragrance e-commerce. “AI may expand into virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, allowing consumers to ‘smell’ scents digitally before buying.”

As AI innovations expand worldwide, Pradeep predicts the global fragrance market will boom “a hundredfold”. Yet, while the technology is expected to reshape the entire industry, most experts agree that there will still be a role for the human nose. “AI supports experts but is not necessary to create a good fragrance. At DSM-Firmenich, we are convinced AI can be an aid and ally to perfumers in their work, but it cannot replace their talent, intuition and experience,” says Chirat.